Nutrition > 5 Amazingly Healthy Heart Foods you Should be Eating
You're in Nutrition

5 Amazingly Healthy Heart Foods you Should be Eating

24th Feb 20

Looking after your heart health is not always the easiest thing to do. There’s a lot that goes into your heart health after all, and food is just one of the many things that have a huge impact on it (like it does everything else in your body). So to help make sure the two are working together, we need to look at some of the best heart-healthy foods out there and what makes them so.

Your heart is the driving force behind your whole life, bluntly put. It’s responsible in your body for just about everything, and as you know, it’s one of the most important organs in your whole body. With just some simple substitutions, healthier alternatives and a little extra knowledge, you can be well on your way to protecting it. It’s important stuff to know.


Want to move fast? Jump to the right section below.


Types Of Food

Fish – Omega 3

plate of cooked salmon

The first of our heart-healthy foods definitely has to be healthy fish (and cooked in the right way too. No batter or unhealthy frying!). Fatty fish like salmon and tuna is jam-packed with Omega 3. That’s absolutely essential when it comes to looking at the best possible heart health situation. So remember that the next time you’re stuck on what to get for lunch.

Avocado – Monosaturated Fats

avacado on toast

Sticking with the idea of healthy fats (and there’s a huge difference between good and bad fats), avocados are another great food to get more of. They’re mega-popular in the fitness world already for that exact reason.  Avocados are an incredibly healthy way to get more healthy fats in your diet, and they’re an awesome thing to have any time of day, which is also a real winner. They’re the perfect food for rest days.

Kale – Vitamin K

pan of kale

Taking things away from fats, it’s also a great time to look at why some leafy greens like kale are awesomely healthy heart foods as well. Kale, in particular, is already pretty famous for being a superfood. But, when you use it for heart health, that’s even more apparent. It’s full of vitamin K, which is a great way to help your heart and blood too.

Brown Carbohydrates – Fibre

healthy wholegrain pasta dish

Carbohydrates are almost always the biggest staple of our diets, and looking at healthy complex carbs, like brown carbs, in this case, is another excellent way to maximise heart health. For example, brown carbs are full of fibre; brown pasta, rice, and even brown bread too. This extra fibre is a great way to help reduce the amount of bad cholesterol you have, and that’s worth more than most people realise.

Berries – Antioxidants

pot of various berries

If you’ve ever seen an advert for any kind of juice, ever, you’ve likely heard of antioxidants before. That’s because berries are full of them, and they do amazing things to help your health. As a result of that, your heart is one of the biggest beneficiaries as all of the free radicals that cause you problems. They’re kind of like a police force for your cells. So get more where you can but keep an eye on sugar too to make it worthwhile in the long term.

Healthy Heart Eating Tips

Reduce the Negatives

As well as figuring out what healthy heart foods you should be getting more of, remember that you also need to reduce your intake of other things. There’s only so much adding good things to your diet can do if you don’t replace the bad after all. Dieting is about balance.

Manage Calories

Always be wary of your calorie intake regularly to help with your weight management as much as possible. Being overweight is one of the biggest damagers to heart health in the long term, so one of the best ways to eat better for your heart is to eat a healthy calorie intake to manage your weight too. It makes sense.

Reduce Unhealthy Fats

Another big point to remember is that you need to reduce the levels of unhealthy fats that you eat and increase healthy fats, as we’ve looked at above. Trans fats and saturated fats are never good news. Use them a little as you can for your daily diet and try and save them for tasty treats. But, again, it’s all about the balance!

Salt

One final thing we haven’t touched on here that’s also incredibly important to your food’s heart-healthy is how much salt you are consuming. That’s a big hitter with heart health too. However, too much salt is just asking for adverse health effects, so make sure you’re sticking to a consistent level. Your blood pressure will thank you for it.

So Basically…

+ More Of

  • Healthy fats
  • All your Micros
  • Antioxidants

– Less Of

  • Excess Calories
  • Bad fats
  • Excess Salt – BP

As always, a balanced and healthy diet is always the best thing that you can do for your health alongside an excellent exercise routine. Good luck!


general

Before beginning any exercise or nutrition program, consult your physician, doctor or other professional. This is especially important for individuals over the age of 35 or persons with pre-existing health problems. Exercise.co.uk assumes no responsibility for personal injury or property damage sustained using our advice.

If you experience dizziness, nausea, chest pain, or any other abnormal symptoms, stop the workout at once and consult a physician or doctor immediately.

Menu
icon_bluestone98