Did you know your heart beats about 100,000 times a day? Incredible, right? While the heart works day and night to ensure each part of the body receives oxygen and nutrients via blood, it also requires nutrition to work efficiently. In this blog, we have highlighted 5 such foods that can help you maintain optimal heart health.

5 home essentials for a healthy heart

Foods that can help maintain heart health include:

1. Omega-3 fatty acids

Omega-3 fatty acids are the essential fats that help reduce LDL or bad cholesterol and triglycerides, which are otherwise known to clog the arteries of the heart. This further helps in maintaining optimal blood pressure. Food sources of omega-3 fatty acids include fatty fish like salmon, tuna, mackerel, walnuts, fish oil, and eggs.

2. Green leafy vegetables

Nitrates and potassium present in the leaves help to open up the arteries supplying blood to the heart. This helps the heart function optimally even in times of distress. One can introduce green leafy vegetables in their diet like spinach, kale, and lettuce, and then move on to other varieties like chard, mustard greens, bok choy, and collard greens. One can replace salt and spices with fresh herbs.

3. Nuts and seeds

Almonds, walnuts, flax seeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, and pistachios form an incredibly healthy snack for individuals with heart disease and for those who wish to cut down on unhealthy calories. They are a good source of monounsaturated fat (essential fats), fibre, antioxidants, and omega-3 fatty acids as well.

4. Olive oil

Olive oil is rich in copper, antioxidants and oleic acid, which work to reduce the level of bad cholesterol in the arteries supplying blood to the heart. It also contains healthy fat that helps to reduce inflammation in the body, therefore, can be consumed by individuals with both diabetes and heart disease. Olive oil can be an excellent replacement for oil and butter that are used in Indian cuisines. One needs to just drizzle a little olive oil over the favourite dishes including salads, and other snacks.

5. Avocados

Known as a superfood, avocados are an important source of good cholesterol and potassium for the heart and its arteries. Potassium helps to regulate blood pressure, thereby reducing the workload of the heart. Avocados help to reduce inflammation in the body by acting as powerful antioxidants.

Investing in heart health will go a long way in reducing the healthcare costs for loved ones and oneself too! With these 5 simple things, you can raise the heart’s potential to work in times of stress and overloading activities. It is also recommended to consult a doctor or hospital for expert opinion on individual needs.

Consult An Apollo Heart Specialist

 

Medically reviewed by Dr Sonia Bhatt.