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Four heart healthy foods to include in your diet
Cardiovascular diseases and deaths have become exceedingly common in this generation. While multiple factors play a role in how the heart functions, research indicates that our lifestyle and diet are largely responsible. That is a reason to eat well in general rather than a reason to expect any one ingredient to do the work on its own. Here are four heart healthy foods worth building the everyday plate around, and what is actually in them.
Fatty fish
Salmon and other fatty fish, such as sardines and mackerel, are some of the most popular heart healthy foods. They contain copious amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, chiefly the long-chain forms EPA and DHA. The body cannot make those in useful quantities of its own, so they have to come from what you eat, and that is the whole reason they are classed as essential. They are also among the most heavily studied nutrients in cardiovascular nutrition research — work that is still running, and whose picture is more mixed and more interesting than most headlines allow. Non fish options of omega-3 fatty acids include walnuts, ground flaxseed, hemp seeds and chia seeds.
Green leafy vegetables and fruits
The foundation of heart healthy foods includes plenty of fruits and vegetables. They provide fiber, potassium, magnesium and a wide range of phytonutrients for very few calories. Some good sources include citrus fruits, which are high in vitamin C and tomatoes, which are high in heart healthy potassium. Tomatoes are also a good source of the antioxidant lycopene. Broccoli, spinach and kale are high in carotenoids, the pigments that give them their colour and among the most studied of the dietary antioxidants. They are also high in fiber and contain tons of vitamins and minerals. Kale contains traces of omega-3 fatty acids as well. Avocados are another fruit worth including: they are rich in monounsaturated fat, potassium and fiber, and they are what turns a side salad into something substantial enough to be a meal.
Moringa
Moringa is a leafy green with an unusually dense nutrient profile for its weight, which is why it turns up on so many lists like this one, and why it is among the plants under active study in nutrition research, including a rat study of moringa seeds and cardiac function — work that is still early and mostly small in scale. Moringa leaves are rich in vitamins A, C, B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B6 and folate. They are also rich in magnesium, iron, calcium, phosphorus and zinc. Magnesium contributes to normal muscle function, iron contributes to normal oxygen transport in the body, and calcium and phosphorus contribute to the maintenance of normal bones: the ordinary, everyday work these minerals do. The leaves also contain beta carotene and quercetin, a flavonoid you will find in apples, onions and capers as well. Miracle Tree’s Moringa Powder and Moringa Teas are an easy way to incorporate Moringa into your diet.
Oatmeal
Oats are another popular heart healthy food, and one that has attracted a great deal of study. Oatmeal is high in beta-glucan, a soluble fiber that forms a gel in the digestive tract. Soluble fiber is one of the most examined components of the everyday diet, and beta-glucan is the reason oats come up in that literature so often. Oats also contain avenanthramides, a group of polyphenols found in very few other foods. It is recommended to avoid instant oats as they tend to be highly-processed and contain high levels of sugar.
It is always recommended to speak to your Doctor or nutritionist before making changes to your regular diet.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. While there is promising research currently evaluating moringa and other similar products, we rather focus on their nutritional qualities.
