The 6 best and worst foods for your heart

The food we eat has a massive impact on our heart health.

For years, experts have been saying that a healthy diet and lifestyle is one of the best ways to fight cardiovascular disease.

A balanced diet contributes to one’s overall health and wellness, including maintaining weight, but certain foods can significantly improve your heart’s health, while others can damage it.

Know the difference and show your heart some love by eating heart-healthy foods. With World Heart Day being observed on September 29, heart health is in the spotlight.

Here are some of the best and worst foods for your heart.

The worst.

Sugar, saturated fats, and loads of salt can all increase your risk for heart disease and stroke, but it is not always easy to identify the foods that contain these. So, we did the homework for you.

Fizzy beverages

A can of Sprite or Coke can provide the perfect pick-me-up when you are low on energy. There’s a reason for this – it is full of sugar.

According to research, this causes your blood sugar to spike, and it can also contribute to obesity, one of the leading causes of heart disease.

Soup

Soup tastes yummy, but it can be bad for your heart, especially if it is canned soup or soup from a restaurant – both of which can be loaded with sodium.

Pizza

The bad news is that most take-out pizzas are crammed with sodium, saturated fats, and loads of calories, which all raise your risk for heart disease and stroke.

The good news is you can put a healthy spin on this dish, WebMD suggests going for a thin crust and swapping out the pepperoni or sausage for vegetables. And hold off on the cheese.

Here are some of the best foods for your heart.

Fish food

Fruit and vegetables should be the foundation of your healthy diet, but adding a little heart-healthy fish can do wonders for the old ticker.

Salmon is swimming in healthy omega-3s and antioxidants, which can keep blood pressure in check and potentially reduce one’s risk of dying from a heart attack.

It also may decrease the risk of cardiac arrhythmias. If keeping wild salmon on hand is hard on your wallet, substitute mackerel, herring, and sardines because they provide the same health benefits.

Broccoli

Some studies suggest that regularly eating steamed broccoli can lower cholesterol levels and prevent heart disease.

Oatmeal

Health experts reveal that oatmeal is a tasty breakfast food and another good source of those omega-3 fatty acids.

And it is a fibre superstar, offering four grams in every one-cup serving. Oatmeal is a filling breakfast, and you can top it with fresh berries for an even better and tastier heart-healthy meal.