For a heart healthy diet, incorporating yogurt, walnuts and fruit into a meal plan will lower cholesterol levels, improve bone strength and provide daily essential vitamins and minerals. Making simple changes in the diet may improve overall health and lower the risk for heart disease.
Yogurt
Yogurt is a good diet choice for a variety of reasons. It contains live cultures for better digestion, high-quality protein and calcium, is low in fat and sodium, and may be substituted for high fat products such as mayonnaise or sour cream to lower calories without compromising taste.
Yogurt also contains plant sterols that lower cholesterol. Two servings of yogurt each day should be included in a heart healthy diet, and in four weeks levels of LDL cholesterol, which can damage the heart, may be reduced by as much as 6 percent. Aside from improving the heart condition through a yogurt, walnut and fruit diet, calcium found in yogurt also helps to strengthen bones and provides valuable minerals, vitamins and nutrients essential for healthy living.
Walnuts
Add one ounce of walnuts to the daily diet to improve heart function. Walnuts have been shown to reduce levels of bad cholesterol, and control the risks of inflammation and heart disease.
Walnuts are high in omega-3 fatty acids, especially with phytosterols and alpha linoleic acid. Omega-3s are important because they lower triglyceride levels and prevent buildup of plaque on the arteries through the increase of healthy cholesterol, or HDL. Walnuts are the best choice of nut for heart health, since they contain 2.5 grams of omega-3 fatty acid in one ounce serving sizes.
In addition to fatty acids, walnuts are also a good source of fiber, vitamins and minerals.
Fruit
Fruit is filled with fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Although a substantial amount of fruits and vegetables should be incorporated into every meal, doing a yogurt, walnut and fruit diet for a few days will clean out the digestive system while still providing heart healthy ingredients, fiber and nutrients into the body.
For three days, eat fruit throughout the day and yogurt at each meal. The live cultures within the yogurt will help to regulate digestion and supply healthy bacteria into the stomach and intestinal tract. Fruit is filled with fiber, helping to keep you full and reducing the chances of becoming constipated. Walnuts are heart healthy, so eating a one-ounce serving each day will provide the necessary fat and omega-3 fatty acids.
This diet is especially good for you, since it contains free-radical fighting antioxidants, important for keeping skin and organs nourished.
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