Heart disease incites more deaths than any other illness in the world, and our diet directly impacts our heart health. If you want to stabilize your cholesterol, get rid of blood sugar, or fortify your arteries, you’ll want to pick up these heart-healthy foods.
Recent research has determined that common foods have more health benefits than other people realize. Can you drink red wine or coffee, or indulge in some chocolate on a heart-healthy diet? You may be delighted at how many tasty foods help your heart. Learn which common foods benefit your cardiovascular health and lengthen your life.
If you’re a garlic lover, we have good news for you…
Go Ahead; Have Your Morning Cup Of Coffee
Because high caffeine intake can stimulate stress and anxiety, many people assume that coffee harms the heart. But current research demonstrates the opposite. A 2014 systematic review of cohort studies concluded that moderate coffee consumption (3-5 cups a day) results in a significantly lower risk of cardiovascular diseases.
A coffee with foam in the shape of a heart
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Recently, the British Heart Foundation analyzed over 8,000 participants and proposed that even 25 cups of coffee a day won’t stiffen arteries, as previously presumed. Coffee shrinks inflammation and stabilizes insulin production, which can decrease the likelihood of diabetes. These benefits can even lengthen life, according to researchers at the University of Southampton in 2018.
Garlic Repels More Than Just Vampires
You’ve probably seen garlic mentioned in several other health articles. In 2014, researchers from the Avicenna Journal of Phytomedicine reviewed all studies on garlic health benefits. They concluded that eating garlic consistently lowers blood glucose level, which keeps the heart healthy.
Garlic cloves sits on a wooden cutting board
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According to several studies in the ’80s and ’90s, garlic also fights off bacteria and viruses, such as Salmonella, E. coli, and influenza A and B. Its ability to clear out toxicity even cleans out the liver (1993 study) and enhances antioxidant production (2012 study). Not that you needed an excuse to add more garlic to a meal.
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Grab Your Glass! Red Wine Is Healthy (In Moderation)
In 2006, researchers from the Experimental & Clinical Cardiology journal studied the effects of wine and resveratrol on heart disease. Wine drinkers have higher lipoprotein (HDL) levels, which protect the heart and arteries.
A woman tastes red wine during a wine tasting session at the Chateau La Dominique in Saint-Emilion
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Red wine also increases NO production. NO, or endothelial nitric oxide synthase, dwindles during the early stages of diabetes, hypertension, and heart failure. The polyphenols in red wine tell the body to produce more NO, which not only guards the heart but also increases oxygen production and metabolism.
A Blueberry A Day Keeps Heart Disease Away
While blueberries don’t impact insulin or blood pressure, they do provide the “good” type of cholesterol, HDL. A six-month-long study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded that diets higher in blueberries relax muscle cells and improves blood flow.
Polish harvest workers picking blueberries in the fields
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The authors propose that eating one cup of blueberries a day can lessen the risk of heart disease by 13%. Just three cups a week can make a difference in your blood health, arterial stiffness, and risk for type 2 diabetes.
Oranges Provide Potassium That You’re Probably Not Getting
Oranges not only add a tasty addition to any lunch, but research supports their positive effects on the heart. The American Heart Association proposes that citrus fruits like oranges lower the risk of ischemic stroke by 19%.
Oranges placed in the place of lungs in a drawing
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Dr. Mark Houston, clinical professor at Vanderbilt Medical School, asserts that higher potassium intake diminishes the risk of heart disease by 49%. Unfortunately, fewer than 2% of Americans meet their daily potassium content. Oranges provide plenty of potassium, and 130% of your daily vitamin C needs– these nutrients lower blood pressure and combat skin damage such as wrinkles.
Don’t Feel Guilty– Have A Heart-Healthy Dessert!
Although chocolate has a bad reputation, research supports that dark chocolate and raw cocoa powder have several health benefits. A meta-analysis in the 2018 issue of Nutrients noted that seven different studies have reported that people who eat dark chocolate have a reduced risk of stroke.
Chocolate truffles in glass heart on cocoa powdered background with Valentine's hearts and chocolate chips.
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Research has examined 14 cohort studies and 508,705 participants, and they all conclude that higher chocolate consumption results in reduced risk of diabetes, stroke, and cardiometabolic diseases. For the best effect, buy dark chocolate with over 70% cocoa, or purchase the raw cocoa powder to add to smoothies, oatmeal, and yogurt.
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