by Jennifer Kirkman

Created on: July 27, 2009   Last Updated: July 29, 2009

Salmon is good for heart health since it is a food that contains Omega-3 fatty acids. This food has been known to lower high blood pressure, and help the blood avoid harmful clotting. And not only is the food a super source of Omega-3's, but it also contains carotenoids. The carotenoid contained in salmon is an excellent antioxidant called astaxanthin. This carotenoid has been known to be very cleansing to the body, providing protection to the heart, its main goal.

Nothing is better for your heart than a bowl of oatmeal! Oatmeal is a wonderful breakfast food. Oats are another good source of Omega-3 fatty acids. So if you are like me, and don't care for salmon or seafood, eat oats! Oats provide you with needed potassium, which keeps the heartbeat regulated and strong. It is a rich fiber source too, on top of everything else. The reason that this food is so supportive in heart health is that it lowers your bad cholesterol levels. To experience this effect from oatmeal, you need to eat it three times a week or more. It is great topped with fruits such as berries, apples, and bananas. Whole oats are especially good topped with apples.

Olive oils are another great source for the heart. This is due to the fact that olive oils contain the healthier monounsaturated fats instead of the more saturated and trans-fats types. Just like oatmeal, olive oils lower LDL cholesterol.

The avocado is another supportive food to heart health. This vegetable has monounsaturated fat as well, and therefore lowers the bad LDL cholesterol levels. Avocados help your body to absorb Vitamin A and the lycopene you receive from eating tomatoes. These two carotenoids are very supportive of heart health.

Tomatoes are another heart healthy food in that they contain many many nutrients, one of them being lycopene. Tomatoes are also one of those foods that will lower your LDL cholesterol and have a water-soluble vitamin known as niacin. Niacin is a naturally occurring substance in the tomato that helps not only lower cholesterol, but triglycerides as well. So your entire lipid panel will improve by eating a cup of tomato daily.

Nuts are another food which have healthy monounsaturated fats. And not only that, you can get your omega-3's by eating just a handful of either almonds, Brazil Nuts,walnuts, or macadamia nuts.

The regular consumption of berries will help a person to fight off heart disease and heart attacks. Blueberries especially, have something in them called anthocyanidins. This is a phytochemical that helps the health and wellness of your blood vessels, which in turn helps to prevent strokes too. So even though all berries are nutritionally really healthful, blueberries stand out for that unique quality in heart health.

Asparagus spears are great for heart health since this vegetable contains potassium, which we cannot live without. Potassium regulates the heart rhythms to keep them in proper balance around the clock. Asparagus will give you most of your daily allowance of potassium required by eating one cup.

So your heart health can reflect what you eat, as you can see. By eating these foods as a regular part of your dietary plan daily, you will likely prevent some serious heart diseases, heart attacks, and high cholesterol levels in the future.

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