Cardiovascular disease such as heart attack, heart failure, and stroke are very common these days. A large part of the population is dying due to this disease. Several reasons contribute to this heart disease while unhealthy eating habit and imperfect lifestyle are one of the main reasons. Cardiovascular disease can be controlled greatly by bringing a change in the lifestyle. A healthy diet chart along with regular exercise keeps heart disease at the bay.
9 Super Foods That Prevent Heart Attack
Here we have listed all those super foods that help prevent a heart attack. Mainly your diet should contain a high amount of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. But, the amount of calorie and fat (saturated and trans) should be as minimal as possible. There are plenty of foods available with these criteria. Anyways, read the article to know the foods to have a healthy heart.
Fruits and Vegetables:
Add the higher amount of fruits and vegetables in your diet. Fresh fruits and vegetables both are rich in dietary fiber, vitamin, and minerals. All these components are really good for heart health. On the other side, they are less in calorie and fat. You can eat all kind of fruits and vegetables. But, the fresh fruits and vegetables are always good as they have added advantage.
Mixed fruit salad, vegetable stir fry are some of the very easy and quick to prepare meals. So, you can have it in the lunch or other time to avoid snacks, meat or other cheesy foods. But, stay away from coconut, frozen fruits with added sugar and canned fruits or juice with added syrup.
This is another best food to help you prevent a heart attack. Oatmeal is rich in soluble fiber. We all know that cholesterol is not good for health. And thankfully, soluble fiber help in lowering the cholesterol level in our body. The soluble fiber in oatmeal actually works as a sponge and soak all the cholesterol. Thus remove them from the body. This way, the amount of cholesterol level is reduced and the heart remains unaffected. However, do not buy that instant oatmeal. The old-fashioned oatmeal is best of all.
Oatmeal is a very good whole grain for health. But, do not stick to that only. You can add all kind of whole grains in your diet chart. They are naturally rich in soluble fiber and other nutrition. So, your heart will be highly benefited from these kinds of foods. Whole grains such as brown rice, whole grain pasta, whole grain bread, whole grain wheat flour, barley are very effective for heart health. So, all kind of grains is helpful as long as they are entirely whole grain. But, again there are some restrictions. You should better stay away from biscuit, muffin, cake, corn bread, buttered popcorn etc.
Most of us have a perception that nuts are not good for heart health. But, this perception should be changed now. Nuts are actually helpful for heart health. While the old saying says that nuts are high in fat and cholesterol, the recent studies have proved something reverse. Studies have shown that people who consume nuts on regular basis are leaner than others. And leaner people have low chances of heart risk. So, nuts are actually benefited for the heart health. Walnuts, almonds, macadamia, peanuts etc. are good to add to the diet. They are high in soluble fiber and vitamin E.
Dark chocolate is highly benefited for the heart health. But, remember again, this is only the dark chocolate which contains at least 60-70% cocoa. So, you should better stay away from that milk, chocolate, plain chocolate and other candy. They are not meant for the heart health. Several studies have proved that dark chocolate contains flavoring called as poly phenol that can help in regulating the blood pressure, inflammation, clotting, and other similar heart-related issues. So, those who love eating dark chocolate can add this to their diet with no worry at all.
Virgin olive oil:
Olive oil adds a good flavor to dishes. So, you can add this oil in your diet chart with no worry. 4-5 spoons olive oil is really good for heart health. This oil is rich in monounsaturated fat which is good to regulate the blood sugar and cholesterol level. You can add both the black and green olive oil in your diet to stay safe from the cardiovascular diseases.
Omega 3 fatty acid is highly beneficial for heart health. And you will get plenty of them in the fatty fish like Salmon, mackerel and other fatty fish. These fatty fishes are a rich source of omega 3 fatty acid which helps to prevent plaque build up in the artery and irregular heart beat. Thus the risk of cardiovascular disease is reduced at a great rate. As per the researcher, we should have fatty fish at least twice a week to keep the heart disease at bay.
Green tea is another great drink for excellent heart health. As per the recent studies, those who used to take green tea twice a day have shown less risk of heart attack. So, start taking green tea and it will definitely keep your heart healthy.
If you can consume red wine at a moderate rate, it will keep your heart healthy. Red wine consists of several complex compounds while resveratrol is very effective among them. This compound is known to have positive effects on heart health. For example, it prevents the formation of blood clots and blood vessels. Thus help to keep the heart healthy. But again, the amount of consumption should be moderate.
So, these are the super foods that can prevent a heart attack. Always try reaching to those foods that are low in calories, sodium, and saturated fats. The foods that are rich in vitamin, minerals, soluble fiber and other nutrition can be consumed without any fear. So, try limiting the intake of sodium and saturated fat and give stress on the soluble fiber intake.