blueberries

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7 Superfoods That Improve Heart Health – a guest post by Meighan Sembrano


Superfoods have been around throughout the history, but it was only recently when scientists
Superfoods

Superfoods

realized their true power and beneficial effects on our health. They have the ability to improve our brain power, prevent cancer, and boost our heart health. In this article, we will discuss heart-healthy superfoods that you should introduce into your everyday menu.

  • Blueberries

Blueberries and berries, in general, belong to the group of the healthiest foods you can eat. Blueberries are both extremely delicious and rich in antioxidants that reduce the buildup of LDL (bad) cholesterol in artery walls. Otherwise, LDL cholesterol would keep building up and cause various cardiovascular diseases. The reason blueberries are included in first place of our list is because, studies that were conducted at the USDA Human Nutrition Center revealed that blueberries rank as #1 in best antioxidant activity when compared to other fresh fruits and vegetables.

Also, the recent study revealed that women who ate more than three servings of blueberries per week had a 32% lower risk of getting the heart attack. It is recommended to eat one cup of blueberries a day.

  • Beans

Beans are one of the most underrated superfoods. However, black, kidney, and pinto beans have a high level of soluble fibers that are beneficial for our heart health. Also, beans aid in lowering high cholesterol levels and they don’t contain saturated fats. After all, high cholesterol is the leading cause of heart disease. According to the American Heart Association, another great benefit of beans for your heart health is the face it acts as an appetite suppressor. When you eat beans you feel full for a longer period, you don’t eat as much and manage to maintain your weight. Gaining weight and even obesity are a great threat to your heart health.

  • Spinach

Spinach and other green leafy vegetables are high in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that protect your body from cardiovascular diseases. Most people don’t know that spinach is a good source of Omega 3 fatty acids too, which is another reason you should include it into your diet after all Popeye ate all that spinach for nothing. Moreover, Spinach is rich in folate that helps reduce the blood levels of the amino acid homocysteine. High level of this amino acid is an emerging risk factor for developing cardiovascular disease.

  • Salmon

Meighan Sembrano

Meighan Sembrano

When we’re talking about heart health, it is impossible to leave out glorious salmon. This fish is the best source of Omega 3 fatty acids that are essential for our body. Omega 3 fatty acids reduce the risk of developing various cardiovascular diseases by lowering levels of triglycerides (blood fats that are associated with diabetes and heart diseases). Additionally, some researchers showed that Omega 3 fatty acids prevent blood clots by making preventing platelets clump together and stick to artery walls.

American Heart Association recommends eating two 3 to 6 or servings of salmon at least two times a week.

Video: Also Watch: Benefits of omega 3 fatty acids.

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  • Dark chocolate

This is great news for all chocoholics out there. Naturally, this doesn’t mean you should buy a regular chocolate bar you eat every day. Instead, you should opt for a dark alternative. Various studies showed that dark chocolate can, indeed, benefit our heart health due to its flavonoids that reduce inflammation and improve blood circulation. British Medical Journal published findings of the study that showed that consumption of dark chocolate reduces heart attack (and even stroke) for people that are high at risk of getting cardiovascular disease.

Dark chocolate is defined as chocolate that contains at least 60 to 70% of cocoa. It is recommended to eat a square or two a day.

  • Nuts

Walnuts, pecans, cashews and other nuts are good sources of Omega 3 fatty acids. Also, nuts prevent dangerous heart rhythms, reduce the risk of blood clots, lower LDL cholesterol in the blood and prevent various cardiovascular diseases. To improve your heart health and avoid gaining weight in the abdominal area, you should an ounce of nuts a day as a replacement to usual sugary snacks.

  • Oatmeal

A half-cup of oatmeal a day contains about 130 calories while providing our body with 5 grams of heart-healthy fiber that lowers cholesterol and keeps our maintains our healthy body weight. Also, oatmeal makes you feel full which means you won’t be tempted to eat unhealthy foods or snacks. Moreover, oatmeal and whole grains lower the risk of diabetes that is, actually, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. It’s important to eat whole grains, instead of refined ones if you want to get all these healthy benefits from the food.

Conclusion

With the introduction of superfoods from this article into your diet, you will lower the risk of getting various cardiovascular diseases. The best thing of all, these foods are just as delicious as they are healthy.

References

 

 

 

 

Author bio:

 

Meighan Sembrano is an author at Consumer Health Digest. She has a keen interest in writing. She has contributed many beauty related articles in many popular websites. She has done her Mass Communication degree. She now lives in Washington DC. She is a social worker who spends her free time searching about life, healthy, beauty and lifestyle fitness related articles. She is fond of travelling and trekking. To know more about her, follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

 

Leave a comment Posted on Patient Talk

Blueberries. How are they good for our health?


Berries

Berries

Since we began this blog we have been looking at foods as well as medications as a way of treating different medical conditions.  And one (well actually there are several) names keeps on coming up.

Blueberries!

So we thought we would take this opportunity to look in more detail at the possible health benefits of the blueberry.

So here goes.

