Admit it, most foods today are either going to be beneficial or more likely going to be detrimental to your health!
And yeah, the likelihood that you are eating junk foods right now is 65% higher than two decades ago!
While there are foods that are good for our health, commercially processed foods are abundant in the market. Then there’s sweets, carb-rich foods, fatty foods and much more.
All these foods are less beneficial for your overall health, especially with regards to your heart. And if you aren’t yet aware of, heart disease is still the number one cause of death worldwide.
So it all starts with the arteries, and you need to pay attention how to keep it healthy and clean!
Why Arteries are Getting Bad?
Eating the aforementioned foods will make your arteries clogged overtime. You see, the inside of your arteries are delicate layers that shouldn’t be mismanaged by neglecting healthy food consumption and a suitable exercise program.
This is called endothelial layer. Any dysfunction on this layer leads to various health issues which include inflammation, scar tissues, fibrosis, calcium and cholesterol build up, and also a clot which is a little bit different issue but certainly a serious one.
If you are 50 years old and above (some people get artery problems at the early age of 30) and have the following symptoms, then you need to go visit your doctor (1).
- Chest pain
- Shortness of breath
- Heart palpitations
- Nausea
- Sweating
- Weakness or dizziness
- Symptoms of heart attack (neck and jaw pain)
- Fatigue
This means that you are at higher risk for coronary artery disease. Such diseases are prevalent in our time today and most people even kids have these health issues.
Some causes include high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, poor diet, lack of exercise, high cholesterol, obesity and many others.
Some are at risk because of a strong family history of heart disease. Once you need to go to your doctor, you might undergo a Coronary Artery Classification Test or CAC test, to know what’s really going on with your arteries.
Best Foods to Cleanse Your Arteries
Now lets say that you indeed have health issues that involves your arteries. Of course, the best way to address it is to consult your doctor for proper treatment.
But did you know that the foods you eat really matter? There is a saying “let thy food be thy medicine”, well, not entirely true but foods can be helpful in preventing atherosclerosis and other artery-related health problems.
So it is quite important that you eat the right foods that is friendly to your arteries. Diets such as low carb diet, ketogenic diet and some fasting regimens to help lower your insulin (which promotes artery inflammation).
I recently wrote an article about worst foods for fat loss. This time, I will cite the very best foods that will truly help improve your heart health and prevent any artery-related issues.
Lets start with…
Natto
A traditional Japanese dish consisting of fermented soybeans and is known for its slimy, sticky and stringy texture. Yes, it is part of the beans family.
And if you don’t know yet, beans are packed with fiber and well known for their heart health benefits. This fiber-rich foods are essential for preventing atherosclerosis.
And natto is one such bad ass food for these artery diseases because it is also packed with vitamin K2, which is responsible for keeping the calcium out of your arteries.
So nutritious, natto is also packed with various nutrients, vitamins and minerals that your body needs such as vitamin B6, folate, pantothenic acid, antioxidants and many others (2).
Other vitamin K2 rich foods include butter, eggs, chicken and beef liver and many others.
Tocotrienols
Tocotrienols is actually not a food but a powerful antioxidant that is also highly beneficial for your arteries.
It is sourced from vitamin E together with tocopherols. But tocotrienols have double bonds making it 50 times more stronger than tocopherols.
Eating green, leafy vegetables can give you vitamin E which is the source of tocotrienols. But taking tocotrienols can be a powerful supplement in preventing or stopping fibrosis or scar tissues from getting any worse. And best of all, it gets rid of free radical damage – (3).
Some notable food sources of tocotrienols include annatto, palm oil, rice brain oil, grape fruit seed oil, oats, hazelnuts, maize, olive oil, rye, flax seed oil, sunflower oil and many others.
You can get tocotrienols via supplements too. Try these tocotrienol recommendations from Amazon.
Fatty Fish
You know this is coming right? Fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, herring, mussels, anchovies, swordfish, sardines, mackerel, trout, pollock and many others are rich in omega 3 fatty acids.
Contrary to omega 6 fatty acid which is bad for your heart and arteries, omega 3 fatty acid helps reduce your risk of atherosclerosis.
Studies shows that it helps reduce the expression of cellular adhesion molecules, which are proteins that allows cells to stick to one another.
Omega 3 fatty acid sources such as the aforementioned foods above are my top picks for the best foods for fat loss.
So if you have artery health issues, you may want to decrease your intake of omega 6 fatty acids. Get rid of the soy oils, corn oils and canola oils out of your daily diet – (4).
Citrus Fruits
Packed with vitamins, minerals and powerful antioxidants including flavonoids, citrus fruits can be a powerful aid for decreasing your risk of artery-related diseases, as well as other chronic health problems.
Citrus flavonoids can decrease inflammation and helps strengthen your immune system against free radicals from oxidizing bad cholesterol.
Of course, oxidized LDL levels is related with atherosclerosis development and progression. So it is important to reduce your LDL levels.
And if you have gone to your doctor lately, you probably recommended to increase your intake of citrus fruits to help combat and prevent heart disease and even stroke.
Some of the best citrus fruits that are readily available in the market include oranges, mandarins, grapefruits, pomelos, lemons, limes and many others – (5).
