Favour flavonoids for a healthy heart
Choose fibre over fat
On the blood cholesterol front, going for low saturated fat and trans-fat-free options, while boosting your intake of soluble fibre, can take you a long way toward healthy readings. Choose portion-controlled, trimmed, lean cuts of meat, skinless poultry, lower-fat dairy products, and fish. Also eat plenty of fruit, vegetables, whole grains and legumes and a limited amount of nuts and seeds.
Avoid trans fats, found in foods containing partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Besides raising artery-clogging LDL-cholesterol levels and reducing beneficial HDL-cholesterol, these fats may also harm the endothelium.
Foods that can help keep the endothelium more elastic are a definite plus for maintaining cardiovascular health. A daily handful of walnuts has been shown to be helpful, as are plant foods rich in compounds known as flavonoids, such as apples, cocoa and both black and green tea.
Munch on plant foods rich in flavonoids
It's the flavonoid content of certain types of chocolate that's responsible for all the health buzz surrounding this perennial favourite. If your Valentine asks which you prefer, ask for dark chocolate with a high cocoa content -- that is, over 70 per cent cocoa solids. (The processing of most milk chocolate destroys the flavonoids; white chocolate contains none at all.)
You can also protect your heart by eating foods that discourage the development of blood clots. Fish such as salmon, which are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, are well known for this capacity.
Eat super-foods
Researchers say some foods seem to defend heart health in a variety of ways. For instance, they say substances in broccoli may slow the rate of blood clotting. Broccoli and other green vegetables also contain the heart-healthy B vitamin, folate. Folate is also found in nuts, oranges and legumes such as peanuts. And it appears that for women, moderate alcohol consumption -- the equivalent of one drink per day -- may help protect against heart disease by aiding in the absorption of folate, as well as boosting protective HDL-cholesterol and reducing the risk of blood clots.
As the scientific evidence accumulates, it seems to show that eating for a healthy heart is not about what to avoid eating -- it's about what to enjoy.
Beyond your diet, there are many changes you can make to keep your ticker healthy. Check out our 10 hints for heart health.
Rosie Schwartz, RD, is a Toronto-based consulting dietitian.
