6 Heart Healthy Foods to Include in Your Diet

Treating your heart with care will be beneficial to you in the long run particularly as you age because you will reduce your chances of suffering from various heart problems like stroke, heart attack, or even high blood pressure for that matter.

Aside from regular exercise, the kinds of food that you eat can also play a role on how healthy your heat will be. If you want to protect your heart, your best bet is to add the following to your daily diet.

1. Blueberries. Blueberries come highly recommended because this fruit contains plenty of antioxidants that the body needs to fight off any toxins or free radicals that are present inside your body. What’s more, the antioxidants minimize the buildup of bad cholesterol in the walls of your arteries which reduce your risk of acquiring various heart problems.
2. Avocado. Another type of food that you should be adding to your diet is the avocado. This green superfood contains plenty of monounsaturated fats that not only prevents blood clotting but also reduces your cholesterol levels. This fruit also contains magnesium which is linked to reducing heart disease in men and potassium which is useful when it comes to regulating one’s blood pressure.
3. Dark chocolate. For those who just can’t get enough of chocolate, you will be pleased to know that dark chocolate is actually good for the heart because of the flavonoids that are present. Eating one or two small squares of dark chocolate is actually helping you reduce your risk of suffering from stroke by ensuring that your heart remains healthy and that the arteries remain flexible. The compounds present in dark chocolate are also found to be effective in preventing white blood cells from sticking to the walls of your blood vessels.
4. Salmon. What else should you add to your diet? Why salmon, of course. This type of fish is packed with omega-3 fatty acids which are essential in keeping your heart healthy because the healthy fats reduce the triglycerides in your body which are basically blood fats that can cause diabetes or numerous heart diseases.
5. Garlic. For sure, you’ve been using garlic when cooking and why not? This spice actually adds flavor to your dish but did you know that there is another reason why you should add garlic to your diet? Well, for one thing, garlic has been found to be effective in boosting blood flow while at the same time lowering your blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Although processed garlic is still effective, going for fresh garlic is much better.
6. Olive oil. You might have heard about the Mediterranean Diet where almost all dishes use olive oil in its preparations. What’s great about adding olive oil to your diet is that you’ll get plenty of monounsaturated fats which can help reduce your risk of getting heart problems in the long run. Plus, olive oil contains vitamin E which helps fight free radicals that are causing damage to your body.