We all know how important it is to look after our heart. The amazing organ keeps blood pumping around the body, and works incredibly hard to keep the rest of our systems in working order.
As well as regular exercise and avoiding too much stress, it’s also incredibly important that we eat and drink the right things to keep our hearts in optimum health.
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Read on for the top superfoods to eat that will keep your heart in tip-top shape.
Oranges
It’s no surprise that one of the best things you can do to improve your diet for heart health is to eat more fruits and vegetables. Oranges are a great example of this, as they contain high levels of potassium and fiber, both of which are incredibly good for your ticker.
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Try them in juice or adding them into a fruit salad, or just peel and eat them as they are! They also have the added bonus of being high in Vitamin C, which is good for your overall health as well. Win win!
Kale
Kale is a lot more than just the trendy vegetable of the moment, enjoyed by hipsters with man-buns and served on wooden boards and pieces of charcoal. That’s right, as well as being a new age hipster treat, this super food is actually incredibly good for your heart!
This is because the leafy green vegetable is very low in cholesterol. Lowering your cholesterol is one of the key ways to keep your heart healthy and strong.
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Top tip: try steaming your kale to truly maximize the health effects.
Garlic
You have probably heard the myth that garlic wards off vampires and keeps the unholy creatures from entering a person’s home.
Well this isn’t just a spooky story—this myth actually arose in the olden days due to the varied and miraculous health benefits of the stinky herb!
Even today, garlic boasts a number of incredible properties that can help keep your heart healthy—such as lowering your blood pressure, cholesterol, and fatty buildups in your arteries.
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If you’re not a fan of the strong smell (though we love it), you can also take it in tablet form.
Strawberries
As well as being delicious and one of the first most fresh signs of summer being on the horizon, strawberries are also an incredibly good option to incorporate into your diet to improve heart health.
One of the world’s most popular superfoods, the sweet yet tart fruit is jam-packed with antioxidants, improving the health and quality of your blood—and therefore making your heart happy, too!
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Just go easy on the cream on top, as too much of the heavy stuff might undo any health benefits you are getting from the fruity goodness.
Chocolate
What’s that you say? Chocolate is good for us? Well, pass us the Hershey's!
Only kidding. Chocolate can be incredibly beneficial for your heart, but you still need to be reasonably careful with it.
Chocolate—especially dark chocolate—is packed full of antioxidants and is great for lowering your blood pressure.
The darker the chocolate, the better for your heart—so stock up on that 75%.
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It still should be eaten in moderate quantities, of course—otherwise it can lead to weight gain and put stress on your heart, undoing the antioxidant effects!
Sweet Potato
Next up on our list of heart healthy foods is the delicious sweet potato. Often regarded as the healthy alternative of the much-loved white potato, this yummy vegetable is actually a culinary wonder in its own right.
Rich in natural sugars and low in carbs, the sweet potato has a super low GI index, meaning it is more easily digested and contributes to a healthier internal system in your gut.
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They are also high in potassium, which helps your body process sodium, which all together means much less strain on your heart!
