The month of February is a great time to focus on the well-being of our hearts. The entire month of February is American Heart Month according to the American Heart Association. Earlier this month, we talked about the importance of keeping one’s heart healthy and gave a great “How To” which consisted of diet and exercise tips to keep your heart in great shape.
As we near the end of February, it may be helpful for many of you to go back to our previous blog post on heart health and read about the importance of taking care of your heart. Several foods are especially good for your heart. Next time you are at the grocery store, keep your eyes peeled for these foods and start making a habit of including them in your diet.
Tuesday Tips, heart healthy food:
• Salmon, it is very high in omega-3.
• Oatmeal is also very high in omega-3 and includes other great nutrients to keep you full and focused.
• Almonds and walnuts are a great snack for at work and great for your heart.
• Red wine—a glass a day, right?
• Soymilk is packed with nutrients and vitamins and it tastes delicious with cereal.
• Vegetables—carrots, spinach, broccoli, sweet potatoes, asparagus, and red bell peppers are all packed with heart healthy nutrients.
• Fruits—blueberries, oranges, cantaloupe, and papaya. Yum!
• Olive oil lowers the risk of high LDL cholesterol and is much more healthy then using other types of oil to cook with.
• Beans, beans the magical fruit. Start eating more legumes because they are full of omega-3, calcium, and soluble fiber.
It can be very simple to add more heart health foods into your diet. Take the initiative and start with your diet to keep your heart healthy. American Heart Month is a great time to focus on our hearts and to educate ourselves on the importance of a healthy lifestyle. As you may know, heart disease is the leading factor of death in the United States. However, with a healthy lifestyle it may be preventable. Add some of these hearty health foods into your diet to keep your ticker happy and healthy.
By: Hannah Schaenzer