YOUR TAKE-FIVE CHALLENGE
A healthy diet leads to a healthy heart – but don’t get bogged down thinking about which foods you should be eating less of and focus on the hearthealthy foods you should be including instead. “A diverse and varied diet is best for your heart, so try to eat as wide a range of fresh foods as possible,” says Dr Khavandi. “These five foods have been found by study after study to have lots of positive benefits for your cardiovascular health. You don’t need to eat all of them every day, but try to include them several times a week.”
Nuts
A cardiovascular superstar; in fact a recent US study found that the more unrefined nuts such as walnuts or almonds you eat, the healthier your heart will be. Walnuts are especially good, helping to reduce your risk of heart disease by 21 per cent according to the research. Try a palmful every day on yogurt, scattered over salads or as a snack.
Legumes
Beans and lentils are packed full of fibre and just one serving a day has been shown to help lower LDL cholesterol (the bad one) by five per cent. A serving is 80g (3oz) or three heaped tablespoons.
Vegetables
This one might seem obvious but it’s really important. Pile your plate with colourful seasonal vegetables and make sure you eat plenty of leafy greens and brassicas such as kale, broccoli and cabbage. Greens are packed with Vitamin K, which studies show helps keep your heart pumping healthily.
Fruit
All whole fruit (not smoothies and juices which can be high in sugar) is great for your heart. But if you want a really heart-friendly hit, eating three 80g (3oz) servings of berries such as blueberries or strawberries a week could reduce your risk of heart disease by 32 per cent according to UK researchers. Their benefits come from antioxidant flavonoids which help to fight inflammation in your heart and blood vessels.
Oily fish and extra-virgin oil
A heart-healthy diet is not necessarily a low-fat diet and eating plenty of unsaturated fats from oily fish and olive oil could actually help to reduce your risk of heart disease by a fifth and help to lower your cholesterol levels, according to US researchers.
Turn to page 47 for some quick and easy heart-healthy recipes packed with our top five – on the table in just 15 minutes!