Eat your way to a Healthy Heart

Posted by Admin Friday 27 March 2009
Here are some foods for the heart and simple tips to maximize their use. This amazing foods will help us to have an healthy heart:

Fatty fish = The omega 3's they supply have been shown to lower triglyceride levels.
Try to do this = Put cold-water fish on the menu twice a week. Best choices are white tuna, salmon, sardines, and Spanish mackerel.

Legumes = They lower LDL
Try to do this = Eat hummus with raw vegetables as an afternoon snack. Or work 1/2 cup back beans, kidney beans, or soybeans into your menu daily.

Apples = Research suggests that eating apples or drinking apple juice may slow the oxidation of LDL cholesterol and help prevent plaque buildup.
Try to do this = The perfect snack. Just make sure you eat the skin too get plenty of antioxidants and fiber.

Grapefruit = It's loaded with antioxidants and soluble fiber, which help reduce heart disease.
Try to do this = Have half a grapefruit with breakfast three or for days a week.

Oat Bran = The soluble fiber in oat bran binds with acids in your small intestine to block the re absorption of cholesterol.
Try to do this = for breakfast, mix 1/2 cup old fashioned oatmeal with one cup fat-free milk.

Tea = All varieties of antioxidant rich tea can help lower LDL. Oolong tea, the kind typically served in Chinese restaurants, has been found to increase LDL particle size. That's beneficial because larger particles are less likely to enter blood vessels walls and form plaque.
Try to do this = Aim for two cups a day. No need to take up residence at your favorite Chinese place oolong is available in most grocery stores.

Red Wine = Its phytochemicals can raise HDL cholesterol, or its polyphenols, or antioxidants, protect the lining of the coronary arteries from free radical damage.
Try to do this = Drink a glass or two a day but not more. Grapes are also a good source of polyphenols.

Nuts and Seeds = Almonds, Flax seeds, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds are particularly high in plant sterols, which can help reduce bad LDL cholesterol. Walnuts can lower triglycerides.
Try to do this = Grab 1 ounce of nuts about a handful for a simple mid morning or sprinkle some almonds or sliced walnuts on top of fat free yogurt dessert.