What's ailing you: Heart disease
Oatmeal
Why it's good: It's rich in soluble fiber, which latches on
to cholesterol compounds and helps carry them out of your body. Research shows
that people who eat an average of 2.5 servings of whole grains (like oats)
daily have a 21 percent lower risk of cardiovascular events such as heart
attack and stroke than people who hardly eat any.
Eat up! Enjoy oatmeal at least three times a week, and
spruce it up with berries, nuts, dried apricots, even peanut butter.
Sweet potato
Why it's good: Sweet potatoes deliver more heart-healthy
fiber than their white cousins, along with a hefty dose of potassium, a mineral
that helps offset sodium's negative effect on blood pressure.
Eat up! Try to eat at least two of these spuds a week. I
like to mash them with a drop of skim milk, a pat of whipped butter and a bit
of cinnamon.
Wild salmon
Why it's good: Wild salmon is one of the most concentrated
sources of omega-3 fats, which can help lower triglycerides, raise levels of
HDL ("good") cholesterol, and help reduce inflammation in the body —
a factor that's been linked to an increased risk of diabetes as well as heart
disease. What's more, numerous studies have found that people whose diets are
high in omega-3s have a substantially lower risk of coronary heart disease, as
well as sudden death from arrhythmia (an irregular heartbeat).
Eat up! Aim to eat salmon at least twice a week. Although
wild and farmed salmon contain similar levels of omega-3s, wild is lower in
contaminants and has as much as four times the amount of vitamin D. But wild
salmon is more expensive and not as widely available as farmed. If you can't
make room for it in your budget, you're better off eating farmed salmon than
going without it completely.
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