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

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.

Sardine, Pescheria (fish market), Rialto Markets, Venice

When I was a boy, too many years ago to remember, fish was referred to as brain food. These days the suggested health benefits of fish are much more wide spread.

The aim of this blog is to highlight a few of the key benefits of including more fish in your diet. And to give you an opportunity to share any healthy fish recipes you use. So here goes:-

1) White fish, such as cod, are low in fat and high in protein. Thus a great way of keep yourself in trim. It may also be useful for people with diabetes to help control their blood sugar levels.

2) Fish lowers the levels of fats called triglycerides in the blood. High levels of triglycerides can mean increased risk of heart disease.

3) Omega-3 fatty acids which are found in oily fish such as mackerel are vital for the body’s metabolism to function normally. It has also been suggested that they can help with cardio-vascular conditions, dementia and may lower the risk of cancer. However at this point there is no conclusive proof of this. That being said there seems strong evidence that Omega-3 fatty acids can act as an anti-inflammatory and thus are very beneficial for people with arthritis. For more on anti-inflammatory treatments please look at our previous blog https://patienttalk.org/?p=468.

4) Depression. It seems that fish should be part of a diet which helps lower the risk of

Pescheria (fish market), Rialto Markets, Venice

depression.

5) Pregnancy. It has been suggested that eating fish during pregnancy can lower the risk of have a baby prematurely.

Healthy ways to cook fish include baking, poaching, grilling and steaming. Some nutritionists suggest that we eat two portions of fish a week. One of which should be fatty fish.

Some of our readers may have concerns about the sustainability of the fish they eat. Check out Fish Online which seems to have a lot of information http://www.fishonline.org/. It is also suggested that we “avoid fish high in mercury such as shark, swordfish and marlin”.

Finally we would like to give you the opportunity to share your fish recipes in the comments box below.

To kick start this I’d love to recommend a great way of help preventing osteoporosis. Simple! Tinned sardines on wholemeal toast. Why not try it for breakfast tomorrow. It is best when the sardines still have their bones as this is a great source of calcium.

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Patient Talk

triglycerides

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

Fish! What are the health benefits of eating fish? Five great reasons to eat more fish.