You may be able to heal a broken heart over time, but taking care of your heart health may take more. And if you’re trying to cure or prevent something like heart disease, the solution becomes even more complex.
Factors such as diabetes, high blood pressurepoor diet, lack of exercise, genetics, age and high cholesterol all contribute to an increased risk of heart disease, a problem that affects more than 30 million Americans each year. And as you can see, many of these risk factors are related to nutrition and Feeding Habits.
So how can you eat in a way that helps you take care of the health of your heart? While there are many heart-healthy foods out there, a good place to start is to include enough fruits and vegetables in your daily diet.
You can’t go wrong eating any type of fruit or vegetable when it comes to your heart health, but according to a meta-analysis published in JRSM Cardiovascular Disease, one of the best vegetables for the heart is green leafy vegetables like kale or spinach.
The aim of this analysis was to take relevant studies from around the world to determine if green leaf and cruciferous vegetables could help in the reduction of cardiovascular diseases.
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According to the analysis, many people around the world are harming their health by not consuming enough green vegetables on a regular basis.
These vegetables are packed with fiber, antioxidants, and potassium. Spinach it is specifically high in vitamin A, K, C, iron and folic acid, and kale It is rich in vitamin B, C and calcium.
Research has concluded time and time again that green leafy vegetables they’re good for many areas of your health, and this recent review confirmed that their benefits are good for your heart, too.
To learn more about their benefits for heart health, researchers analyzed 13 separate studies that investigated the relationship between green leafy vegetables and various cardiovascular events, including stroke, cerebrovascular disease, and coronary heart disease.
What they found was that consuming more green leafy vegetables regularly can reduce the risk of these cardiovascular events by almost 16%.
This research also concluded that while green leafy vegetables are good for your heart, you can make the most of their nutritional value when you steam them.
So what does this research mean for you and your heart health? These findings can serve as motivation for all of us to incorporate more green leafy vegetables in our regular diets, regardless of our current heart health. And if you’re someone who may be at increased risk for heart disease or may be concerned about your heart health, talk to your doctor about the right next steps for you and your eating habits.
For more tips on healthy eating, see Eating habits to reduce the risk of heart disease.
