The Best Heart-healthy Food

So much information is out there on what to eat and how to live for heart health. It's true that your diet and certain activities can affect your health and quality of life. Some foods are better for you than others, and even focusing on certain foods can improve your cardiovascular health. Olive oil, nuts, oats and fish are four foods that can keep you heart healthy.

Olive Oil

According to the American Heart Association, substituting unsaturated fats for saturated ones can lower your cholesterol and reduce your risk of developing heart disease. Olive oil contains heart-healthy unsaturated fat. Olive oil also contains antioxidants, known as polyphenols. Antioxidants work by neutralizing oxidized cells; oxidized cells can cause damage to the body and other cells. Polyphenols may help reduce your risk of heart disease by preventing and reducing oxidized low density lipoprotein cholesterol. Oxidized LDL cholesterol directly contributes to plaque buildup on the walls of your arteries. Polyphenols may also reduce blood LDL levels, reversing or preventng narrowing of your arteries.

Nuts

According to MayoClinic.com, nuts can help reduce cholesterol, prevent atherosclerosis and improve arterial functioning. Nuts contain unsaturated fats, fiber and sterols, which can all improve your cholesterol levels. Cholesterol binds to fiber, which is eventually excreted. Sterols are beneficial because they block the absorption of cholesterol by your digestive system. The omega-3 fatty acid content of nuts is healthy for your heart. MayoClinic.com suggests that these fatty acids may reduce dangerous heart arrhythmias. The cholesterol-lowering abilities of nuts, as well as their high vitamin E content, may prevent atherosclerosis, or clogged arteries. L-arginine in nuts may improve arterial wall functioning by increasing the plasticity of your arteries.

Oats

Fiber-rich oatmeal can improve your heart health by lowering your total cholesterol. Oatmeal contains soluble fiber, the kind of fiber that excretes cholesterol. According to MayoClinic.com, the effect of soluble fiber is so powerful that it can help lower your LDL cholesterol, the cholesterol linked to plaque buildup in your coronary arteries. One bowl of oatmeal contains about 6 g of fiber, so eat up.

Fish

The American Heart Association recommends eating fish two times per week to improve your heart health. Fish is a lean source of protein and also contains heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids help prevent dangerous arrhythmias, lower triglycerides, decrease blood pressure and slow the progression of atherosclerosis.