7 Best foods for heart
The heart is a powerful pumping organ that works non-stop throughout our entire life. It carries a huge responsibility — pumping blood to every part of the body and supporting many other vital functions. With such a heavy workload, giving the right nutrition to our heart isn’t just important — it’s our responsibility.
Protecting the heart from disease and damage should be one of our top priorities.
That’s why, in this article, you’ll discover seven of the best natural foods that support heart health. These foods are packed with the essential nutrients that your heart truly loves.
So let’s get started —
Here are the 7 best foods for your beautiful heart.
1. Pomegranate
Pomegranates are one of the best foods for health. They contain heart friendly nutrients like anthocyanins, punicalagins, vitamin C and Potassium.
- Anthocyanins and Punicalagins are strong antioxidants that help in reducing inflammation , stops the oxidation of LDL cholesterol which leads to no plaque buildup in arteries hence reduces the risk of heart attack.
- Vitamin C is also a strong antioxidant which helps in reduce oxidative stress and helps in increase blood flow
- Potassium helps to regulate blood pressure, resulting in reduced heart stress.
Daily 1 cup (around 174 grams) of pomegranate helps to improve heart health.
2. Turmeric
Turmeric is known for its health benefits. It is also considered as one of the best foods for the heart. Turmeric contains nutrients like curcumin which is a delight for your heart.Let’s see how curcumin works
- Curcumin is an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compound which helps in reducing plague formation in the arteries. Additionally it also helps in increasing blood vessel functions, control cholesterol levels and decrease the risk of heart diseases.
Add turmeric in your curries and you can also have turmeric milk at right which is very beneficial to your heart health.
According to the experts, in a day around 500mg – 2000mg turmeric is safe and beneficial for health.
3. Beets
Beets are one of the healthiest foods for the heart. As, beet is a nutrient-rich root vegetable. They are filled with nutrients like dietary nitrates, folate, potassium and manganese which your heart likes. Let’s see how these nutrients work in heart health.
- Dietary nitrates relaxes the blood vessels, which leads to reduction in blood pressure and blood flow towards the heart was also improved which also reduces the workload of the heart.
- Folate reduces the homocysteine levels , if the homocysteine levels are high they might increase the chance of heart disease. Folate also supports the health of blood vessels.
- Potassium helps in controlling blood pressure.
- Manganese has antioxidant properties which helps in reducing oxidative stress.
According to experts, 1 cup of boiled beets everyday which is around 136 grams is safe and beneficial for your health.
You can have beets as it is or make juice of it or make smoothies or soup or you can also have it in light roast form as well.
4. Sweet Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes are one of the heart friendly foods. They are delicious as well as nutrient dense as well. Sweet potatoes are packed with lots of heart healthy nutrients like fiber, potassium, vitamin A and vitamin C. Now let’s show how these nutrients do their work.
- Fiber helps reduce bad cholesterol (LDL) levels in the body which reduces the risk of heart disease.
- Potassium regulates blood pressure and helps to stabilise heart rhythm as well.
- Vitamin A (Beta-carotene) is an antioxidant that protects blood vessels from oxidative damage.
- Vitamin C helps in reducing the inflammation and strengthening blood vessel walls.
According to experts, around 100-150 grams of sweet potatoes are safe and beneficial for your health as well.
You can have sweet potatoes boiled, roasted or baked or you can make a super healthy sweet potato chat.
5. Lentils
Lentils are one of the healthiest and one of the best foods for the heart as well. They also help in muscle repair, digestion and maintain steady energy levels. Lentils are loaded with nutrients like fiber, potassium, folate, magnesium, and protein which are beneficial for the heart. Let’s deep dive to know how these nutrients work.
- Fiber helps to reduce cholesterol levels, stable blood sugar levels which are very beneficial for the heart.
- Potassium helps to control blood pressure and also support heart muscle function.
- Folate helps to reduce homocysteine levels in the body.
- Magnesium helps in maintaining the regular rhythm of the heart and provides relaxation to blood vessels.
- Protein is the alternative of red meat, it reduces the saturated fat intake which helps in reducing load on the heart.
Having one glass of cooked lentils everyday which is around 200 grams is safe and beneficial for your health.
You can have lentils in the form of salad or lentil chilla/pancake or lentil rice which are very delicious and healthy as well.
6. Sardines
Sardines is a small oily fish, which is rich in omega 3 fatty acids, protein, vitamin D and calcium. These nutrients make sardines fish as one of the best foods for the heart. Let’s explore how these nutrients work to improve heart health.
- Omega 3 Fatty Acids helps in reducing the inflammation and also helps in lowering triglycerides levels of the body. Additionally they stabilise the heart rhythm which reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke.
- Vitamin D regulates blood pressure and helps in reducing inflammation.
- Calcium helps in proper contraction of heart muscles and also supports blood vessel function.
- Sardines are the source of lean protein which protects the heart from unhealthy fats.
A daily serving of about 100 grams of sardines is considered safe and beneficial for health.
You can have grilled sardines or sardine toast or sardine salad. These are delicious and filled with these nutrients as well.
7.Dark Leafy Greens
Dark leafy greens are one of the healthiest foods for the heart. They are packed with nutrients like Vitamin K, Magnesium, Potassium. Nitrates and Fiber. These are the nutrients which your heart loves. Let’s search how these nutrients.help your heart.
- Vitamin K helps in regulating blood clotting, reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke and also supports the health of arteries.
- Magnesium helps reduce blood pressure, helps in stable heart rhythm which leads to no stress on the heart.
- Potassium helps in countering the sodium effect, and controls BP.
- Nitrates make blood vessels thicker, which improves blood flow, by which work of the heart gets slightly easier.
- Fiber reduces cholesterol levels, and makes a protective layer around the heart.
Experts recommend consuming about 85-115 grams of raw green leafy vegetables daily as a safe and beneficial intake.
You can have green leafy vegetables as it is or you can make green smoothies.
Takeaways
As this article comes to an end, you’ve gained valuable knowledge about the foods that are essential for your heart, and how these nutrients work to support its function.
Since the heart keeps pumping throughout our lives, it’s crucial to nourish it with the right nutrients regularly.
You also learned how much of each food is ideal for daily intake, and how you can prepare them in different ways — making your meals not just healthier, but also more delicious.
So that’s all from this article.
We hope you’ve gained some meaningful insights to take better care of your beautiful heart.
