Nutrients for a healthy heart
Protect yourself from heart disease
Penny Lara shares her top nutrition tips.
Lycopene: Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant that has been reported to decrease the risk of heart attacks as well as inhibit cancer cell growth. This phytochemical is one of beta-carotene’s carotenoid relatives.
Top foods: Tomatoes, guava, apricots, papaya, watermelon and pink grapefruit.
Resveratrol: Resveratrol is a phytochemical protecting against heart disease by limiting clot formation and inflammation that can damage artery walls.
Top foods: Red wine, grape skins and peanuts.
Quercetin: The phytochemical quercetin has natural anti-inflammatory ability that helps protect against blood clots.
Top foods: Apples, onions, green tea, cranberries, buckwheat and beans.
Beta glucan: Is a soluble fibre that helps reduce cholesterol levels.
Top foods: Oats, barley, rye, wheat and mushrooms
Omega 3: The essential fatty acid omega 3 can help reduce inflammation and risk of clots.
Top foods: Flaxseeds, walnuts and oily fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines, anchovies).
Folate: Folate can also protect against heart disease. Without folate, homocysteine (by-product of metabolism) accumulates and can enhance blood clot formation and arterial wall damage increasing the risk of heart disease.
Top foods: Soybeans, leafy greens such as spinach and silverbeet, broccoli, peas, asparagus, avocados, chickpeas, lentils, and fortified breads and breakfast cereals.
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