Posted on 12/18/2018 11:02:40 AM PST by Red Badger
Avocados are a delicious, rich fruit and a great way to treat your heart—and your taste buds. (Lisa Fotios/Pexels) =========================================================
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States. An estimated 44 million U.S. women are affected by cardiovascular disease, causing 1 in 3 women’s deaths each year. One of the most common forms of heart disease is coronary artery disease which occurs when a buildup of plaque narrows artery walls and restricts proper blood flow to the heart and can lead to a heart attack. Coronary artery disease can be treated or prevented through lifestyle modifications. One major influence on disease management or prevention is your diet: Foods rich in fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, healthy fats, and antioxidants all have their role in heart health. We’ve rounded up 10 artery friendly foods and highlighted what makes them so great and how they can keep your arteries clean.
1. Avocados
Is there anything avocados can’t do? It turns out avocados are good news when it comes to your arteries, too. This heart-healthy fruit increases your “good” cholesterol while lowering your “bad” cholesterol.
Avocados are also chock-full of potassium—more than a banana, in fact. Potassium has been proven to help prevent cardiovascular disease and vascular calcification in your arteries.
Add it to your diet: Replace mayo with avocado and use in sandwiches, chicken salad, or tuna salad. Fan of smoothies? Drink your daily dose of avocado by adding it to your favorite blended beverage (bonus: it makes it extra creamy!). 2. Fatty fish
While the myth that fat is bad for your arteries has been debunked, it’s important to know what kind of fat you should be eating.
Like avocado, fish is packed with healthy fats, also known as unsaturated fats. Fish consumption is linked to fewer heart attacks. Their omega-3 fatty acids have been proven to reduce levels of triglycerides and prevent the risk for cardiac death.
Add it to your diet: Eat salmon or your favorite fatty fish, such as tuna or mackerel, one to four times a week to reap these benefits. If fish doesn’t float your boat, check out fish oil supplements. However, when it comes down to taking fish oil supplements or eating fish, the latter is considered the most beneficial for heart health. 3. Nuts
Nuts are a powerhouse when it comes to heart health. Rich in unsaturated fats, vitamins, and fiber, nuts are a solid choice when it comes to a healthy snack. Try almonds, cashews, or Brazil nuts—all of which are very high in magnesium. Magnesium hinders buildup and cholesterol plaque in arteries, helping to prevent clogged arteries.
Add it to your diet: For optimal heart health, the American Heart Association recommends three to five servings of nuts per week. Get your fix by learning how to create your own trail mix. 4. Olive oil
Tired of hearing about healthy fats yet? Of course not. They’re delicious! But we end our stream of healthy fats here with perhaps the most versatile and popular of them all: olive oil. The monounsaturated oleic acid (say that three times fast) found in olive oil protects your heart and significantly lowers your risk for cardiovascular disease and stroke.
Add it to your diet: Drizzle on your salads and use in cooking, but make sure you’re using the right type. To get all of this oil’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits, purchase 100 percent extra virgin olive oil (organic if possible). 5. Coffee
Good news for coffee lovers. This beloved pick-me-up helps keep your arteries clean. One study found that drinking three cups a day significantly lowers your risk for developing atherosclerosis, or clogged arteries.
If coffee isn’t your cup of tea, green tea has also been proven beneficial to cardiovascular health.
Add it to your diet: Drinking three cups a day, you say? No problem! But while getting your daily dose, it’s important to stay away from adding sugars or lots of cream. Try and make your coffee as healthy and beneficial as possible. 6. Turmeric
Turmeric contains powerful anti-inflammatory compounds that can help reduce damage to arterial walls. Inflammation levels have been shown to have a direct effect on arteriosclerosis.
A study on rats shows that this antioxidant-rich spice can reduce fatty deposits in the arteries by over 25 percent.
Add it to your diet: The easiest way to add turmeric to your diet is by making turmeric tea. You can also make our easy, five-ingredient golden milk. 7. Pomegranate
The powerful pomegranate has been shown to clear clogged arteries and improve blood flow. This is due to the free radical-fighting fruit’s high level of antioxidants, which stimulate the production of nitric oxide in the blood.
Add it to your diet: Drink pomegranate juice for optimal heart health. Buy 100 percent pure pomegranate juice with no added sugar or snack on pomegranate seeds. Pomegranate juice can be added to your smoothies or mixed into a festive mocktail, and seeds are great sprinkled on your morning oatmeal. 8. Citrus
Both antioxidants and vitamin C are good news for artery health—and citrus fruits have plenty of both.
