UNDATED (Cleveland Clinic) - The road to a healthy heart begins at the dining room table. Your food choices can directly impact your risk for developing heart disease.
Julie Zumpano is a registered dietitian at Cleveland Clinic's section of preventive cardiology. She says staples of any heart-healthy diet are beans and legumes.
She says, "It's a nice way to get soluble fiber, plant protein, some extra vitamins and minerals, and not have the extra saturated fat and cholesterol."
Zumpano says beans and legumes will also help lower your cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure. Another heart-healthy addition to any diet is berries.
Zumpano says berries top the list of antioxidant-providing foods. They're also high in vitamin C and phytonutrients, which help blood flow.
Zumpano says salmon is one of the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s help cut your risk for heart disease. And you can wash it all down with a little red wine. Red wine is packed with polyphenols that help lower blood pressure and increases your good cholesterol.
For dessert, try a little dark chocolate. The flavinoids it contains protect your cells.
Zumpano says it's not about cutting out things you like from your diet to make it healthier for your heart; it's about finding good replacements.
She says, "So, maybe you're replacing a red meat with salmon. Maybe you're replacing cheese with beans on a salad. Maybe you're replacing your beer or a margarita with a glass of red wine."
Zumpano says a handful of berries, or beans, one glass of wine per day, or just an ounce of dark chocolate per day will provide heart-healthy benefits. Keep your portion of salmon to the size of a deck of cards.