The Best Food for Your Heart

If you want to stay fit then take care of your heart!  This means getting lots of exercise but it also means eating the right foods.

To stay heart-healthy make sure you are eating –

Oatmeal. Oatmeal clears cholesterol from the veins and arteries. One nice thing to do is eat an oatmeal cookie every day.  You can also eat it for breakfast. Steel cut oats are the healthiest type of oats to eat. Oats that are instant tend to be a little less hearty and can be high on the glycemic index. This means the food weakens you and creates hunger and cravings within minutes of you eating it. If you must eat instant oatmeal eat it with a lot of protein.

Brightly colored fruits and vegetables. These contain antioxidants that are full of vitamins and minerals that you need to keep your arteries healthy.

Beans. Beans are full of fiber which clear toxins, absorb bile, lower bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol.  They are a great diet food as well.

Dark leafy greens. The darkest greens contain calcium and magnesium that help the heart operate smoothly. There is also a lot of calcium and magnesium in grapefruit.

Healthy oils. Be sure to eat olive, canola, flaxseed, soy bean and hemp oil to lower your cholesterol levels.  These oils are known as “good fats.”  Butter and lard are known as the bad fats that clog your cholesterol.

Fish. Eat fish that are rich in omega 3 oils like wild salmon, herring, sardines, trout, tuna sardines and tilapia. Eating fish help reduce inflammation of the arteries and reduce the formation of lesions on artery walls that can cause a heart attack.

Soy. Soy foods inhibit the hardening of the arteries and improve bad cholesterol as well.  However soy is not for everyone. . Soy may not be the best thing for a menopausal woman to be taking while exercising as it can make hot flashes worse. This is not true of all women. It is a good idea to consult with your doctor to see if it is a good idea for you to eat a lot of soy while menopausal.

Drink wine. Red wine contains ingredients that help keep your heart healthy. So do dark red grapes. If you cannot drink wine then be sure to drink the blackest grape juice you can find.  Wine contains resveratrol which has actually been shown to reverse heart disease.  If you are an alcoholic or pregnant you can buy powders that can help you consume healthy heart healing reservatrol in huge amounts without actually having to consume alcohol.