10 Best Healthy Heart Foods

From eDiets.com:

Follow my logic here...

# The number one killer in America is cardiovascular disease.

# More than two out of every five Americans die of cardiovascular disease.

# Today, more than one in five Americans suffer from some form of cardiovascular disease, with more than 2,500 Americans dying from it each day.

# Clearly, heart disease is a national concern.

# 60 percent of the deaths in U.S. due to heart disease are diet related.

# Research proves that healthy foods can actually reduce the risk of heart disease.

You do the math, eating a healthy diet is a no brainer!

Okay, so now we know that an unhealthy diet plays a major role in heart disease and a healthy diet could be your best defense. Doesn’t it make sense that you should try to eat a healthier diet? The answer is a big "hearty" yes! (Pardon the pun).

Now, in order to incorporate a "heart healthy" diet into your already hectic life, you should know first understand what a heart healthy diet looks like and what makes it healthy in the first place. (Try saying that three times fast).

Food For Thought

A heart healthy eating plan is simply consuming a variety of nutritious foods each day so you get the nutrients needed for a good strong heart. Here’s what this type of eating plan looks like:

# It’s high in fruits and vegetables.
# It’s high in plant-based foods (legumes).
# It’s high in whole grains (fiber).
# It’s includes low-fat dairy and low-fat meat selections (low in saturated fats).
# It’s low in fast food meals.
# It’s low in processed snacks and desserts (low in trans fats, sugar and sodium).

This eating plan is healthy because it consists mainly of whole foods like whole grains, fruits and veggies, it’s low in saturated fats and it’s low in processed foods -- which means it’s automatically lower in trans fats, refined sugar and sodium. We stress these smart choices along with portion control, because together they produce permanent weight loss and help prevent heart disease.

Okay, that’s all fine and good, but now you need to know how to incorporate this type of eating plan into your everyday life! Read on.

Top 10 Powerhouse Foods for the Heart!

Since no single food provides all the nutrients the body needs, eating a wide variety of foods ensures that you get the nutrients necessary to promote good health! Below are some of the healthiest food choices. These foods are packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals -- all of which have the power to keep your heart healthy and your body slim!

# High fiber cereals and breads
# Fish (salmon and tuna)
# Legumes (beans and peas)
# Nuts (walnuts and almonds)
# Skim milk
# Blueberries
# Apples and oranges
# Carrots
# Tomatoes
# Spinach and kale

Now we are going to show you how easy it is to incorporate these powerhouse foods into some very basic meals that pack a nutritional punch!

Breakfast:
We took a typical cereal meal and made it heart healthy by doing the following:

We chose a high-fiber cereal (we like Fiber One, it packs a whopping 14 grams of fiber in one serving), added a serving of skim milk and topped it off with a cup of blueberries and a sliced apple. This meal packs four out of the 10 powerhouse foods into your diet before 9:00 am.

Lunch:
We took a typical salad meal and turned it into a heart healthy meal by doing the following:

We took two cups of baby spinach (pre washed), added extra servings each of shredded carrots and diced tomatoes. Next, we added one-half cup of black beans (canned for convenience -- but we rinsed them to get rid of some of the sodium) and a handful of chopped walnuts. We topped it off with two tablespoons of balsamic vinegarette (made with olive oil) and added a whole wheat roll.

In just one simple meal, you’ve more than satisfied your veggie quota. Combine this with the cereal meal and you’re on your way to meeting your fruit and veggie goal for the day. Are you beginning to see how easy it is pack these superstars into your daily meals?

Dinner:
Now, let’s really drive the point home with our dinner example! We took a typical fish dinner and turned it into a heart healthy meal by doing the following:

We chose a salmon steak (one of the healthiest fish choices) and brushed it with olive oil, seasoned it with paprika on both sides and baked it for 15 minutes. We served it with steamed broccoli, a small spinach salad, and a whole wheat roll.

Get it? With three easy-to-prepare meals, we have successfully included the top 10 powerhouse foods over the course of one day. The trick is having these powerhouse foods on hand so you can create you’re your own heart healthy meals by adding as many of these foods as possible (with an emphasis on fruits and veggies) to your basic meals. The result will be top-notch nutritious meals that are easy to prepare, with health benefits that are priceless!

If you want a complete list of meals for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and desserts that include these powerhouse foods and many more, check out The Last Diet Book Standing for a meal plan that is guaranteed to keep you healthy and slim! We even include a list of Best Brands to make shopping a breeze -- we provide the healthiest brands for breads, cereals, pastas, snacks, frozen foods and even desserts -- we read all the labels so you won’t have to!

We thought it would be important to show you what an "unhealthy heart" diet looks like too -- just to make sure you DON’T include these types of food into your daily eating plan.

Portrait Of An Unhealthy Diet

An unhealthy diet consists of highly processed, packaged convenience-type foods that are loaded with artificial colors and flavors, and chock-full of bad fats. Here’s a closer look, it is:

# Deficient in fruits and vegetables and other plant based foods.
# Too low in fiber and too high in refined (processed) grains.
# Too high in saturated fats from animal foods.
# Too high in trans fats from fast food meals and packaged goods.
# Too high in sodium and refined sugar from commercially baked goods.

What’s Wrong With This Diet?

For starters, this diet contains almost no whole foods. By whole foods, we mean fruits, veggies, legumes, nuts and whole grains. Instead, it’s made up of too much fat, too little fiber, and a bunch of man-made, processed ingredients that are hard to pronounce. This type of diet, over a long period, combined with lack of exercise, has been proven to contribute to the onset of many chronic diseases. These unhealthy foods actually help to lower the immune system's ability to ward off heart disease and they make us fat to boot!

Below are the leading food categories contributing to the high rate of heart disease in our society. Do a mental check to see how many of these foods you eat in a single week, or worse, in a single day. If your diet consists of mainly these foods, you just might be nutritionally bankrupt!

Full-fat meats: are high in saturated fats and calories, and some are high in nitrates. Examples include: prime rib, bacon, deli meats, hot dogs and regular ground beef.

Full-fat dairy products: are high in saturated fats and calories. Examples include: whole milk, yogurt, cheese, cream cheese and ice cream.

Unhealthy oils: these are hydrogenated and contain trans fats. Examples are: lard, palm oil, coconut oil, margarines and vegetable shortening.

Fast foods: are high in saturated fats, high in trans fats and calories. Examples (like you need any) include: double cheeseburgers, burgers with sauces and high-fat dressings, hot dogs, french fries and onion rings.

Commercially baked goods: are high in processed white flour, trans fats and refined sugars. Examples include: donuts, pastries, pies and cakes.

Packaged snacks: many of these are made with partially hydrogenated oils (trans fats), artificial additives, high sodium and refined sugars. Examples include: potato chips, crackers, cookies and breakfast foods (i.e., cereals, breakfast bars and toaster pastries).

Sugary beverages: contain artificial dyes, refined sugar and corn syrup. Examples include: sodas, punches and fruit drinks.

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Kerry McLeod is a freelance marketing consultant and a sports nutrition certified instructor. For most of her adult life, Kerry's diet consisted of empty calories from highly processed foods, sans anything remotely healthy. She decided there was a real need for a no-nonsense, simple nutrition and weight loss program that could be applied to any lifestyle. With this, she set out to create the ultimate eating plan for women and wrote The Last Diet Book Standing.

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