Thread: Foods To Consider Eating More

I have done some research on the foods to eat more if you have heart disease, and according to what I read these foods are appropriate and helpful to eat. However you have to check with your doctors first and have proper blood work done before following diet suggestions and recommendations for caution.

• Sweet potatoes
• Green leafy vegetables
• Pumpkin, canned or cooked
• Squash
• Carrots, Broccoli and Greens (lightly cooked to keep the carotenoids)
• 97% or greater fat free chicken or turkey breast
• Low fat tomato sauces and pasta
• Onions and Garlic (Chop or crush to release the photonutrients)
• Homemade pizza with 99% fat free chicken as meat sauce
• Foods with low/no salt for those who have high blood pressure
• Peanuts, walnuts, almonds in moderation (be careful not to gain weight)
• Olive oil and canola oil substituted for other oils, (the key is to monounsaturated fats vs trans-fatty acids or partially hydrogenated fat)
• Salmon and other fish (mackerel, sardines, herring), including the skin and fat (Research suggests this omega 3 fat (EPA fat) has the ability to raise HDLs.
• Defatted soy flour (at least 1/3 of a cup per day recommended)
• Fat free milk (skim)
• Oatmeal, shredded wheat, low-no sugar added cereals
• Whole wheat bread
• Fresh fruits
• Apples (with skin for flavonids)
• Oranges (Eat pulpy parts for flavonids)
• Red or black grapes

Incorporating these foods in your diet will be helpful but you need to atke note and make sure not to overeat. Always maintain your normal weight and get plenty of exercise to stay more fit

Thanks for researching on this Viktoria! I'm sure many of us here wants to observe eating right to protect our heart. Eating one cup of grapes a day is really recommended. Grapes are packed with antioxidants that our body needs to fight cell and tissue damaging free radicals. Grapefruit, especially pink has 40% more beta carotene than white and is also a recommended fruit for a healthy heart diet

You are right on that mikaela! We should give our body good amount of antioxidants to fight free radicals. Not only that, we can still enjoy tasty foods even if we observe a healthy heart diet. We can still enjoy fat free homemade yogurt with extra dry milk as this increases the magnesium and calcium content in our body and healthy for the heart. If you want to avoid sugars, tupelo honey can be used as substitute in cakes, breads, and cookies. Salad dressings and dips with non-fat sour cream are also safe for the heart so enthusiasts can still enjoy these with their baked whole wheat chips and tortillas.

Thanks for sharing us this information Amapola! We will all take note of that. I'm glad to say that I am not in medication as I have not had any serious health condition.

All of these foods are healthy and should be eaten in moderation in one sitting. If you think that you maybe allergic to one of these foods, then it is best to seek professional opinion. If you are taking any medication, always ask your doctor which foods are good for you and which are not. Take some safety precaution to ensure better health

Thanks for the info Amapola! It's good to know that grape fruit have a negative effect on certain drugs. I am not worried if I eat more of any of these foods because I am not in any medication or any allegy on foods . I have been eating more fruits and vegetable and it has done wonders. It has managed to keep me healthy and fit.

Everything that is taken in excessively is not good for the body. Even water have bad effects on others if taken in more. If you have kidney problems or water retention problem, then you have to drink plenty of water in moderation. I do believe though that more fruits and vegetables in our diet is not only healthy but also keeps our skin hydrated.

Really? I didn't know about that at all. Thanks for the tip Amapola! I have a friend who has kidney problems and she will definitely like to to hear about this.

If you are on any type of medication it's wise to check with your physician about reactions from all foods. I know this because I am currently on a restricted vitamin K diet. Unfortunately that group includes a lot of fruits and vegetable that are rich in flavenids.

Dark chocolate is a major source of flavonids too. And the principal fat in chocolate is stearic acid which is metabolized differently than other saturated fats, therefore is not harmful to the cardiovascular system, and doesn't increase cholesterol levels. As was mentioned already a couple of times, moderation is the key.

A note about almonds - they not only help in heart disease prevention, they are also loaded with magnesium which helps fight off fatigue.

Thank you for the very informative post. I am such a fan of dark chocolates and almonds. These are one of the healthy foods that we should be happy about.