Giving our heart and circulation some extra love from time to time can be essential for living well and feeling good for a long time. But how do you do that? Essentially, all lifestyle-related health problems can be boiled down to three seemingly simple pieces of advice:
Eat well
Move your body
Relax
These are the three most important aspects whether we want to strengthen our immune system, increase our energy levels, or take care of our heart. In this article, we focus on which specific nutrients, supplements, and habits have proven to be important for keeping our circulation and heart in the best possible shape.
Food for a healthy heart
Eat plenty of these for a healthy heart.
Berries – contain antioxidants and polyphenols that help protect the heart.
Green vegetables – especially spinach, broccoli, and asparagus protect and cleanse the blood with powerful minerals and phytonutrients.
Garlic can contribute to normal blood pressure and healthy cholesterol levels.
Chia seeds – rich in soluble fiber and omega-3 which are great for heart health.
Avocado – studies have shown it can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Olives – rich in healthy fats and phytonutrients that support a healthy heart.
Walnuts – rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids and antioxidants.
Almonds – have proven effective for balancing cholesterol levels
Chickpeas – rich in several vitamins and minerals that are essential for the heart and blood vessels.
Whole grains like oats, quinoa, and wild rice are rich in both soluble and insoluble fiber, vitamins, minerals, and slow-release carbohydrates.
Supplements & herbs for a healthy heart
Certain nutrients recur in studies and experience from naturopaths and nutritional medicine practitioners around the world. These are some of the most important supplements you can take to take extra good care of your heart and blood system:
Omega 3
Q10
Resveratrol
Turmeric
Chaga
Reishi
Magnesium
Olive oil
Beetroot powder (contains nitrates)
Habits for a healthy heart
Of all organs in the body, the heart and blood vessels are perhaps those that adapt most quickly to our lifestyle choices. When we move our bodies, our pulse increases and the body gets the opportunity to adapt to a more active lifestyle. When we meditate or rest deeply, we give our entire system the opportunity to recover and send out "calm and relaxation hormones" through the bloodstream. The habits that have proven especially important for the heart are:
Exercise
20 minutes of physical activity per day has been shown to lower blood pressure, balance cholesterol levels, support the immune system, reduce stress, and contribute to feelings of happiness and satisfaction.
Meditate
An effective way to manage stress and trigger the body's "rest-and-digest system," which provides incredibly many health benefits; not least for the heart.
Good sleep
7-9 hours of regular sleep can protect your heart from high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and obesity.
Things you should avoid for a healthy heart
These three things are directly harmful to the heart and blood vessels, and should be minimized or completely eliminated to increase your chances of a healthy and strong heart:
Smoking
Bad, oxidized fats (e.g., corn oil, soybean oil, processed foods, fried food, etc.)
Refined sugar
Bonus tips
Take care of your teeth
It appears that there is a connection between oral health and cardiovascular health. Poor oral hygiene has been shown to increase the risk of cardiovascular problems later in life. Therefore, it can be very worthwhile to take care of your teeth in the best way to simultaneously give your heart some care.
Take care of your liver
All nutrients that enter the body through the stomach must pass through the liver before being released into the blood and pumped out through the heart. If the liver isn't functioning optimally, it will allow more toxins from the environment to pass through, which then go directly into the blood and up to the heart. So to give your heart the best, make sure to support the body's "cleansing" from time to time and take care of your liver by drinking a large glass of lemon water every morning on an empty stomach. Liver support is an important topic for good health.
