10 Heart Healthy Foods for Fall

The produce available at this time of year assures that fall menus can be full of heart healthy foods. Here are some ideas for including these great heart healthy foods in your diet. When selecting a restaurant for eating out, look for one that specializes in seasonal and local produce.

At any time, the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute suggest a focus on vegetables, fish and beans with fruit for dessert. For a special treat, try a weekly square of dark chocolate.

Focus on Vegetables. Ethnic foods, especially those from the Mediterranean countries, have many heart healthy ingredients. However, you can eat simple American style just make sure you focus on vegetables such as tomatoes, garlic, onions, broccoli, and leafy greens.

Tomatoes. Make sure to eat fresh or cooked tomatoes every week. Tomatoes provide lycopene, vitamins A and C and potassium which according to medical dietary research work together to lower your cardiovascular risk.

Bok choi and Broccoli. When planning your meals and shopping, figure at least 2 servings of vegetables for each person every day. Try bok choi and broccoli as important heart heatlhy foods.

Onions and Garlic. Add onions and garlic to your every day cooking. Some studies suggest that a 1⁄4 cup of onions and 1 clove garlic daily will lower your lowers cholesterol.

Olive oil. Use olive oil in your food preparation, especially when cooking tomoates. Olive oil is thought to boost HDL cholesterol, the good cholesterol and to act synergistically with tomatoes.

Salmon and tuna. Select fish weekly. A portion of Salmon or Tuna will help you receive the omega fatty acids that are important for heart health.

Black beans. For a different and heart healthy entrée, try a bean dish such as chili, or black bean soup. Beans are both low in over all fat and provide B-complex vitamins; niacin; folate; magnesium; omega-3 fatty acids; calcium; soluble fiber.

Apples, Blueberries and Pomegranates. Don't forget to include fruit selections in your diet. Think of three servings a day. In the fall, great apples are readily available. For a new fruit, try pomegranates. Pomegranates lower cholesterol levels and promote the flow of blood to the heart. Try the juice, or include pomegranate seeds in a green salad and use the juice as part of the dressing.

Chocolate. Even dessert and treats can be a positive choice for heart health. Dark chocolate has been shown to lower LDL, or bad cholesterol. However, it is also quite high in fat. Keep your chocolate intake to a piece or two a week, and remember, to eat dark chocolate not milk chocolate.