10 Foods That Will Help Your Heart Stay Healthy
Keeping your heart healthy is an important part of living a longer, fuller life. After all, the heart is the most important muscle in our body. It keeps our blood flowing and everything else working. Making sure that it stays healthy is imperative. Eating properly is a big part of ensuring that your heart stays in good working condition. Junk food, while tasty when we eat it, is not something we need in our diet every day. However, the following ten foods are. If you can find a way to incorporate them into your diet, then you can get on your way to making sure your heart stays healthy.
Believe it or not, oatmeal is not just a breakfast food anymore. One serving of oatmeal provides you with fiber that helps lower the bad cholesterol (LDL) levels in your body. It is chock full of omega-3 fatty acids, potassium and folate. Steel-cut or coarse cuts oats have more fiber in them than the instant variety if you have the time to make them. If oatmeal is the only fiber you get in the course of a day, add a banana for 4 grams more.
Another super food because of the amount of omega-3 fatty acids, salmon also contains the antioxidant carotenoid astaxanthin. Both help to reduce your blood pressure and keep the blood clotting to a minimum. If you take in two servings of salmon a week, you could reduce the risk of a heart attack by a third. Make sure that you eat wild salmon over farm raised to avoid eating chemicals that may be used to raise the fish. Also, if you don’t like salmon, try eating tuna, herring, sardines or mackerel to get the same health benefits.