Your heart is your most important organ, after your brain. Making sure that it’s operating at its optimal level is key to a life of health and longevity. Eating right is a key component of lowering your risk of heart disease. While deaths due to heart disease have dropped in recent years, it’s still the No. 1 killer of Americans. The good news is you can reduce the risk of heart attack by eating healthy foods that good for heart.
9 Foods That Protect Against Heart Attack
Oatmeal
Oats have a type of fiber that lowers your LDL cholesterol. One and a half cups of cooked oatmeal or a little over a cup of cooked barley gives you the amount of beta-glucan you need daily to help lower your cholesterol.
Oranges
They contain cholesterol-fighting pectin. The fruit is also rich in potassium that helps control blood pressure. Antioxidant hesperidin also helps lower blood pressure.
Olive oil
A cornerstone of the traditional Mediterranean diet, olive oil is a great pick when you need to limit saturated fat (found in meat, whole milk, and butter). Fats from animal products, and trans fats raise your “bad” cholesterol and can make fat build up inside your arteries.
Black beans
Black beans are packed with folate, antioxidants, magnesium which are good for lowering blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol. This in turn keeps your heart in safe zone. But if you are planning to use tinned beans, please drain the liquid and wash them before use to reduce the sodium content.
Broccoli
Whether you love the stuff or hate it, broccoli is rich in Vitamin K, which helps to keep calcium from damaging the arteries. It’s also full of fiber, which can help to lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Avocados
They’re a great source of healthy, mono-saturated fats – which have been known to help lower bad cholesterol, and as a result, reduce our risk of heart attack and stroke. In fact, a recent study has suggested that combining a moderate-fat diet with one avocado a day could actually lower your levels of bad cholesterol by more than a low-fat, or moderate-fat diet without avocados.
Asparagus
Asparagus is a natural artery-clearing food. It can help to lower blood pressure and prevent blood clots that can cause cardiovascular illnesses. This veggie is full of fiber and minerals, along with a long list of vitamins including K, B1, B2, C and E.
Persimmons
It seems eating a daily persimmon is a better way to keep the doctor away. Research shows the polyphenols found in this fruit (which has twice as much fiber and more antioxidants than an apple) can help decrease levels of LDL cholesterol and triglycerides.
Turmeric
This spice is a powerful anti-inflammatory. It works to lower inflammation, which is a major cause of arteriosclerosis — the hardening of the arteries. Adding turmeric to your diet can reduce damage to arterial walls, lowering your chances of a blood clot.
Sources:
1) http://bembu.com/heart-healthy-foods
2) http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/heartattack/causes
3) http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20720182,00.html
4) http://bottomlinehealth.com/6-tasty-foods-that-protect-your-heart/
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