Out of the thousands of food choices, you can make decisions that will benefit your heart. Foods that are nutrient-rich in heart-healthy vitamins and minerals can help to reduce your risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Incorporating these types of foods into your diet can bring about major health benefits for years to come. Here is a list of foods for a healthy heart:

• Fish that is high in omega-3s like tuna, salmon, and trout. The American Heart Association recommends eating fatty fish twice a week.
• Dark chocolate that has at least 70% cocoa in it. This kind of chocolate has polyphenols in it that helps in inflammation, blood clotting and reduces your blood pressure.
• Nuts such as walnuts and almonds have healthy fiber and vitamin E which can lower your LDL levels.
• Flaxseed has omega-3’s and fiber.
• Oatmeal is a great source of fiber. It soaks up cholesterol while in the digestive track and eliminates it from your body.
• Berries such as blueberries and strawberries are packed with anthocyanins, which are antioxidants.
• Soy milk and tofu both reduce blood pressure and can decrease your LDL cholesterol level
• Potatoes are surprisingly good for you. As long as they are not deep fried, potatoes themselves are helpful to your heart due to its high potassium content.
• Tomatoes are packed full of heart-healthy Lycopene which helps to keep blood vessels open and rids your body of LDL, the “bad cholesterol”.

In addition to selecting the right foods for a healthy heart, try to choose foods with very low sodium or sodium-free and try to stay away from processed and restaurant foods. Also, cut back or eliminate food that has added sugars such as soda.

Reach out to a doctor if you feel that you are at risk of heart disease. Contact Tampa Cardiovascular Associates for an evaluation at 813-975-2800 or visit us online at TampaCardio.com to schedule an appointment.