Heart-Healthy Foods for Your Health

Most Americans want to be healthier, and one way to do that is to eat heart-healthy foods. Heart-healthy foods contain elements, such as phytonutrients, which prevent and repair cell damage. Eating heart-healthy foods on a regular basis can lower your risk for cardiovascular disease as well.

How do heart-healthy foods help?
Components of heart-healthy foods have many benefits, including fighting diseases and lowering cholesterol. When you're selecting heart-healthy foods, look for the following elements to determine the products advantages. 

• Phytoestrogens: found in plants, these may help lower bad cholesterol and blood pressure. Flaxseed, a phytoestrogen, may lower the risk of blood clots, stroke and cardiac arrhythmias. 
• Phytosterols: found in plants and reduce cholesterol. They are found in nuts and seeds. 
• Polyphenols: protect blood vessels, reduce LDL or "bad" cholesterol and lower blood pressure. 
• Niacin: increases HDL or "good" cholesterol. 
• Carotenoids: antioxidants found in fruits and veggies. Carotenoids include alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, lutein and lycopene. 
• Vitamin C and E: antioxidants which protect cells from damage done by free radicals. 
• Flavonoid polyphenols: include flavonones, flavonois, catechins, isoflavones, reseratrol and anthocyanis. There are also non-flavonoid polyphenols which can be found in berries. 
• Omega-3 fatty acids: important for cellular and organ function. 
• Alpha-linolenic fatty acids: reduce blood clots and lower the risk of heart attack. 
• B-Complex vitamins: include B12 and B6 and protect against atherosclerosis and blood clots. 

Which heart-healthy foods should you choose?
When selecting heart-healthy foods, try to keep everything in its natural form whenever possible. This means avoiding processed foods and those with added preservatives. Also eat a wide variety of heart-healthy foods, as the benefits vary.

• Salmon and oatmeal are great heart-healthy foods, providing you with a dose of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are important for cellular and organ function. Other heart-healthy foods containing omega-3 fatty acids include ground flaxseed, almonds, and walnuts.
• Black beans and kidney beans are other examples of heart-healthy foods, containing B-complex vitamins as well as other nutrients and vitamins.
• Brown rice is another source of B-complex vitamins, as is soy milk. 
• Red wine is one of the heart-healthy foods, giving you catechins and reservatrol. Red wine is associated with improving your HDL cholesterol. Heart-healthy foods also include dark chocolate, which is another way to get reservatrol. It also adds cocoa phenols, which are flavnoids. 
• Tofu provides your body with Niacin, folate, calcium, magnesium and potassium, and is a popular meat alternative for vegetarians seeking heart-healthy foods.
• Beta-carotene can be found in blueberries, broccoli, sweet potatoes, red bell peppers and asparagus.  Carrots are a great source of both alpha-carotene and fiber. Lutein is found in acorn squash, papaya, and cantaloupe.

How else can you lower your risk?
Besides choosing heart-healthy foods, limiting unhealthy fats and cholesterol is good for your heart. Avoid trans fats and saturated fats as much as possible. The Mayo Clinic advises that this is the most important thing you can do to lower your blood cholesterol and decrease your risk of coronary artery disease.

A diet high in fiber also contributes to a healthy diet. Heart-healthy foods often contain fiber, which carries excess cholesterol from your body, reducing your risk of heart disease. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables to obtain this benefit. Heart-healthy foods also contain a lot of whole grains, which are high in fiber.