Nutritional advice can feel overwhelming. It seems, at least from some headlines, like the advice is constantly changing. Even though the science hasn’t actually changed all that much over the years, we are always revising details and even doctors know it can be hard to keep up, but here is a review of what exactly you should be eating for your heart health.
Coffee
You’ve probably heard a lot of mixed things about coffee—it’s bad, it’s good, it doesn’t do anything—but the bulk of the evidence says drinking joe is good for you. Cardiologists think some of the health benefits may come from the antioxidants in coffee, like polyphenols, but it’s been difficult to link the effects to any specific compound. The polyphenolic antioxidants seem to improve insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism. Insulin is how your body tames spiking blood glucose levels, and when the system gets out of whack you can develop larger metabolic problems like type two diabetes.
Most of the reassurance that coffee is part of a healthy diet comes from observational studies, where researchers ask a large number of people to describe their eating and coffee drinking habits, and then find associations between consuming coffee and heart health. Those studies have found that drinking somewhere around three to five cups a day reduces your overall risk of death as well as your risk of cardiovascular disease. Java also doesn’t seem to have any significant impact on arrhythmias, hypertension, blood lipid levels, or cholesterol, but it does decrease your risk of developing type two diabetes.
All that being said, the thing that’s not healthy about many Americans’ coffee habits is the sugar. Coffee-flavored drinks, or simple drip coffee with tons of sugar added, are counterproductive. The sugar and calories in them work against the heart-healthy black coffee, so try to drink your morning cup with as few adulterating other ingredients as possible.
Tea
Like coffee, researchers think the antioxidants in tea are part of what helps it to have a positive impact on our bodies. Tea drinkers tend to have lower cardiovascular disease risk and overall mortality risk, in addition to having better ratios of low to high density lipoproteins. Lipoproteins are the compounds your body uses to carry around cholesterol (remember: you actually need some cholesterol for your cell membranes to function), and there are two kinds. The low density version is bad because it contributes to fatty buildups in your arteries, whereas high density ones are good because they seem to take the low density version out of your bloodstream.
But also like coffee, a lot of this assumes that you’re not downing your afternoon tea with tons of sugar or other sweeteners.
Mushrooms
These fungi are little nutritional powerhouses. The cardiology review notes that they have anti-inflammatory compounds, antioxidants, and vitamin D, plus a set of other bioactive compounds that help reduce hardening of the arteries, cholesterol, and blood pressure. They’re the only vegetable to contain any vitamin D, in fact, and It only take three ounces of button mushrooms to provide your entire daily dose. In one study, people with type two diabetes who ate oyster mushrooms had a significant decrease across multiple measures of heart health, including blood pressure, blood glucose, and cholesterol. They also seem to be associated with less cardiovascular disease overall, as well as lower rates of type two diabetes and obesity, which increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
They’re also low in fat, totally free of cholesterol, and contain plenty of other vitamins and minerals. Eat more mushrooms.
Omega-3 fatty acids
Most of us know omega-3s from fish, but we can also absorb them from some plants. Walnuts, canola oil, flaxseed oil, and green leafy plants all contain omega-3 fatty acids, so if you’re looking for a more ecologically conscious way of consuming your OM3s check out those sources. Cardiologists aren’t sure whether one source is better than another, but it’s clear that risk of death from cardiovascular disease decreases significantly by consuming them. Omega-3s decrease production of low-density (read: bad) lipoproteins and triglycerides, thereby improving your overall heart health.
There’s some concern that fish itself contains some other compounds, like methylmercury, that could be detrimental to your health. And a recent meta-analysis suggested that fish oil supplements might not actually help you as much as early evidence showed. Supplements in general are a less advisable way to get essential vitamins, since it’s unclear whether you can even absorb large quantities of a vitamin all at once. Getting nutrition from whole food sources is generally better. For those reasons, cardiologists suggest that plant sources might be a better way to get your omega-3s.
Legumes
Beans, lentils, chickpeas—pretty much all of us should be eating more of these fiber-rich, heart-health-promoting nutrient bombs. They’ve got protein but little fat, tons of complex carbohydrates, and multiple compounds that reduce cholesterol and act as antioxidants. Eating them can reduce your cardiovascular disease risk, improve blood glucose, and help you achieve or maintain a healthy body weight. Plus the fiber in them helps promote a diverse microbiome (the healthy bacteria that inhabit your gut), and while they may give you gas, if you introduce them slowly (and keep at it) your body will slowly adjust.