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Healthy Food for Heart
By siliconindia
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Thursday, 29 September 2011, 19:19 IST
Bangalore: On World Heart Day, how many of you are really concern about your heart's health? Created in 2000, 'World Heart Day' informed people that cardiovascular diseases are the world's largest killers, and claiming 17.3 million lives a year. There are too many risk factors lined up with heart disease including raised blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose levels, smoking, overweight, obesity, and physical inactivity.
You can cut short these risk factors by adding some special foods which can benefit your heart. Check out these healthy foods for heart which can help keep your ticker in top shape.
Oatmeal
Having a bowl full oat meal is the best way to protect your heart. Oats are a good source of soluble and non-soluble fiber. Oat meals are full of omega-3 fatty acids, folate, and potassium. It can lower levels of LDL cholesterol and help keep arteries away. Oats are also a good source of multi nutrients like Vitamin E, Zink, Selenium, Copper, Iron, Manganese and Magnesium. Oats are rich in 'beta glucan', a soluble fiber, which is responsible for lowering cholesterol, thus reduce the heart risks.
Salmon
Cold water fish always provide a package of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Many heart health associations have advised to eat salmon and other omega-3 rich foods twice a week to steer clear of heart problems. Salmon can also reduce blood pressure and keep clotting away. Salmon contains carotenoid astaxanthin, a powerful antioxidant to protect your heart from diseases.
Olive oil
You can notice an olive oil bottle labeled that eating about two tablespoons (23 grams) of olive oil daily may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease due to the monounsaturated fat in olive oil. Monounsaturated fats help to keep coronary arteries clear to provide blood to your heart muscle. Through this your heart can get enough oxygen and nutrients to pump better. To get this health benefit you can substitute other fatty oils with two tablespoons of olive oil.
Spinach
Spinach is rich in the mineral potassium, which is commonly recommended as a substitute of sodium chloride for people at risk of or suffering from high blood pressure. Spinach is high in potassium and low in sodium and it makes a clear choice for your cardiovascular health. Spinach is the only plant sources other than broccoli which provides Co-enzyme Q10 that plays an important role in cardiovascular and heart health.
Avocado
Avocados contain a good amount of heart-healthy mono- and polyunsaturated fats. By consuming half an avocado, you can get the benefit of 7 grams of fiber, lots of potassium, and a good dose of vitamin E. You can add a bit of avocado to a sandwich or spinach salad to increase the amount of heart-healthy fats in your diet. Packed with monounsaturated fat, avocados can also help lower LDL levels while raising the amount of HDL cholesterol in your body.