The Word on Weightloss

Although you might know eating certain foods can increase your heart disease risk, it's often tough to change your eating habits, especially if you don’t know which foods are the best for your heart. It doesn’t matter whether you have years of unhealthy eating under your belt or you simply want to fine-tune your diet, heart-healthy diet tips are important for all.

The good news is that you can reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease by eating nutritious heart-healthy foods every day.

Every bite (or sip) of heart-healthy foods delivers a powerful dose of phytonutrients, the chemical compounds that naturally occur in plans that prevent and repair damage to cells. These phytonutrients are the essence of preventing heart disease, which is the number one killer of American women. The general rule of thumb when selecting heart-healthy foods is to go natural. You want to consume foods in their natural form, from the ground to your plate with minimal or no processing in between.

Variety is also a key ingredient to the heart-healthy diet. Incorporating a wide range of foods into your diet means eating different nutrients thus increasing the chances that you’ll stick to your healthy eating lifestyle. After all, variety is the natural spice of life!

After sampling recommendations from nutrition experts at The Mayo Clinic and the American Dietetic Association, I put together this list of the top ten best heart-healthy foods.

• Salmon – Fish, especially Salmon contains Omega-3 fatty acids which have shown to lower cholesterol by reducing inflammation throughout the body.

• Flaxseeds – Recently ground flaxseeds have been all the range because they contain Omega-3 fatty acids as well as fiber. When combined they’re a double threat to heart disease because they reduce inflammation which is the primary reason for heart attacks and strokes.

• Oatmeal – This breakfast favorite contains soluble fiber, which reduces your low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the "bad" cholesterol and ten grams or more of soluble fiber a day decreases your total and LDL cholesterol.

• Walnuts – In addition to containing Omega-3 fatty acids and fiber, walnuts contain mono and polyunsaturated fats which lower LDL cholesterol, and in some cases have show to raise high-density lipoprotein (HDL).

• Red Wine – In moderation (of course), it has long been said that red wine is heart healthy because it contains antioxidants that increase HDL that protects against artery damage.

• Soy Milk – Shown to have a cholesterol lowering effect, soy milk demonstrates that a diet with significant soy protein reduces total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and Triglycerides.

• Oranges – Some claim that oranges are the most nutritious fruit because they contain an antioxidant called Hesperidin which is said to improve blood vessel function thus lowering the risk of heart disease.

• Asparagus – Just one serving of asparagus supplies the body with over 60% of the daily-recommended intake of folate. Folate is important in reducing homocysteine, which is an amino acid in the blood related to a higher risk of heart disease.

• Dark Chocolate – Flavanols, the main flavonoid found in cocoa have antioxidant qualities which we know to have positive effects on heart health by lowering blood pressure and making blood platelets less sticking and able to clot.

• Tea – Some say that the greatest benefit of tea has been seen among patients who already have cardiovascular disease because of the antioxidants found plentiful in both black and green tea.