How To Eat Heart Smart

Studies have shown that more than 80 percent of heart disease and stroke is preventable. Protect yourself and your family with a heart-smart diet that includes these six super-healthy foods.

Garlic

Add this seasoning to your food and you’ll help your body slow down the build-up of cholesterol plaque, which can clog your arteries.

Oranges

Oranges contain pectin, a fiber that soaks up cholesterol like a giant sponge. Oranges are also rich in potassium, which helps keeps your blood pressure under control.

Dark Chocolate

A few squares a day of this delicious indulgence can actually help keep your blood vessels more flexible and prevent hardening of the arteries.

Almonds

Almonds are not only packed with protein, they also absorb cholesterol and encourage the liver to make less “bad” cholesterol (LDL) and more “good” cholesterol (HDL). Walnuts, pistachios and peanuts are also heart-healthy foods. So go nuts!

Fish

Sardines, salmon, mackerel, herring, lake trout and albacore tuna are loaded with omega-3 fatty acids, one of the key ingredients in a heart-healthy diet.

Lentils

An international medical study found that eating lentils was associated with an 82 percent reduction in the risk of death from heart disease!

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Heart-Check

How do you make sure you’re living heart smart the next time you’re buying food in the grocery store or eating out? Look for the Heart-Check mark on the package or menu. It certifies that the food meets the American Heart Association’s guidelines for heart-healthy food.