Studies have shown that vitamin C has a powerful role in reducing heart disease risk and the flavonoids found in them help protect arterial walls.
Add it to your diet: Drink plenty of lemon water throughout the day or start your morning with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice or a grapefruit half.
Also, keep an eye out for the bergamot fruit when in season or bergamot tea. Bergamot has been shown to decrease cholesterol levels as effectively as a statin drug according to research published in the International Journal of Cardiology and Frontiers in Pharmacology. 9. Whole Grains
The dietary fiber found in whole grains help improve blood cholesterol levels and protect the heart against disease.
Recent studies have also found that diets with plenty of whole grains are linked to thinner carotid artery walls. These arteries are responsible for delivering blood to your brain. Thickening of carotid arteries causes atherosclerosis buildup and increases risk for heart disease and stroke.
Add it to your diet: The American Heart Association recommends that at least half of your grains come from whole grains. The recommended daily intake is 25 grams of fiber each day for women and 34 grams per day for men. You can do this by consuming whole grains such as brown rice, whole-grain pasta, barley, oatmeal, or quinoa. 10. Broccoli
Like whole grains, broccoli is packed with fiber that’s beneficial for overall heart health. Cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage, have been proven to specifically help prevent clogged arteries and protect against vascular disease.
Add it to your diet: Need some new inspiration to eat more veggies? Check out these 11 recipes that will make you fall in love with broccoli again.
Do you already include these artery-loving foods in your daily diet? For more ways to keep your heart healthy, check out our 28 best tips.
Tiffany La Forge is a professional chef, recipe developer, and food writer who runs the blog Parsnips and Pastries. Her blog focuses on real food for a balanced life, seasonal recipes, and approachable health advice. Visit her at her blog or on Instagram. This article was originally published on Healthline.com
Yep, Hass avacados are the best. Sometimes I’ll see another variety, much bigger with smooth green skin. Those are less creamy with less flavor but I still get one every now and then for a change of pace. Is that the one with Caribbean origins?
One serving of whole grains only, otherwise it’s a great list. Also, stick to lemons and limes for the citrus, the others are too sweet. I’m bummed that I can’t do nuts (allergic except for peanuts) but seeds work as well. I eat chia, pumpkin, and sunflower seeds.
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You’re right!
CA avocados have a high oil content, and the oil is where the vitamin K lives. Coastal California avocadoes are beyond compare.
That's nuts!.......................
That's the theory.
https://www.newsmax.com/health/health-news/turmeric-spice-curcumin-alzheimer/2015/01/19/id/619412/
So, if the title had preceded the word “unclog” with the word “Help”, it would be more accurate?
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Best thing by far for kidneys is juniper berry tea.
Eliminates any need for dialysis, usually within 1/2 hour.
Just smash them and drop them into boiling water and turn down the heat for about 15 min.
Tastes sort of like gin, but strange!
I do not know the names of Carribean avocados but they are very large, smoother skin and sometimes lighter color. I have never really “had one” since THEY HAVE STRINGS!!!
No!
My dad, the farmer would also eat Pinkerton [he used to grown those too] Fuerte, and a few others. Also, many Mexican avocados are very good. I have stayed at farms in Michoacan with great avocados.
It REALLY cheers me up!
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Its the curcumin in the tumeric that is good for alzheimers. But you also need lots of coconut oil to go with it.
Juniper berries? where do you get them?
Celery seed is easily available and the secret ingredient for garnish on turkey or chicken dogs.
I am not on deals, but my friend got off of it with celery seed tea and i improved may test results with it. I will try the berry’s though. m Thanx.
Nigella Lawson is currently 58, having been born in January 1960. So in 2010, she was indeed 50.
Here she is last year, without makeup, on a London street. She still looks pretty good for 57.
Do you take turmeric as a supplement? I just began about 8 months ago taking the Tumeric tablets at Traderv Joes.
On the other hand, I could live happily on Indian food but it is very labor intensive.
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Botanical supply companies. (or possibly some healthfood stores)
I buy from Star West Botanical in the Sacramento area.
Depends on how you prepare it. As part of a stir-fry with sweet-and-sour or General Tso's sauce, it's great.
I also have it for breakfast. I take some leftover chicken, add some broccoli crowns and an egg in a fry pan. After a minute I flip the egg on top of the chicken, add cheese over all of it, put a lid on to trap the heat and make the cheese melt, put it on a plate with some sweet chili sauce, it's fabulous, and fills me till the afternoon.
Saw this one. Had good reviews and looks like they’re dried so you get a lot of them.
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You’re just buying the wrong brocoli!
And always use lots of butter.
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