Food Facts / June 22, 2018

Top 10 Heart-Healthy Vegetables

heart-healthy vegetables

By: Debbie Lui

We all know that vegetables are good for our bodies; it is one of the foods that we need to maintain good health. We hear about the health benefits left and right, but do you know which vegetables are known for their benefits to our health and blood vessels? We found our favorite heart-healthy vegetables and rounded them up for you below!

Our eating habits and lifestyles have been changing rapidly over the years. It isn’t hard to see how food’s convenience, accessibility, and culture have changed but what you may not see is how those changes have led us to develop habits such as:

  • Lack of exercise
  • Sedentary activities
  • Poor coping skills for stress
  • Unhealthy food choices
  • Mindless food habits

These choices and changes burden our heart health. Since we have only got one heart to live with, we are responsible for taking good care of it! Adopting healthy habits and incorporating healthy choices are simple ways to support cardiovascular health.

 

When you go grocery shopping, you may want to add a few of the vegetables on our list to yours. After all, supporting good health begins with good nutrition!

 

Broccoli

There are many studies have proven that broccoli supports cardiovascular health. Thanks to sulforaphane, a substance in broccoli that has anti-inflammatory properties, it may help maintain healthy blood vessel linings and support healthy cholesterol levels, thus helping to maintain heart health³.

 

Kale

This superfood has been a popular ingredient for many dishes, especially over the last few years. You can find it in salads, soups, and pasta dishes! This antioxidant vegetable is also known for heart-healthy properties as it contains substances that can bind with bile acids which help to support healthy cholesterol levels. Researchers found that steamed kale has a better result of bile acid binding4 which makes it a great, easy way to maximize the benefits!

 

Cabbage

What makes cabbage a heart-healthy food? It contains powerful compounds called anthocyanins! These substances give the red pigments in red cabbage and are shown to support cardiovascular health. Next time when you are looking for cabbage, choose a red cabbage over green ones5!

 

 

Bok Choy

Similar to broccoli and cabbage, Bok Choy provides many benefits which include supporting hearthealth, helping to maintain normal blood pressure, and promoting normal blood vessels. Bok Choy has become widely available over the world, and it is easy to prepare for any number of dishes! However, note that it is advised to consume Bok Choy cooked in order to deactivate a substance that can prevent the body from absorbing iodine6.

 

Watercress

Watercress is a dark, leafy green grown in natural spring water. Similarly to others in the cruciferous family of vegetables, increasing consumption of watercress can support heart health and weight management 7.

 

Radish

Radish is a kind of root crop and is primarily found in Asian markets. Although radishes look less like cabbages and the other cruciferous vegetables on the list, they both are a great source of anthocyanins!

 

Cauliflower

Cauliflower, also a part of the cruciferous vegetable family, contains sulforaphane which is a key substance related to heart health9.  This one can get a little expensive during the summer months, so keep your eyes peeled at local farmers markets for deals!

 

Mustard Greens

 If you are looking for foods that can help you better manage your cholesterol level, mustard green is what you need! This veggie helps the body to convert HDL, the good cholesterol, into bile acid and helps break down fats in food. By helping the bile binding process efficiently, this vegetable helps to manage cholesterol levels in the body10.

 

Arugula

Despite its bitter and tangy taste, arugula is another great heart-healthy vegetable. It is a great source of nitrate which has been shown to help maintain normal blood pressure11.  Arugula is usually prepared raw in salad dishes, but can also be added in pasta or soups!

 

Tomato

Don’t get confused, a tomato isn’t a type of cruciferous vegetable, but it is a common vegetable that can be found almost anywhere!  Tomatoes contain lycopene which may help maintain normal cholesterol levels. In addition, its rich vitamin K content helps support normal blood pressure as well. There are numerous ways to prepare tomatoes, you can make tomato into juice, pasta sauce, add them into salad or eat them raw12.

 

 

To maintain optimal heart health, it is important to not only eat the right food but also to incorporate a variety of foods, regular exercise, and a healthy environment. All of these factors come into play when you’re talking about overall health.

 

 

Share with us your favorite recipe with one of the ingredients mentioned above, and share this article with your friends and family today!

 

 

 

 

  

十種護心蔬菜

By: Debbie Lui

 

我們都知道蔬菜對身體有益，它是我們維持身體健康所需的食物之一。我們都聽過很多關於蔬菜的健康益處，但是你知道哪種蔬菜被稱為“護心蔬菜”，對我們的心臟血管有益嗎？心臟和血管疾病也被稱為心血管疾病（CVD），它們是全球死亡的頭號疾病。根據世界衛生組織的統計，每年死於心血管疾病的死亡人數高於其他疾病¹。

