Supporting Your Heart’s Health Through Diet
Your heart is a hardworking muscle that never takes a break, so it’s important to do all you can to support its proper functioning. We can best take care of our heart through diet and regular physical activity; if you’re getting at least 30 minutes of physical activity 3 to 5 days a week, you’re off to a great start. But you’ll need to eat properly to fuel yourself, as well as to help keep cholesterol and blood pressure from getting too high. We can suggest a few delicious additions that can be good choices for a heart-healthy diet.
If you’re trying to cut down on sodium in your diet, fresh herbs can add a lot of flavor to your meals without the addition of salt, sugar, or trans fats. Fresh basil added to heart-healthy olive oil is a great alternative to heavy cream sauces for pasta, and is a wonderful dressing for a caprese salad with tomato and mozzarella cheese. Rosemary adds an exotic Mediterranean flavor to vegetable and lean meat kabobs, and is excellent as a flavoring for roast chicken. Thyme makes a wonderful addition to omelettes made with egg white or egg substitute, and is a good seasoning for baked fish or vegetables. Rosemary, thyme, sage, and oregano also contain antioxidants.
Black beans are rich in nutrients, including antioxidants, magnesium, and folate, as well as fiber. Eating foods high in fiber can help regulate blood sugar and keep the levels of bad cholesterol down. When added to soups, salads, or served as a side dish along with lean meats and vegetables, black beans are a tasty way to get more fiber into your meals. You can easily cook dried beans in a stock pot or slow cooker, or purchase low-sodium canned versions; rinsing canned beans can help remove more sodium.
Eating naturally oily fish (for example, salmon, tuna, herring, mackerel, sardines, and anchovies) is a great way to add healthy omega-3 fats to your daily food intake. Omega-3 fats can help reduce the risk of heart rhythm disorders and high blood pressure, and can lower blood triglycerides. In addition, they are believed to reduce inflammation throughout the body. Salmon, tuna, and mackerel are all excellent when baked in foil or grilled with fresh herbs and vegetables. Any leftover cooked fish can be eaten in fish tacos with cabbage and tomatoes, or on salads.
Sweet potatoes can be swapped for white potatoes in many recipes, and are wonderful baked or mashed. They are a low-glycemic index food that won’t make blood sugar spike, and are also high in fiber, lycopene, and vitamin A. Try sweet potatoes baked with cinnamon or fresh herbs, sliced and grilled along with fresh vegetables. Check out these heart healthy habits.
Along with a healthy diet, the Original Glutathione Formula™ (OGF) can help support the proper functioning of your heart and other internal organs. OGF can help you feel and look younger by restoring your body’s levels of glutathione, the body’s primary antioxidant, which decline with age. Restoring your glutathione levels can help improve your energy and endurance as part of your heart-healthy lifestyle.
