February is Heart Health Month, which is a time to raise awareness about heart disease, as it’s the leading cause of death in the country.
Heart disease typically encapsulates several conditions that affect the heart, which include blood vessel disease (coronary artery disease), irregular heartbeats, disease of the heart muscle, and heart valve disease.
However, the good news is that many forms of heart disease can be prevented and treated with healthy lifestyle choices, starting with your daily diet. According to dietician Carlie Saint-Laurent Beaucejour, we should gravitate towards fiber-rich foods. “Foods to start eating to combat heart disease are fibrous foods. These will be your vegetables, fruits, beans, peas, lentils, and whole-grain foods like quinoa, barley, and farro,” she says.
Beaucejour continues, “Fiber helps reduce inflammation, blood pressure, and serum lipid concentrations, reducing the risk of heart disease. Most of these fiber foods, especially your fruits and vegetables, will also contain antioxidants and potassium, which are shown to have cardioprotective benefits.”
Beaucejour believes we should avoid foods loaded with saturated fats to combat heart disease. “You will find these fats in animal-based products like red meats, dairy products, and plant-based oils like palm and coconut oil. I recommend consuming lean meats like chicken, turkey, seafood, and low-fat dairy and limiting your higher saturated foods as much as possible,” she says.
Dietitian Nijya Noble suggests limiting processed foods, sugary beverages, refined carbohydrates, and high-sodium foods like fast food, deli meats, and canned soups to protect heart health. Minimize intake of saturated fats in fried foods, processed snacks, and certain baked goods, as they contribute to high cholesterol and inflammation.
In conclusion, eat fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins (such as fish and poultry), nuts, seeds, and healthy fats like olive oil and avocados to combat heart disease. These foods are rich in fiber, antioxidants, and heart-healthy fats, which help reduce inflammation, lower cholesterol, and support overall cardiovascular health.
