Warm wishes for a fabulous Valentine’s Day from the Soupologie Team! We hope you celebrate this joyous day by eating all the foods you love! In today’s blog post, we’ll be outlining some foods that are beneficial to our heart health. Read on so you don’t miss a beet!
Showing some love to lycopene
We aorta start off by giving you the low-down on carotenoids. These chemicals are found in plants that make up their colours. As a result, you’ll notice that many foods beneficial to heart health are green, red, yellow or orange. For example, tomatoes are rich in a heart-boosting plant nutrient called lycopene. In addition to this, lycopene also provides tomatoes their rich, red colour. This powerful antioxidant benefits our heart health by reducing the damage caused by free-radicals that can build-up in the body. Furthermore, research also suggests that lycopene can boost “good” HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol levels.
Studies also link lycopene with protecting the skin from sunburn. Moreover, studies indicate that they can also reduce the risk of certain kinds of cancer, such as in the kidneys and lungs.
Why not check out our recipe for Tomato & Red Lentil soup here!
Timolina | Freepik.com
Here are some other foods that boost heart health:
Source | Freepik.com
- Fruits like as apricots, cantaloupe and apples – fibre-rich fruits aid in blood pressure control and reduce “bad” LDL cholesterol levels
- Veggies like kale, carrots and sweet potato – these contain another carotenoid, beta-carotene that gets converted to vitamin A in our bodies
- Berries such as raspberries, blueberries and strawberries – packed full of powerful antioxidants
- Nuts like almonds and walnuts – healthy fats found in nuts help to lower cholesterol levels
- Seeds such as flaxseeds and chia seeds – the omega-3 fatty acids in these seeds boost heart health greatly
- Dark chocolate! – chocolates with a higher cocoa percentage tend to have greater levels of fibre and protein and less sugar
Source | Freepik.com
We have so mushroom in our hearts for your continued support and hope this blog post has you pumped for this Valentine’s day!
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