One great way to spend a fabulous Valentine’s Day!
Foods You Love That Love You Back! Whether you’re madly in love, mad at your love, or mad that you don’t have a love this Valentine’s Day, how about having a love affair with your heart? Feed it well. Give it the gift of health and it will love you for the rest of your life. No questions asked. Now, isn’t that romantic?
Not so romantic—according to the American Heart Association, more than 500,000 adults in the United States die of broken hearts each year, so to speak. Not actually romantic heartbreak, but rather the kind caused by cardiovascular diseases. The good news: You can eat your way to good health. Research shows that eating a variety of cholesterol-lowering foods can be as powerful as taking cholesterol-lowering drugs, like statins, but without the nasty side effects. Heart-healthy foods are also sweeter on your pocketbook, with a trip to the grocery store generally being a lot less expensive than a trip to the pharmacy.
Here are some top picks to show your heart just how much you care.
Pistachios: Not only are pistachios shaped like a heart, they’re good for it too! Compared with other nuts, pistachios have the highest content of phytosterols, a plant sterol that reduces cholesterol absorption from other foods. In a new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers found that eating two handfuls of pistachios a day reduced LDL (bad cholesterol) by 12 percent. Now that’s reason to go nuts!
Oats: Oatmeal is packed with soluble fiber that soaks up cholesterol, allowing the body to eliminate it. Five to 10 grams of soluble fiber a day decreases your LDL (bad cholesterol) by about 5 percent. If you’re in a rush, grab a packet of high-fiber instant oatmeal—some provide as much as eight grams of soluble fiber, along with four grams of protein to keep your heart healthy and your hunger at bay. Oat-yeah!
Apples: Apples contain pectin, a soluble fiber that helps draw cholesterol out of your system, as well as flavonoids, which act as a powerful antioxidant that seems to short-circuit the process that leads LDL (bad cholesterol) to accumulate in your bloodstream. Aim for an apple a day …
Tea: Whether it’s black, white, green, or oolong, tea packs a heart-healthful punch. Flavonoids, the major antioxidants in tea, have been shown to promote healthy arteries, lower LDL (bad cholesterol), and dilate blood vessels. Drinking as little as two to four cups per day has been shown to be effective.
Fatty Fish: Because fish is loaded with omega-3 fatty acids and protein, the American Heart Association recommends that you include at least two servings a week for heart health. Your best bets: salmon, white albacore tuna canned in water, rainbow trout, anchovies, herring, sardines, and mackerel. (Because of its high mercury content, it’s best to stay away from shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tile fish). Eating fish four times a week can lower your risk of heart disease by as much as 14 percent.
Flaxseed: A good source of dietary fiber and omega-3 fatty acids, flaxseed can help get your LDL (bad cholesterol) down, raise your HDL (good cholesterol), and lower triglycerides. Few foods offer this triple threat for heart health. Grinding just three teaspoons of flaxseed into your food gives you 10 whole grams of fiber!
Plant Sterols: Substances found in plants that help block the absorption of cholesterol in the intestines, plant sterols (or phytosterols) can help reduce your LDL (bad cholesterol) by 10 to 15 percent. Margarine, orange juice, and yogurt drinks fortified with plant sterols can help you reach the recommended two grams a day of plant sterols for heart health.
Whole Soy: Reducing saturated fat in your diet is the single most important dietary change you can make to cut blood cholesterol—that’s where soy can help. Because soy is a complete protein, you can use it as a replacement for meat and cheese in your diet to slash the amount of saturated fat that you eat. Look for “whole soy” in the ingredients. Whole soy is best to lower cholesterol because it’s minimally processed and provides all the nutrients contained in the soybean. Aim for 25 grams of whole soy a day.
Olive Oil: Olive oil provides a potent mix of antioxidants that can lower your LDL (bad cholesterol) while leaving your HDL (good cholesterol) untouched. The Food and Drug Administration recommends using about two tablespoons of olive oil a day to get its heart-healthy benefits. To add olive oil to your diet, mix it with vinegar for a quick and delicious salad dressing.
Dark Chocolate: Research shows that dark chocolate—not milk chocolate or even dark chocolate with milk—is packed with antioxidants that ward off heart disease and other problems. Researchers found that milk can interfere with the absorption of the antioxidants from chocolate… so forgo the chocolate milk shake and order a quality piece of dark chocolate. Individually wrapped dark chocolates are just the right size at about 40-calories per treat.