When snacking, incorporate foods into your diet that keep your heart healthy. Snacks that are good for your heart make great alternatives to less-healthy snacks, such as candy or chips. When you eat these snacks, you help maintain or improve the health of your cardiovascular system while maintaining a healthy weight.
Oatmeal
You already know that a bowl of steaming oatmeal makes a great breakfast, but it is also a heart-healthy snack at any time of the day. Oatmeal is loaded with the healthy stuff your body needs, including potassium, folate and omega-3 fatty acids. The fiber in oatmeal works to keep your arteries clear and lowers your bad cholesterol. When purchasing oatmeal, choose steel-cut or coarse oats, as they both have more fiber than their instant counterparts. If you want an even larger boost of fiber, topping off your oatmeal with one medium banana gives you an additional 4 g of fiber.
Soy
Soy products lower your bad cholesterol, making them a healthy choice for your heart. Soy is a lean protein source and is naturally low in saturated fats. The best soy snacks come from natural sources, such as organic silken tofu, tempeh and edamame. Adding soy milk into a bowl of whole-grain cereal or oatmeal makes a heart-healthy alternative to regular milk. Avoid processed soy products, such as soy dogs, and they tend to be high in sodium, which can cause your blood pressure to soar.
Nuts
Nuts are easy to enjoy as they require no preparation. Nuts contain many of the proteins and healthy polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats your heart needs. The monounsaturated fats raise the levels of your good cholesterol. When your good cholesterol is high, the bad cholesterol in your body is sent to your liver to be filtered away.
Red Wine
Maybe it's not a snack, but drinking red wine in moderation is good for your cardio health. Drinking approximately 6 oz. of wine daily provides your body with resveratrol, a compound in grapes that reduces your overall cholesterol levels. Red wine also works similar to aspirin as it helps to reduce blood clotting by preventing the platelets in your blood from coming together and clumping, which is what leads to blockage in your arteries.
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