多年來，我們的飲食習慣和生活方式一直在迅速變化，飲食文化，食物種類，交通的方便和工作文化與過去非常不同。這些變化導致我們養成了缺乏運動，不健康的生活方式，壓力形式生活和不健康的飲食習慣等習慣，這些都會給我們的心臟健康帶來負擔。我們只有一顆心臟，應該負責照顧好我們的心，並加以保護！實踐健康的飲食習慣和生活方式可以幫助減少患CVD的風險。就像攝取足夠的水果和蔬菜一樣，都能簡單降低心髒病的風險。如果心血管疾病能夠預防，為什麼我們要把自己置於危險之中？

 

如果你蔬菜愛好者，你又多一個食蔬菜的原因了！蔬菜，特別是十字花科蔬菜，也被稱為“護心蔬菜”，對我們的心臟健康有益。根據美國心臟協會雜誌上發表的一項新研究，定期食用十字花科蔬菜，每天三次或更多可預防老年婦女頸部血管硬化，並降低患心臟病的風險²。十字花科蔬菜包括西蘭花，菜花，椰菜和豆芽等等。在這篇網誌中，我將與你分享十大心臟健康蔬菜。當你下次去超市買東西時，你可以特別去購買以下的蔬菜。畢竟，好的健康始於好的營養！食得正確，保護心靈。

 

1）西蘭花

 

有許多研究已經證明西蘭花可以降低心血管疾病的風險。由於蘿蔔硫素是西蘭花中的一種具有抗炎特性的物質，可能有助於防止因慢性血糖問題引起的炎症引起的血管內壁損傷。此外，它有助於減少壞膽固醇，從而幫助維持心臟健康³。

 

2）羽衣甘藍

 

這種超級食物一直是的流行食料，你可以在沙律，湯和意大利麵中找到它。這種富含的抗氧化物的蔬菜也被稱為心臟健康食品。羽衣甘藍含有可與膽汁酸結合的物質，因此可幫助降低膽固醇水平。研究人員發現，清蒸羽衣甘藍特別具有較好的膽汁酸結合效果4。如果你想得到最多好處，不妨改變烹調羽衣甘藍的方法４。

 

3）椰菜

 

什麼使椰菜成為心臟健康的食物？因為它含有稱為花青素的強力化合物。這些物質使紅椰菜中產生紅色色素，有助於降低心髒病的風險。下一次當你在尋找椰菜時，你可以選擇一個紅色的椰菜５！

 

 

4）白菜

 

與西蘭花和椰菜類似，白菜提供許多心臟健康益處，包括降低心臟病，血壓和降低血管損傷的風險，白菜已經在世界各地廣泛使用，並且很容易烹調及預備。建議食用經煮熟的白菜，以除去防止身體吸收碘的物質6。

 

5）西洋菜

 

西洋菜是一種在天然泉水中生長的深綠葉蔬菜。與其他十字花科家庭的蔬菜一樣，增加攝取西洋菜可以降低患心臟病和其他健康問題的風險，如肥胖和糖尿病7。

 

6）蘿蔔

 

蘿蔔是一種根莖作物，主要在亞洲超市找到。雖然蘿蔔看起來不像椰菜，但它們都是富含花青素，它們是營養豐富的蔬菜，有助於改善心血管健康8！

 

7）椰菜花

 

椰菜花含有蘿蔔硫素，是幫助降低心臟疾病的關鍵物質9。

 

8）芥菜

 

膽固醇與許多心臟病都與肥胖和糖尿病有關。如果你正在尋找可以幫助你更好地控制膽固醇水平的食物，芥菜就是你所需要的！芥菜幫助身體將高密度脂蛋白，又稱好膽固醇轉化為膽汁酸，並幫助分解食物中的脂肪。通過有效地幫助膽汁結合過程，這種蔬菜有助於降低體內不良膽固醇水平10。

 

9）芝麻菜／火箭菜

 

雖然味道苦澀，但火箭麻菜是另一種健康的心臟健康蔬菜。它已被證明有助於降低血壓11。芝麻菜通常加入在沙律菜中生吃，但也可以加在意大利面或湯中！

 

10）番茄

 

番茄不是一種十字花科蔬菜，但由於它是一種常見的蔬菜，幾乎可以在任何地方找到，所以想與你分享它在心臟健康方面的益處！番茄含有番茄紅素，可以幫助降低低密度脂蛋白，並通過防止血液凝結降低中風風險。此外，其豐富的維生素K含量也有助於改善高血壓。有很多方法可以烹調番茄，你可以把番茄製成果汁，意粉醬，加入沙律或者生食。這是你最簡單可以享受心臟健康的食材之一12。

 

為了達到良好的心臟健康，重要的不僅是食正確的食物，還要考慮食物的種類，規律的運動和優質的生活方式和環境，這些因素都有利於維持整體健康。

 

還有更多的食物有助於得到健康的心臟。尋找你喜歡的“護心蔬菜”，並將其加到你的飲食中。請記住，預防總是比治療更好。

 

與我們分享用到以上蔬菜的食譜，並與你的朋友和家人分享這篇文章吧！

 

 

Sources:

 

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