5 Best Heart-Healthy Foods

When it comes to heart health, some factors are out of your control—for example, your blood type. But other factors vary more, including your diet.

Everyone from the American Heart Association to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends making specific food choices to support a healthy heart. Because heart-healthy foods can reduce other underlying cardiovascular problems — like high blood pressure and high cholesterol — keep this in mind as you plan your weekly meals.

Read on to find out what to look for and what a heart-healthy diet looks like in general.

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What is a heart-healthy diet?

The research revealed two things: foods with higher risk to the heart and foods that strengthen the heart. Fortunately, you won’t be hit with a bunch of curveballs. The best foods for heart health are the ones you probably already think are healthy. Likewise, less heart-healthy foods may already be on your radar because they aren’t doing your body any favors.

Before we get too deep here, let’s say: Everything in moderation.unless you have Know you have heart health problems, you don’t need to cut back on any foods or make major changes. We’re not saying you can never eat another piece of bacon or open another soda. Instead, paying attention to a heart-healthy diet can help you include more of these foods in your meals.

Now, let’s talk about the details. According to the AHA and the Department of Health, a heart-healthy diet is rich in:

• Production
• lean protein
• fiber-rich complex carbohydrates
• healthy fat

A diet rich in colorful fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and healthy proteins and fats will provide your body with the fiber, vitamins, and minerals it needs to support a healthy heart.

Conversely, if you want to promote cardiovascular health, you need to limit your intake of:

• Trans fat
• Saturated fat
• Processed meats (such as lunch meat, salami, and hot dogs)
• excess salt
• excess sugar
• Refined carbohydrates (for example, white bread and snacks)
• red meat
• excessive alcohol

Don’t panic if a lot of your favorite things are on the unhealthy list. You can still include them in your diet (unless your doctor tells you otherwise). Just make sure these foods don’t take over every meal, and try to add as many heart-healthy foods as possible to your day.

Heart Healthy Foods

If you want to feel good about how your next trip to the grocery store can benefit your heart health, you can shop for items in these specific categories.

1. Fruits and vegetables

Remember the food pyramid back then? It’s something right. Your body benefits from eating a fair amount of produce.

That’s because vegetables and fruits pack a ton of nutrient density in every bite. Bananas and sweet potatoes provide potassium, a key mineral for heart health. Cruciferous vegetables may help prevent clogged arteries. Green leafy vegetables provide fiber, which can help lower cholesterol and blood pressure.

Long story short, the more produce you pack, the better. If fresh produce doesn’t fit your budget or lifestyle, don’t worry. You can get a lot of nutritional benefits from frozen, dried and canned foods. Just make sure they’re labeled low-sodium.

2. Coarse grains

Not all carbs are bad. Refined carbs, like those in white bread, fly through your body, often doing more harm than good. But complex carbohydrates, like the ones you find in whole-grain products, provide fiber, which we’ve already mentioned can boost heart health.

Additionally, they are often rich in vitamins and minerals such as iron, selenium, thiamin (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), niacin (vitamin B3), folic acid (vitamin B9), and magnesium. If you’re looking for a heart-healthy diet, choose products that include whole grains in the ingredient list. In addition, complex carbohydrates are also found in beans, potatoes, peas and corn.

3. Lean meat and plant protein

While certain proteins, like red and processed meat, may be bad for your heart, others top the list of heart-healthy foods. The key here is to look for plant-based protein, lean animal protein, and fish. Experts recommend a mix of protein sources. So you have many options, reserve:

• lentils
• beans
• nut
• seed
• Tofu
• fish, especially those rich in omega-3 fatty acids
• Egg
• low-fat dairy
• poultry
• seed

Swap some of your red meat and cured pork for the above options and you’ll be doing your heart a favor.

4. Healthy fats

You might think fat causes heart disease, but it’s all about Types of Fat. While trans fats and saturated fats have been linked to cardiovascular problems in numerous studies, your body, including your heart, needs healthy fats. You can get these from fish, nuts and seeds, along with avocados and moderate amounts of vegetable oils, such as:

• olive oil
• sesame oil
• sunflower
• soybean oil
• canola oil
• Corn oil
• safflower oil

As a general rule of thumb, if a fat is solid at room temperature, it’s probably saturated. If it’s liquid, it’s most likely in the unsaturated variety.think butter (controversial for health) vs olive oil (definitely part of a heart healthy diet).

5. Foods that check your heart

The American Heart Association has certified certain foods as heart healthy, giving them the Heart Check stamp, which you can find on some food packaging. Once you learn this seal, it will be easier to stock your shopping cart with heart-healthy foods.

For best results, combine a heart-healthy diet with Other Heart Health Boosters like exercise regularly, sleep and stress management techniques.Know your blood type and What does it mean Know your risk for specific cardiovascular diseases.

The information contained herein is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider if you have any questions about a medical condition or health goals.