9 Best Foods For Your Heart

1. Oatmeal

Oatmeal is a staple of many breakfasts and has long been touted as being integral to
maintaining a healthy, balanced diet. However, it has recently come to light that it is also
extremely good at keeping the heart going long into old age.

In a study undertaken by Harvard University students, findings indicated that people who
consume at least 33 grams of whole grains a day were significantly less likely to suffer a
premature death. Furthermore, the risk of heart disease was 15% less than those who
consumed less than the 33 grams minimum.

Qi Sun, assistant professor with the Harvard School of Public Health, hypothesised: “Whole
grains may protect the heart by lowering blood sugar and insulin levels. This type of property
could improve insulin resistance to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes”.
 2. Avocado

Avocados are a highly versatile fruit that is highly popular in Mexican and South American
cuisines, but its health benefits are relatively underreported.

It is also quite a unique fruit in that it possesses an extremely large quantity of the healthy
monounsaturated fat that the body requires to keep in shape.

The humble avocado has been linked with decreasing the risk of obesity, heart disease and
diabetes, while its high levels of beta-sitosterol are useful in balancing cholesterol levels.

That’s not all that it’s good for though, it is believed that the other nutrients in the fruit are
able to help or prevent other ailments such as deteriorating eyesight, osteoporosis, stroke and
heart disease and is even linked with lowering the risk of depression.

3. Salmon

We have always known that fish is an all round health food but Salmon is one of the best
foods for your wellbeing as well as for keeping your heart in a good shape.
Astaxanthin is what makes Salmon, as well as a host of other seafood, so good for your
system. It is a naturally occurring pigment color (carotenoid) and is what gives the fish its
pink hue.

Among the seemingly endless list of health benefits is the ability for the fish to promote
healthy elastin levels in the heart and also improve arterial wall thickness – important for
those suffering from high blood pressure.

Apart from this, salmon and astaxanthin have been reported to improve the blood flow, ease
joint pain and even be beneficial in the promotion of fertility in men.

4. Spinach

Famous for its relationship with classic cartoon character, Popeye, spinach is a somewhat
overlooked vegetable when looking to keep the body, especially the heart, healthy.

Spinach is rich in everything that makes for a healthy cardiovascular system. The leafy green
vegetable has high levels of essential vitamins, minerals and, of course, antioxidants.

The NHS in the United Kingdom has promoted the consumption of the vegetable following
the recent link between cardiovascular disease and the presence of a high amount of
homocysteine in the body – spinach is full of folate, which has been proven to greatly reduce
the levels of homocysteine in a person’s system.

It’s not only spinach that offers these benefits, similarly related vegetables also aid in staving
off heart disease. Kale, broccoli and green beans are also extremely useful in the fight to stay
healthy.
 5. Berries

It’s no secret that fruits are key to a healthy diet but it is mostly assumed that their benefits are
universal and that there are no superior groups of fruit but it appears that berries may be the
new “superfood”.

Again, it seems to be that anti-oxidants, vitamins and minerals are able to maintain a healthy
heart as well as stimulate repair to pre-existing damage; be that high blood pressure or high
cholesterol levels.

In another Harvard University study, researchers found that women who ate the fewest
blueberries and strawberries were significantly more likely to suffer from heart complications.
Conversely, those who consumed the most berries actually reduced their own risk of heart
attack by 34%.

The study also concluded that there was a minimum amount of berries that needed to be
consumed, a “threshold”, and that this needs to be done regularly rather than intermittently.

6. Soy
Meat is prevalent in western diets and, as such, proteins and fats make up a large proportion
of a person’s daily intake. While proteins are not bad in and of themselves, the type of protein
has been shown to have a direct influence in the health of the heart.

Swapping animal proteins for soy proteins has been shown to have great positive effects on
the cardiovascular system, helping to lower cholesterol amongst other assorted benefits.

A comparison of deaths from heart attacks in Japan and America in 1998 seems to offer
validation to this theory. In Japan, where a soy food based diet is popular and the norm, out of
100,000 men aged between 35 and 74, 201 died from cardiovascular diseases compared to
401 in America.

Soy proteins can be found in soybeans, soynuts and soymilk, but they are also present in
products like tofu and miso.

7. Legumes

While on the topic of soybeans, legumes as a whole are reportedly important in the
maintenance of a healthy heart and all round physical fitness.

Lentils, kidney beans, peanuts, peas and, of course, soybeans are all excellent for
cardiovascular health and also happen to be some of the most versatile foods around. Studies
have looked at the consumption of legumes in conjunction with soy proteins and found a
relationship between consumption and stronger cardiovascular health.

One particular study by Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine
concluded that there was “a significant inverse relationship between legume intake and risk of
coronary heart disease”.

What’s more, it has been suggested that a diet heavy in beans also can help to reduce
cholesterol in the blood, as well as being an excellent food for healthy weight loss.
 8. Dark Chocolate

Chocolate can get a bit of a bad rap and quite rightly; it’s one of the leading cause of the
obesity epidemic sweeping across both the United States and United Kingdom. But, some
chocolate does actually benefit our health.

Dark chocolate has been shown to have a positive effect on cardiovascular health and that is
due to the high level of cocoa found in particularly dark types of the snack.

Again, it is the antioxidants found in cocoa that are believed to be of benefit. Flavanols, a type
of flavonoid that dark chocolate is particularly rich in, are thought to help lower blood
pressure and also ensure blood platelets aren’t as sticky thus reducing the risk of blood
clotting.

However, this doesn’t mean free reign on chocolate. These chocolates tend to be around 70%
cocoa and possess a deeply bitter taste rather than the more popular sweet, milk chocolates.

9. Coffee
It’s not often that coffee is listed as a healthy option, especially not when needing to look after
the heart but recent studies seem to suggest it may be a lot more beneficial to get your daily
fix than previously believed.

In the past, it was believed that coffee was a primary cause of increased blood pressure and
other cardiovascular irregularities. However, when moderated consumption of the hot drink
actually appears to have the opposite effect.

Michigan State University, in 2011, analyzed six previous studies and found that the
consumption of three cups of coffee a day provided no extra risk of hypertension to the
participants. In fact, just a year later, a Korean study appeared to conclude that a daily habit
could in fact reduce a person’s risk level for suffering a stroke.