Foods are a combination of vitamins, minerals, fiber and chemicals that can affect your health in very specific ways. You can use food to increase your vitamin intake, reduce your blood pressure, improve your circulatory system, boost your hormone levels and manage your weight. The healthiest foods have the least amount of processing and are organic. Foods that reduce your cholesterol levels, prevent atherosclerosis and reduce blood pressure help clear your circulatory system and prevent heart disease.
Garlic
Garlic has been used as a flavoring in foods and medicine dating back to when the Egyptian pyramids were built, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Garlic is rich in antioxidants that fight free radical damage in the body and helps to decrease levels of low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, cholesterol and total cholesterol in the body. At the same time, it has been shown to raise good cholesterol levels or high-density lipoproteins, help blood flow more easily and reduce blood pressure.
Oats
Oat fiber is low in carbohydrates and can absorb up to seven times its weight in water. This makes it useful in the meat, bakery and snack industries. In research published by a team at Tufts University, results showed that this simple plant food also reduces the ability of cholesterol to stick to arterial walls and prevents the buildup of atherosclerosis, thus reducing the risk of heart disease.
Pomegranate Juice
In a study release in "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences" in 2005, researchers from Naples, Italy and Los Angeles, California, found that the antioxidant levels in pomegranate juice was higher than in other natural juices, including blueberry, cranberry and orange juice. After testing the juice in mice, they found that it combated the hardening of the arteries called atherosclerosis.
Apples
Apples are high in pectin, a fiber that binds with cholesterol, according to Liz Applegate, Ph.D., faculty member and director of sports nutrition at the University of California at Davis. Apples also contain flavonoids that can help reduce your risk of heart disease by 50 percent, according to Applegate, when they are consumed on a regular basis.
Fatty Fish
Fatty fish contain omega-3 fatty acids, which your body requires for optimal functioning but which also can help unclog your arteries, according to Natural News. Fatty fish include salmon, mackerel, tuna, trout, herring and sardines.
Nuts
Nuts are also high in monounsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids, according to Natural News. Hazelnuts, almonds, pecans and peanuts can be grabbed as a snack, added to salads or chopped into other dishes to add a nutty flavor.
Olive Oil
Using cold-pressed virgin olive oil as your means of adding flavor to foods or in your cooking can cut your risk of heart disease, according to SixWise.com, a newsletter that includes information from national experts and specialists. Olive oil is a monounsaturated fat and is less likely to become oxidized; only oxidized cholesterol is able to form plaque on your arterial walls.
Avocado
Technically a fruit and not a vegetable, avocados are high in monounsaturated fats, according to Natural News. These fats are also not oxidized in the body and will not increase your risk of atherosclerosis and a buildup of plaque in the arteries.
Tomatoes
The tomato is rich in lycopene, which is an antioxidant that makes it less likely that LDL cholesterol will oxidize and stick to your arterial walls, according to SixWise.com. By including tomatoes in your salad or eating the smaller cherry tomato as a snack, you can reduce your risk of plaque buildup in your arteries.
Spinach
This green leafy vegetable is high in vitamins A and C, according to SixWise.com. Together these vitamins prevent the oxidation of cholesterol and reduce your risk of atherosclerosis.
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Garlic
- NutraIngredients-USA.com: Oats Keep Arteries Clear
- National Geographic News: Pomegranate Juice Fights Heart Disease, Study Says
- Liz Applegate: 22 Heart Smart Foods
- Natural News: How to Unclog Your Arteries Without Surgery or Drugs
- SixWise.com: 10 Foods that Keep Your Arteries Clean
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