Maintaining our body wellbeing is the major task of any person. Being healthy and active allows us to function properly and have enough energy for daily tasks and activities. And of course, one of the most important organs that need our care and attention is our heart.
To help everyone keep their “engines” working properly, we prepared a list of foods that each and every heart will enjoy.
What to Eat to Make Your Heart Stronger
Cardiovascular diseases and disorders have become a worldwide problem today, and such a sad statistics are mostly explained by what people eat.
Fatty foods, snacks with lots of chemical additives and preservatives, salty and processed goods, all of them will sooner or later lead to the heart breakdown.
To protect your major body “engine” that pumps your blood making it keep up other organs and systems, try to revise your daily diet.
Our heart loves fresh and raw food: fruits, veggies, nuts, and other natural goods that have been grown on the ground. But of course, if your goal is to keep your heart well-working, it doesn’t mean you must shift for a vegan eating style!
Below, check out the list of the most beneficial foods that can easily be incorporated into your everyday menus:
1. Dried (not roasted!) nuts, let’s say, almonds or walnuts, will not only soothe the hunger, but they will also help the heart work better.
2. Don’t forget about fresh berries: they are filled with heart-friendly nutrients and fiber. Try to stick to blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries.
3. We often forget about seeds, but they play an important role in maintaining our heart wellbeing. Flaxseeds or chia seeds can become a daily additive to the smoothies, oatmeal, or even salads!
Related: https://beezzly.com/how-to-store/do-chia-seeds-go-bad
Oats must also never be skipped! They are rich in nutrients and can easily be incorporated into the daily diet by adding them into yogurts, smoothies or cocktails, or even by mixing them into the green salads.
5. Not all of us know that legumes are high in fiber, minerals, B-vitamins, and lots of other beneficial nutrients that everyone’s heart needs so much. Dried or fresh, they can become a staple on our tables since this foodstuff is also so delicious!
6. Red, yellow, and orange veggies must always be present in your dishes! Carrots, sweet potatoes (also known as batat), red peppers, and tomatoes will match any salad, besides, they are a true powerhouse because of all the nutrients, minerals, and vitamins that they contain.
Tomatoes, for instance, are filled with antioxidants that destroy free radicals thus preventing inflammation that is a frequent cause of heart issues.
7. Green vegetables must also not be skipped. And it is not only spinach as a famous cartoon character used to say! Kale, Swiss chard, bok choy, and asparagus will make your daily meals more varied and, of course, healthy.
8. To make your heart stronger, why not replace sweets with the more beneficial fruits? Oranges or papaya are no less delicious, but they, unlike the sugary treats, will bring way more use!
9. Avocado is often avoided due to its almost tasteless flesh, but we would recommend everyone who is worried about their heart health to include this exotic foodstuff into their diet on regular basis.
This brownish fruit (yeah, avocados are fruits!) is packed with heart-friendly fats that bring down the level of cholesterol and thus decrease the risks of heart disease development.
10. Our number ten is garlic. Yep, not the most delicious thing, but it has strong therapeutic powers: for instance, regular consumption of garlic can help to normalize blood pressure. Moreover, garlic balances the level of cholesterol which is essential for maintaining proper heart health.
Foods And Drinks That Your Heart Will Benefit From
Not only raw veggies and fresh fruits will make out major body engine stronger and more long-lasting. People often have no idea that the most common foodstuffs and even drinks can be the same effective!
- Fresh herbs
Replace salt and fat with these natural additives, and you will see that your heart will feel way better.
- Red wine
It helps to protect the artery walls, but like any alcohol, this drink must be consumed reasonably in small amounts. One glass per day for women and two for men is more than enough to get all the benefits, otherwise, the excessive drinking will have the opposite effect.
- Salmon
Omega-3 that this fish contains lowers the risk of heart rhythm disorders and brings down the blood pressure. Eat this or other oily fish twice a week, and your heart will be healthier than before.
- Olive oil
Make it your full-time substitute for the sunflower oil since the olive product is rich in heart-beneficial antioxidants.
- Tofu
Heart-healthy minerals, fiber, and useful fats are what this soy foodstuff is packed with.
- Low-fat yogurt
Dairy foodstuff is not only good for our bones, but it is also highly beneficial for the blood vessels. For instance, low-fat yogurt is able to keep high blood pressure under control and help it stay balanced.
- Sterol fortified foods
Soy milk and almond milk, some sorts of margarine, and freshly squeezed sugar-free orange juice contain sterols that help us fight cholesterol successfully. Sterols block our guts from soaking up cholesterol which significantly lowers the risks of developing heart diseases.
How to Exercise to Keep Your Heart Healthy
Food is important if we eat what makes our heart work well. However, proper physical training is also essential since the heart must always be in proper tonus.
To prevent any health issues connected with this organ, opt for moderate activities:
- swimming
- brisk walking
- running
- cycling
- tennis
- jumping rope
These easy exercises are easy to do almost everywhere, and moreover, they will train not only the heart but also the whole body.
Of course, we only mentioned raw foods such as fruits and veggies, but your heart will also benefit from fish rich in omega-3 (e.g. salmon or mackerel), fish oil, olive oil, green tea, soybeans, and foods made of them.
And a piece of good news for every sweet tooth here: dark chocolate is also our heart’s favorite! Only we would recommend you stick to the sugar-free alternatives that contain the highest amount of cocoa.
