The link between diet and heart disease is real. So, it’s important to recognize that what you ingest does affect your heart health, blood pressure, inflammation, and cholesterol levels. Processed foods can lead to high levels of inflammation, so it is vital to monitor and minimize your consumption which trigger it. Processed foods can also set you up for other chronic conditions such as obesity and diabetes. Heart-healthy eating along with regular exercise can all help lower your risk of heart disease and these other types of conditions.
Including these specific foods into your diet can help keep your heart healthy and diminish the chances of heart disease:
- Leafy Greens: high in vitamin K and nitrates, it helps to reduce blood pressure and improve arterial function
- Whole Grains: helps to lower cholesterol and blood pressure
- Berries: rich in antioxidants, it helps to reduce multiple risk factors for heart problems
- Avocados: high in healthy fats and potassium, it helps to lower cholesterol and blood pressure
- Fatty Fish: high in omega-3 fatty acids, it helps to reduce heart disease risk factors, blood pressure, and cholesterol
- Walnuts: helps to reduce cholesterol and blood pressure
- Beans: high in resistant starch, it helps to reduce levels of cholesterol, blood pressure and decreases inflammation
Dark chocolate, tomatoes, olive oil, and green tea are all other specific foods that are very beneficial to include into your diet to help positively impact your heart health. Heart disease is one of the third leading deaths worldwide. Taking the right steps towards prevention is vital. At Integrative Cardiology Center of Long Island, we believe in finding the right holistic treatment for you. Contact us today to get the help and guidance you need!