How To Include More Heart-Healthy Foods In Your Diet

Your lifestyle goes a long way towards determining the health of your heart, whether that’s exercising more and maintaining a healthy weight or including plenty of fruit and vegetables in your diet. There are plenty of foods that you should be including in your diet which can improve your health, through lowering your risk of heart disease and keeping this vital organ healthy.

 

Oily fish is a great place to start, not only providing you with plenty of omega fatty acids but also improving your heart health. Wild salmon and sardines are both ideal choices, being packed with omega-3 fatty acids which prevent heart disease and plenty of antioxidants which are known to have cardioprotective properties. With sardines, choose fresh fish rather than canned, as the canned ones have high levels of sodium which reduce the healthy qualities.

 

Nuts such as walnuts and almonds are the perfect snack for boosting your intake of vitamin E, dietary fibre and omega-3 fatty acids. Likewise, seeds such as chia seeds and wholegrains are also good choices if you want to get plenty of the cholesterol-regulating ingredients. Fruit and vegetables are, of course, a crucial element of any healthy diet and offer plenty of protective qualities for your heart. Broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potatoes and sprouts are all rich in antioxidants, calcium and iron, which helps to lower your blood pressure. Where fruit is concerned, you should aim to include oranges, apples and avocados, as these all contain plenty of vitamins to protect the internal organs as well as helping to lower the cholesterol and blood pressure. Finally, olive oil is a surprising choice but if you opt for the extra virgin varieties you’ll give your body plenty of healthy fats which can help to protect the heart from high cholesterol and artery-clogging fats.

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