The 50 best foods for your heart

These healthy seeds are a great way to add fibre to foods and are a good source of heart-healthy polyunsaturated fats, including omega-3 fatty acids. While most omega-3’s come from fish and algae, flaxseeds are one of the few good plant sources. “But with the flax, you have to make sure the seeds are ground into a meal,” says Severson. “We can’t break down the little tiny seeds on our own.”

If you want to expand your whole-grain repertoire, kamut is a good grain to try, Morey says. Eating kamut instead of other, only semi-whole grain products helped reduce cardiovascular risk factors like total cholesterol and LDL, and improved potassium and magnesium levels, she says. It’s an all-star of the heart-healthy Mediterranean-style diet.

Eating two to three kiwis a day can help reduce harmful blood triglyceride levels, Morey says. Even one kiwi a week can have an effect. Plus the fruit is rich in vitamins (C and E) and minerals potassium, magnesium. copper and phosphorous). It helps raise HDL – good cholesterol – levels, too. “If you’re up for eating the skin, you can double the amount of fibre you get from this fuzzy fruit.”

Suffer from cold sores? Kiwi fruit is a natural remedy. Here are some more that you can make at home.

Like beans and chickpeas, lentils are rich in fibre and low in fat, with lots of compounds that help reduce cholesterol, making them one of the best foods for your heart. “Any sort of dried bean or lentil is a great source of soluble fibre and protein,” says Severson. “Replacing meat with plant protein gives a significant cardiovascular benefit.”

“Dairy milk is really important for blood pressure management because of the calcium and potassium it contains,” says Severson. Meaning, it’s not necessary to switch to alternative milk like oat, soy, or almond to keep your heart healthy. If you like cow’s milk, drink up! But choose low-fat products.

A recent scientific review published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology analysed how popular foods help your heart. The authors gave a big thumbs-up to mushrooms for anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits. If you’re bored with the same white button mushrooms you’ve been slicing in your salad for years, expand your mushroom repertoire and learn the difference between white, cremini, and portobello mushrooms.

“Citrus fruits are a good source of soluble fibre and vitamin C, an antioxidant, says Severson. She explains that “antioxidants help decrease inflammation which can help with vascular function.”

Papayas are another great source of this heart-healthy mineral, Morey says. Just one serving provides 313 per cent of the Daily Value of vitamin C, which can help to prevent atherosclerosis and diabetes-related heart disease. Papaya is also one of the foods that are high in digestive enzymes which help your gut break down foods and deliver healthy vitamins, minerals, protein, and more to your body.

Adding papaya to your fruit salad is good for your heart and very exotic!

Common peanuts are less expensive than tree nuts like walnuts and almonds, but they confer exactly the same heart benefits. Researchers looking at the diets of people in the United States and abroad found that those who regularly ate peanuts and other nuts were far less likely to have died of heart disease – and any other causes – over the course of the study – published in JAMA Internal Medicine. For maximum health benefits, choose your peanuts unsalted and your peanut butter without added sugar.

It doesn’t have to be the day after Halloween to enjoy pumpkin seeds, Morey says. “Pumpkin seeds are a good source of nutrients such as magnesium, zinc, and ALA, which may promote heart health by reducing blood pressure and oxidative stress, as well as increasing HDL.” Try roasting pumpkin seeds for a crunchy snack, or find pumpkin seed oil online or in gourmet stores. It makes for a great, nutty salad dressing. In Austria, where much of the oil comes from, it’s drizzled on ice cream (or low-fat frozen yoghurt) as a summer treat.