Heart Healthy Food - What You Must Know

Eating heart healthy food has amazing benefits. Your heart is one of the most important organs in your body so keeping it in good shape is a must. When people are young they usually overlook the heart’s condition. Only when people start feeling that something might be wrong with the heart is that they start to take care of it.

Sometimes is too late and the damage has already being done. The heart is the pump that delivers blood to different parts of your body. If the heart cannot deliver the blood; the organs will not be able to get oxygen and your cells will start dying. There are many things you can do to prevent damage to your heart.

One of the things and perhaps the most important is to eat heart healthy food. This kind of food can protect you from some heart diseases, heart attacks, strokes, heart failures, etc. Many diseases especially the ones related to the heart can be prevented if you follow a healthy life style.

The first step to be healthy is to know what foods will harm you. Foods that contain high bad cholesterol, trans fats and high unhealthy saturated fats should be avoided at any cost. Avoid over processed meats, unhealthy spreads and hydrogenated oils. These can block your arteries easily and make suffer from atherosclerosis and other dangerous conditions. If you really have to eat meat choose very lean cuts with less than 10% fat.

Be careful when buying snacks. Most of them are rich in trans fats. Read carefully the label of these products to ensure a very low content of trans fats and cholesterol. Cooking with a good quality oil makes a big difference.

Olive oil, preferably extra virgin is your best bet.

Only olive oil should be used to ensure the lowest fat possible. Many experts agree that it shouldn't be used to cook on high temperatures. If for some reason you have to cook at higher temperatures use other vegetable oil.

Fish is a healthier alternative to the meat and is rich in iodine and zinc which are essential nutrients, but should not be consumed so frequently because of the mercury in the sea.

Banana fruits

The best heart healthy food possible is the consumption of fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables should be fresh and not the canned variety. Canned fruits and vegetables usually contain high amounts of sodium and preservatives that are not healthy.

Cabbage, lettuce, potatoes, carrots, broccoli, apples, bananas, pineapples, oranges and grapes are some of the best foods you can eat to have a healthy heart. They can provide essential minerals to strengthen your heart like potassium, magnesium and folic acid.

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