Food As Medicine: Heart Health

Leafy greens: Including leafy greens in helps your meals helps you consume a variety of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Leafy greens also provide a natural source of nitrates, a natural chemical found in soil, air and water; nitrates that are naturally found in vegetables, are a vital component for health and well-being. Nirates from vegetables help reduce blood pressure, keep your arteries flexible, and help keep the cells that link the blood vessels healthy.

How to do it: Include a serving of green leafy vegetables in at least one daily meal. Some ideas include a green salad with lunch or dinner, adding kale or spinach to your smoothie, topping your sandwich with a handful of dark leafy greens, or adding to your morning eggs.

Pro Tip: Leafy greens are rich in vitamin K, which helps with blood clotting. Maintaining a consistent intake of Vitamin K-containing foods for people on blood thinners is recommended. Therefore, you want to avoid suddenly adding or taking out leafy greens. If you are on a blood thinner, talk with your doctor about eating leafy greens.

Avocados: Rich in monounsaturated fats and potassium, avocados support a healthy heart. Not only are monounsaturated fats associated with reducing cholesterol levels, but potassium helps to reduce blood pressure.

How to do it: Add avocado to a salad or smoothie, enjoy it with your morning eggs, or experiment with making avocado chocolate pudding!

Pro Tip: To quickly ripen avocados: place them in a brown paper bag and fold it to seal. The release of ethylene gas, a plant hormone that aids ripening, will help speed up the ripening process.

Walnuts: Magnesium, copper, manganese, and fiber are all present in walnuts and are beneficial to your cardiovascular system. Some research shows that walnuts can help prevent cardiovascular disease. Walnuts may also help reduce cholesterol levels and blood pressure.

How to do it: Add a handful of walnuts to a salad or with berries as a snack.

Pro Tip: Store walnuts in the freezer to keep them fresh and extend their shelf life.

Garlic: The component responsible for the distinctive odor in garlic, allicin, is also what makes garlic good for your heart! Allicin reduces inflammation and supports lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

How to do it: To get the full benefits of the allicin in garlic, crush or chop it and let it sit for 10 minutes before cooking.

Pro Tip: Fresh garlic is always best but if you are considering taking allicin as a supplement, be aware that side effects from taking too much can include: garlic breath, belching, gas, nausea, diarrhea, and heartburn.

Green Tea Extract: Filled with antioxidants, green tea may help reduce inflammation and protect your heart. Green tea extract may lower blood pressure, triglycerides, LDL, and total cholesterol.

How to do it: Opt for whole tea leaves such as matcha to reap the maximum benefits from green tea.

Pro Tip: If you choose a green tea extract supplement, check the supplement facts panel to be sure you know everything it contains. Also, look for a GMP symbol to help you know it was manufactured using "good manufacturing practices."