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The heart is seen as a muscular organ in human body and other animals. It has the function of pumping the blood to all the organs inside us, which also means providing oxygen and nutrients to make them work properly. As the most important organ of the body, keeping it healthy and strong is vital.
However, the rate of heart diseases is reported to increase everyday and this is one of the severe causes leading to deaths worldwide. The best plan to improve your heart function and reduce the risk of getting heart diseases is a combination of healthy lifestyle, diet and exercises. Eating the right food is a important factor that can significantly reduce your risk for atherosclerosis, heart diseases and strokes.
Let’s learn about top 10 superfoods for your heart health.
1. Salmon
Thanks to a huge quantity of omega-3s EPA and DHA, salmon has been long considered as a great food that benefits your heart. Specifically, studies have proven the ability of omega-3 fatty acids in reducing the blood pressure as well as the risk of getting heart diseases. Besides, these substances also act to help with LDL and triglyceride levels in blood, leading to a balanced cholesterol levels. At the same time, the inflammation in various body parts is also inhibited due to a regular consumption of salmon.
To make use of salmon, you can enjoy it in several ways like raw, baked or grilled. However, wild salmon is highly recommended over farm-raised one for the insecticides and heavy metal levels.
2. Spinach
Spinach is enriched with vitamins and minerals, as well as antioxidants and other nutrients including omega-3 fatty acids. These enable the dark green vegetable to protect your heart against cardiovascular disease.
Also, it has been confirmed in various studies that spinach can help with blood pressure and flow, as well as reduce the levels of the amino acid homocysteine in blood.
3. Black beans
The nutrients in black beans are not less than those in oatmeal. The beans also contain omega-3 fatty acids, soluble fiber and calcium, along with B-complex vitamins, magnesium and so on. This rich nutrients content makes the beans one of the ideal ingredient to benefit your heart by adjusting cholesterol and blood sugar levels.
Furthermore, black beans are suggested to use as an alternative dishes for meat if you want to take in enough dietary protein without unhealthy cholesterol.
This ingredient can be served in various forms of dishes.
4. Red wine
Too much alcohol will cause you a lot of harm but one glass of red wine per day will do you good. Besides the benefits of cancer prevention, better bone health and eye care, we cannot over look the great effect on heart that red wine bring to us. This liquid has the ability to increase the levels of HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol), making the heart work better. Additionally, the antioxidants and catechins in red wine simultaneously act as a shield to protect the arteries.
Therefore, it is advisable to take 1 glass or red wine per day for women and 2 glasses for men.
Read more 13 Reasons to Drink a Glass of Wine Every Day.
5. Oatmeal
Another source of omega-3 fatty acids that you can easily get is oatmeal. More than that, this food also offers a wide range of nutrients, including potassium, calcium, soluble fiber, magnesium, etc. All these substances work well together to promote blood flow and keep you bad cholesterol (LDL) always at low level.
To have a healthy heart, make oatmeal your favorite part of the day.
6. Dark chocolate
It has been confirmed that dark chocolate is a superfood that brings along various great benefits for human health and improving heart health is one of them. This effect comes from an essential substance called flavonol, which is able to help with blood flow and blood pressure, leading to a significant improvement of your heart function. Also, this substance can protect against free damaging radicals that are likely to cause LDL increase or even cancer.
Note: only consume dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa for the best effect.
Read more Dark Chocolate – A new Superfood.
7. Blueberries
Another superfood that is worth to try for your heart is blueberries. This fruit possesses a great content of lutein, anthocyanin, beta-carotene, vitamin C, magnesium, potassium, calcium and fiber. These substances helps to reduce the risk of developing high blood pressure by 10% if you consume at least 1 serving of blueberries weekly.
Moreover, the fruit is delicious and easy to add to other dishes. You will have much pleasure while trying it.
8. Chia seed
For the rich content of omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, protein, calcium and antioxidants, etc. chia seed are good to use for health purposes, especially improving your heart function.
Various studies have been conducted to prove the ability of chia seeds in reducing LDL (bad cholesterol) as well as the buildup of plaque. At the same time, the seeds also work to inhibit the inflammation and increase the HLD (good cholesterol) levels in blood.
All these make chia seeds an ideal ingredient to use daily for a better heart.
You can simply eat it directly or add into smoothies or soups. Also, salad and yogurt are other great ideas to consume chia seeds.
Read more 7 Health Benefits of Chia Seeds.
9. Oranges
No one can deny the fact that vitamin C is extremely important to our health, especially the blood flow to the heart. Fortunately, this substance can be easily found in oranges, a delicious fruit you can take every day. Besides, this juicy fruit is also high in lutein, flavones, folate, potassium and fiber, which are the beneficial substances for your heart.
By inhibiting inflammation and lowering blood pressure, oranges will enable your heart to function properly.
Read more Top Health Benefits of Oranges
10. Walnuts
Walnut is the last ingredient to make our list completed. As other nutrient food, this nut possesses an array of beneficial substance like omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium, fiber, poly unsaturated fats, etc. which are used to encourage heart function.
Simply include a small handful of walnuts into your daily diet to gradually improve heart function.
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