Discover how a healthy diet should be to enjoy a healthy heart, with recommended and appropriate foods in an ideal diet to take care of our heart health.
The heart it is one of the most important organs of our body, mainly because, through its action of pumping blood, it allows nutritious substances to reach each of the corners of our body. It is the main muscular organ of the circulatory system, consisting of a hollow and pyramidal muscle that we find in the thoracic cavity. Explained more or less simply, we can say that the heart consists of a kind of pump that provides the necessary force for both the blood and the substances it carries to circulate properly through the arteries and veins. In this way, in each beat, our heart is able to expel a certain amount of blood towards the aorta (the thickest artery),
Among the most common heart diseases (also known medically as cardiac diseases ), which ultimately tend to affect this most important organ of our body, we can mention myocardial infarction, arrhythmias, heart failure, congenital heart disease, sudden death and ischemic heart disease, among others.
When it comes to taking care of the heart, it is very important to maintain a healthy, varied and balanced diet, based on following a diet that is as healthy as possible, given that, as with our health, everything we eat every day will have a decisive influence on enjoy or not a correct, adequate and optimal heart health. We explain below what foods you should include in your diet to maintain good heart health.
Vegetables, greens and fruits
There is no doubt that for a diet to be healthy it is very important that it be very rich in vegetables, fresh vegetables and fruits, since they are tremendously low in fat and have a very high content of vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients important for our health, such as for example, this is the case of antioxidants, which help us prevent the negative effects of free radicals.
It is advisable to eat 5 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables every day. Among the greens and vegetables that are most suitable – and recommended – for the heart are broccoli, onion, celery, carrot and garlic. Among the most interesting fruits we can mention citrus (especially grapefruit), avocado, mango, grape and banana.
Vegetables
The vegetables are rich in carbohydrates and fiber. Taking into account that carbohydrates must account for at least 60% of the total nutrients that we consume with our diet every day, there is no doubt that they are essential for the care of our heart. In fact, they become an excellent substitute for animal proteins, thanks to their richness in plant proteins (and especially in essential amino acids), an ideal option for those who do not want to continue consuming meat, which incidentally have a high content in saturated fat.
Foods as interesting as chickpeas, lentils and beans stand out.
Cereals
We can mention both cereals in their whole version and whole grains, which in addition to being rich in essential nutrients provide very interesting amounts of dietary fiber.
As with legumes, cereals are very rich in carbohydrates. And in the particular case of whole grains, they stand out for having a high content of complex carbohydrates, much more recommended for people with diabetes.
To take care of the heart, brown rice, buckwheat and oats stand out.
Blue Fish
Although any type of fish is essential and essential within a varied and balanced diet, on this occasion we must mention blue fish, extremely rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
Blue fish such as salmon, sardines and tuna stand out.
Nuts and seeds
Obviously, a diet to take care of the heart could not miss the nuts. They are especially rich in polyphenols, trace elements, minerals (especially zinc, copper, selenium and magnesium), help prevent cardiovascular diseases, reduce LDL cholesterol levels while increasing HDL cholesterol and control high blood pressure.
Among the most interesting nuts for natural heart care we can mention walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts.
The seeds are also suitable for their richness in essential fatty acids. Of particular note are pumpkin seeds, sesame, sunflower and flax.
Olive oil
It is the essential food in the Mediterranean diet, one of the most recommended diets for its richness in healthy and natural foods, and above all because it is very low in fat. Obviously this time we could not forget about him.
It is very rich in monounsaturated fatty acids, which helps reduce high cholesterol levels and prevent cardiovascular diseases. The option of extra virgin olive oil stands out especially.