  1. Blueberries can act as anti-oxidants.  To find out more please have a look at our previous blog on anti-oxidants – https://patienttalk.org/?p=252.
  2. It may well be that they can promote weight loss.  In particular with abdominal fat.
  3. They seem to be a great stress buster.  Have a look at https://patienttalk.org/?p=229 for more information.
  4. Being high in Vitamin C blueberries are great for cardiovascular health.
  5. Eye health – it seems blueberries could be useful for helping to slow down cataracts (https://patienttalk.org/?p=471) and macular degeneration.
  6. Digestive ailments.  Because they are so high in fibre they are great if you are suffering from constipation.
  7. Bladder infections.  Blueberries operate in a similar fashion to cranberries.
  8. Cancer.  It is possible that blueberries have anti-cancer properties but these are very much under investigation.

So it seems that blueberries deserve their title as a Superfood.  And this is where you come in.  Do you include blueberries in your diet?  Do they have a positive effect?

And most importantly can we have your recipes for blueberries.  It would be great for our readers to get your recommendation here.

Thanks in advance


5 Comments Posted on Diet, Patient Talk

An anti-inflammatory diet? What foods can help reduce inflammation?

Getting a health vegan diet

Getting a health vegan diet


Currently the most common way of reducing inflammation is to take anti-inflammatory drugs which are also called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or anti-inflammatories.

Inflammation is cause by many different things such as arthritis, hay fever or just sprains.

In recent years some doctors and healthcare professionals feel that certain food have anti-inflammatory properties.

Thus we think it would be useful to mention a few which you might like to include in your anti-inflammatory diet. Some to consider include:-

1)      Blueberries – those ever popular super foods.  For more information on super foods check out our blog – https://patienttalk.org/?p=276.

2)      Turmeric – great in curries and with so many health benefits.  Have a look at our recent post on the subject – https://patienttalk.org/?p=260

3)      Shitake mushrooms.  Even more beneficial than normal mushrooms!

4)      Green teas.

5)      Fatty fish such as salmon and mackerel.

6)      Kale and other leafy green vegetables.

7)      Ginger.  The other delicious Asian food you might want to try is ginger tea.

8)      Oil- red palm and olive oils are recommended.

9)      Brown rice and whole grain pasta.

10)   Pomegranates – another great super food.

And of course water is great as part of a healthy diet

So over to you.  We would love to know how you treat inflammation.  Have you changed your diet?  What foods do you think work best?

It would be great if you could add your thoughts and views in the comments box below.

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

Leave a comment Posted on Patient Talk

10 Gourmet Superfoods – What foods taste great and might have the ability to super charge your health

While superfoods have been a bit of a buzzword in the Twenty First century the term in fact has

Berries

Berries

been around for nearly 100 years.  But the whole concept of superfoods is fraught with difficulty with nutritionists on both sides of the argument.

While, it seems, there is not legal definition of superfood the terms is , typically, used to denote a food which has a high nutrient value which in turn provides benefits to health.

In UK’s The Observer of Sunday 13 May 2007 Amelia Hill wrote an interesting article critical of superfoods called “Forget superfoods, you can’t beat an apple a day” which can be read at http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2007/may/13/health.healthandwellbeing1.  On the other hand Sarah Berry wrote on article in the Sydney morning Herald which suggests there are benefits from superfoods.  Please go to http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/diet-and-fitness/food-with-benefits-20120413-1wyk3.html to read her article “Food with benefits”.

Today we are highlighting a number of different foods which have been described as superfoods.  But whatever the benefits they taste delicious so we have called them gourmet superfoods.   Our top ten, in no particular order are:-

1)      Salmon.  High in Omega3 oils mean that it is a great “brain food”.  Scientists suggest it can help prevent heart diseases and the onset of dementia.

2)      Blueberries.  Perhaps the most renowned of superfoods as well as high in Vitamin C it is also a great stress buster. For more information go to our page on stress https://patienttalk.org/?p=229.

3)      Black beans.  With no saturated fat and lots of protein they can help with weight loss.

4)      Avocadoes have over 25 different nutrients including Vitamins A, B, C and K many of which help to keep your heart healthy.

5)      Sea Kelp.  This delicious vegetable is incredibly high in calcium and can help prevent osteoporosis.

6)      Kale.  This wonderful leafy green vegetable is very high in iron so great for keeping your liver in tip top form.

7)      Broccoli could well play an important role in the control of high blood pressure as well as being a great source of vitamins such as folic acid.

8)      Olive oil.  Consumed in moderation olive oil can lower your risk of heart disease.

9)      Brazil Nuts contain high levels of selenium.  This it has been suggested is great for prevention of anaemia.

10)   Spirulina.  High in Vitamin K it has been suggested that this supplement has reduced the risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes in later life.

What next?

Well over to you.  Have you ever used superfoods?  For what reason and how beneficial do you feel they have been for your health?  Or do you take the other view that it is better to concentrate on a wide variety of different foods for maximum health?  Whatever your views please feel free to use the comments boxes below to have your say!