Importance of dietary restriction: best foods for heart health

NEW DELHI: One can say seven steps to heaven, seven colours of the rainbow, seven super foods for excellence, seven super specialty foods for excellence in health, healing, and wellness. Best foods, super foods for health, the term super foods have come because they bring ultimate vitality in low volumes of their consumption. You don't need to consume huge portions to bring vitality, immunity, and longevity. Super foods or the best foods that support heart health need to be consumed sensibly and intelligently as per your needs, objectives, and medical concerns only, never indiscriminately. Yet, one can list down these seven super foods and see how they fit into your life for your desires of wellness, your upregulating your immunity, upscaling your energy. Plant-based nutrition is associated with heart benefits.

Here are the seven heart friendly food groups shared by Mickey Mehta, Global Leading Holistic Health Guru/ Corporate Life Coach:

Whole grains like millets, buckwheat, steel cut or rolled oats, quinoa, brown rice are high in soluble fibre. This fibre type helps to lower cholesterol levels. Furthermore, whole grains have a lower glycemic index, which promotes stable blood sugar levels and reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes, a major precursor to heart disease.

Lentils, legumes, chickpeas, beans, and peas stand out as excellent providers of plant-based protein, dietary fibre, and important minerals. Not only are they low in saturated fat, but they also actively help to lower cholesterol levels.

Nuts and seeds like Almonds, walnuts, peanuts, flaxseeds, hemp, and chia seeds are high in heart-healthy fats, fibre, and plant-based proteins. These nutritional powerhouses help to control LDL (bad) cholesterol levels while maintaining HDL (good) cholesterol levels.

Leafy greens like spinach, moringa leaves, dill, kale, are rich in vitamins, minerals and fibre. These greens provide antioxidants such as vitamin K, which is important for blood clot management, and nitrates, which help to lower blood pressure by relaxing blood vessels. Similarly, cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, contain fibre which help to lower the LDL (bad) cholesterol.

Fruits like berries, which include blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and pomegranate, grapefruit, peaches, plums emerge as powerful heart-health partners due to their high antioxidant content. These antioxidants work tirelessly to counteract oxidative stress and inflammation, both of which play important roles in the development of heart disease. These fruits play an important function in cholesterol management and digestive wellness.

Inclusion of remarkable compounds namely Omega 3 fatty acids in your daily diet help to lower triglyceride levels and reduce inflammation. It is recommended that you consume some amount of Omega 3 sources like walnuts, flaxseeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds, beans, edamame daily to receive these benefits.

Extra virgin olive oil, green and black olives, a staple of the Mediterranean diet, is high in monounsaturated fats and antioxidants. These aid in lowering LDL cholesterol and reducing inflammation.

Green tea is high in antioxidants like catechins, may have heart health advantages. Its polyphenols fight oxidative stress and reduce inflammation. Daily consumption may help decrease LDL cholesterol.

Dark chocolate, of at least 70 per cent cocoa content, has heart-health benefits. Its flavonoids help reduce inflammation. (IANS)

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