5 Foods to Help Boost Your Heart Health

Oats
You may have heard about beta-glucans in the news. It’s a kind of fiber that lowers your “bad” LDL cholesterol. One and a half cups of cooked oatmeal provides the amount of beta-glucan needed daily to help lower cholesterol. You can also find beta-glucans in oat bran and oat flour, barley, shiitake mushrooms, and seaweed.

Monounsaturated Oils
Oils, such as olive, canola, safflower and sunflower, all contain heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. These are great choices to help replace less healthy saturated fats found in animal products and trans fats—all of which raise “bad” cholesterol and can make fat build up inside of arteries.

Dark Chocolate
The cacao plant is naturally rich in the flavanols which can help lower blood pressure and prevent blood clots. It is also an antioxidant which helps prevent “bad” cholesterol from sticking to artery walls. Look for natural cocoa powder, (rather than Dutch-processed) for more flavanols, unprocessed cacao nibs, or dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa, to limit sugar (which raises the risk of heart disease.)

Avocados
While high in calories, modest amounts of this creamy fruit are perfectly good for your heart. The monounsaturated fats help give avocados their texture, and help lower your “bad” cholesterol. Some researchers also note an anti-inflammatory property that might help avoid hardening artery walls. You can use mashed avocado as a spread in place of butter, add cubes of it to a salad, or dice it over stews.

Unsalted Nut Butters
Upgrade your toast by spreading it with a nut butter instead of butter. Look for unsalted and natural options to limit added salt, sugar, or hydrogenated fats found in many forms of peanut butter.