Tips on what to eat for the best of your heart

Eat avocado as much as you can to supply the healthy mono-unsaturated fats for your heart. This can help decrease the LDL (considered as bad) cholesterol and increase the HDL (considered as good) cholesterol levels in the blood. Prepare the fruit into a refreshing drink with a little sugar or sweetened condensed milk, or add it to your spinach salad, a few times a week.

Almost all kinds of beans and peas, including black beans, mung beans, red beans and green peas (Pisum sativum), are rich in dietary fiber, omega-3 fatty acids and calcium. Regular intake of them is good for the heart and can help prevent cardiovascular diseases.

Berries such as blueberries, raspberries and strawberries (the last one is widely grown in Dalat City, Lam Dong Province) are an anti-inflammatory that can help prevent the risks of heart diseases and certain cancer.

Try to eat such fish as herring, mackerel, salmon, sardine and tuna, which are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. This healthful fatty acid can help lower high blood pressure and prevent the formation of blood clots. Studies show that intake of such fish twice a week can help reduce the risk of heart attacks by 30%.

Nuts such as cashew nuts, peanuts, walnuts and almonds have either mono- or poly-unsaturated fats, omega-3 fatty acids and dietary fiber. Therefore, eat these nuts as a snack is good for your heart.

Have a small bowl of oatmeal porridge for your breakfast. This dish has abundant omega-3 fatty acids, folate, potassium and dietary fiber, which can help lower the LDL cholesterol level and facilitate blood circulation.

Olive oil is highly recommended for its mono-unsaturated fats, which can help lower the LDL cholesterol level and reduce the risk of heart diseases. Thanks to regular consumption of olive oil, only a small number of the Mediterranean people suffer from cardiovascular diseases.

Although containing a small content of saturated fat, soybeans are a rich supply source of protein for the body and are a healthy food for the heart. Soymilk is a fantastic milk substitute for humans, especially when being served together with oatmeal or whole-grain cereal.

All vegetables such as cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, lettuce and spinach, to name just a few, are good supply sources of essential vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber. As a result, regular intake of these vegetables every day is very good for human health and can help prevent the risk of heart diseases.

Source: SGT