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8 Foods to Keep Your Heart Strong

Last updated: Tuesday, November 27, 2018 | 2 min reading time

Making the right food choices can help you maintain a healthy heart.

By implementing a few simple changes, you can ensure that you’re getting the best nutrition possible to keep your heart strong. Add these heart-healthy goodies to your daily meal!

Fish

Two servings a week of this cholesterol buster with its omega-3 fatty acids will lower the risk of heart disease and keep your heart strong. Oily fish like salmon, sardines and mackerel fit the bill. Some Singapore residents are more at risk of heart disease, so diet is important.

Turmeric

This colourful spice contains curcumin, a powerful antioxidant that also has anti-inflammatory properties which are good for lowering bad cholesterol and improving the cardiovascular system to keep the heart strong.

Oatmeal

Swap your morning coffee and kaya toast for a bowl of porridge. The best start to the day, oats actively help to lower your bad cholesterol without decreasing your good cholesterol levels. Oats help to prevent clogged arteries, reducing your risk of heart disease and helping you maintain a healthy heart.

Tomatoes

People with a healthy heart are likely to be fans of tomatoes, which are full of the antioxidant lycopene. Studies have shown that regular tomato eaters could be cutting their risk of heart disease over a decade by as much as 25%.

Beans

Beans, or legumes as they are also known, should be a staple item on the shopping list of people who are keen to stay heart strong. Snow peas, snap peas, Chinese long beans and soya beans are all good examples. Studies have shown that a diet rich in plant-based foods can significantly lower the risk of coronary artery disease, which can lead to a heart attack.

Shiitake mushrooms

More nutrient-packed than many other mushrooms, the shiitake contains the cholesterol reducing compound eritadenine, which is important for a healthy heart. Shiitake mushrooms are readily available in both fresh and dried form and are both as beneficial.

Berries

Fresh berries: blueberries, blackberries, cranberries, strawberries and raspberries – what’s not to like? Rich in antioxidants that help to slow down the ageing process, they are also a great source of anthocyanins, the plant chemicals that are thought to prevent the build up of plaque in the arteries, helping to lower blood pressure.

Forbidden rice

There’s no need to ban this great grain from your diet. Forbidden or purple rice contains twice the amount of iron and four times the zinc content of white rice, says the Singapore Health Promotion Board. Like berries, it contains the plant chemicals called anthocyanins that prevent arteries becoming clogged with plaque. These are said to be better at containing high cholesterol than any other food supplement.

Find out some of the medical procedures available should you need to undergo heart treatment. For your peace of mind, talk to a heart specialist or read about how to make healthcare insurance claims to cover your hospital bills.

Article Tags

Food & nutrition Heart health

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