Spices
Love spicy foods? If yes, then you are doing your heart a good thing.
Though spices are not always beneficial to health due to its infamous bad effects on some health issues like hemorrhoids, acid reflux and many others, the beneficial effects of spices truly outweighs these adverse effects.
Spices such as ginger, pepper, chili, cinnamon and ginger are known to promote a variety of health benefits and some of these herbs are even used as a medicinal drug or supplements.
These herbs have anti-inflammatory properties and antioxidants that helps protect your body from free radical invasion, improves blood lipid levels and of course, protects against clogged arteries.
Just add your favorite spicy herb on your daily diet to get all the benefits that it provides – (6).
Cruciferous Vegetables
Aside from green leafy vegetables, adding cruciferous vegetables to your diet makes you less prone from developing atherosclerosis and other health issues.
Vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, bok choy, brussels sprouts, collard greens, turnips, wasabi, radishes, arugula and many others, are proven to help reduce your risk of developing clogged arteries.
Cruciferous vegetables are also rich in nutrients, minerals and vitamins. This include folate, beta-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin, vitamins C, E and K and are rich in fiber.
So these vegetable group isn’t just good for your arteries, but can also help protect your health from free radicals and keeps your weight in check – (7).
Chocolates
Surprise? Cocoa and dark chocolates are pretty delicious snacks and you can practically find various products that are based in chocolates these days.
But I am pretty confident that you only choose dark chocolate and not those chemically product synthetic chocolate products such as ice cream, candies, cakes, cupcakes and many others.
Experts have found that dark chocolate can greatly help in reducing health risks for stroke, heart attack, atherosclerosis and even diabetes.
Dark chocolates also have polyphenols, a compound that helps strengthen your immunity against chronic diseases. It also helps increase your nitric oxide (NO) production which helps decrease artery inflammation – (8).
Honorable mentions include onions, tomatoes, pomegranate, berries, flax seeds, beets, nuts and seeds, olive oil and many others. You may also eat lean beef but make sure that it is from grass fed farm.
These foods can help lower blood pressure, cholesterol and decreases your risk of atherosclerosis.
Also, you may want to take vitamin D supplements especially if you can’t go outside due to Covid 19 virus. You need at least 10,000 IU of vitamin D to help lower your blood pressure level naturally.
Bottom Line
So there you have it! Those were the foods that you have to include on your daily diet to help reduce your risk of artery or heart diseases.
Basically, you are pretty familiar with most of the foods listed here, and you probably love some of them right? Good! If you love vegetables, healthy oils, fruits and fiber-rich products, then you don’t need to worry more about having heart problems in the near future.
And if you don’t eat some of the foods above, then you always have the option of taking them in supplements. Check the market for tocotrienols, vitamin K2, vitamin E or vitamin D supplements, all of which are designed to keep your heart and arteries healthy.
One such notable diet supplement that is perfectly safe and highly reliable as a heart and artery supplement is Phen Gold.
This supplement contains bioperine (pepper), capsicum (chili pepper extract), green tea and amino acids. All of which are included foods on the list above.
Plus, Phen Gold also promote weight loss and helps elevate physical and brain performance.
PhenGold is a phentermine-alternative supplement that mimics the slimming power of Phentermine drug, but not its infamous adverse effects. So it is formulated as a weight loss supplement but some of its ingredients are heart-friendly agents.
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References:
Coronary Artery Disease
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronary-artery-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20350613
Nattokinase: A Promising Alternative in Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease
by: Hongie Chen, Eileen M McGowan, Nina Ren, Sara Lai, Najah Nassif, Fatima Shad-Kaneez, Xianqin Qu and Yiguang Lin
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6043915/
Tocottrienols: The Emerging Face of Natural Vitamin E
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17628176/
Habitual Fish Intake and Clinically Silent Carotid Atherosclerosis
by: Silvio Buscemi, Antonio Nicolucci, Giuseppe Lucisano, Fabio Galvano, Giuseppe Grosso, Serena Belmonte, Delia Sprini, Silvia Migliaccio, Luisella Cianferotti, Maria Luisa Brandi and Giovam Battista Rini
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3893519/
Frequency of Citrus Fruit Intake is Associated with the Incidence of Cardiovascular Disease: The Jichi Medical School Cohort Study
by: Tomoyo Yamada, Shinya Hayasaka, Yosuke Shibata, Toshiyuki Ojima, Tomohiro Saegusa, Tadao Gotoh, Shizukiyo Ishikawa, Yosikazu Nakamura and Kazunori Kayaba
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3899405/
Spices and Atherosclerosis
by: Pi-Fen Tsui, Chin-Sheng Lin, Ling-Jun Ho and Jenn-Haung Lai
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6266658/
Cruciferous Vegetables and Cancer Prevention
by: National Cancer Institute
https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/diet/cruciferous-vegetables-fact-sheet
Chocolate Consumption is Inversely Associated with Calcified Ahterosclerotic Plaque in the Coronary Arteries: The NHLBI Family Heart Study
by: Luc Djousse, Paul N Hopkins, Donna K Arnett, James S Pankow, Ingrid Borecki, Kari E North, and R Curtis Ellison
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3005078/
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