Why Your Heart Needs You to Eat More Plants (and How to Start)

Heart-healthy eating has a time and for good reason. The foods you choose today play a big role in how well your heart functions in the years to come.(1) The good news? No complicated or restrictive diet is necessary to support your heart. In fact, many of the most heart-friendly foods are simple, colorful staples like fruits and vegetables.

Despite what flashy headlines might suggest, heart health isn’t about a single “superfood.” It’s about consistent eating habits that put more plants at the center of your plate. When you build this habit, the benefits are seen not only in the long term in the form of better cardiovascular health, but also in the short term in the form of improved nutrient absorption. (1,2)

Ready to add even more heart-healthy plants to your plate? Read on to learn what your priorities should be and how you can get started today.

Why plants are great for your cardiovascular health

Fruits and vegetables that support heart health are rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.(3) Think fruits like berries, grapes, and watermelon, vegetables like leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables, and even greens protein-rich legumeslike beans and lentils. Together, these foods can help relieve the symptoms associated with poor heart health. For example, eating more fruits and vegetables can help:

• Lower blood pressure (2)
• Manage blood cholesterol levels (2)
• reduce inflammation (2)
• Improve blood sugar control (2)

Benefits of eating fruits and vegetables of different colors

Aiming for a variety of colors is an easy way to get your nutritional needs covered and keep your heart happy too. Each color of product options on the market contains different phytonutrients, such as antioxidants.(4) These are those good guys that keep your body healthy and destroy the free radicals (or those foreign invaders that can damage your heart over time).(4)

Do you need inspiration? Use this little cheat sheet to reap the colorful benefits that different fruits and vegetables offer.

• Blue and purple:(5)
  • Fruits: blueberries, currants, grapes, plums, raisins
  • Vegetables: olives, cabbage, eggplant, potatoes
• Green:(5)
  • Fruits: Avocados, honeydew, kiwis, limes, green peas
  • Vegetables: artichokes, broccoli, celery, leafy greens, okra
• Yellow and orange:(5)
  • Fruits: apricots, melons, mangoes, peaches, persimmons
  • Vegetables: butternut squash, carrots, pumpkin, sweet corn
• Red:(5)  
  • Fruits: apples, cherries, strawberries, watermelon
  • Vegetables: Red peppers, radishes, onions, rhubarb, tomatoes
• White, light brown and brown:(5)
  • Fruits: bananas, dates, peaches
  • Vegetables: cauliflower, garlic, mushrooms, potatoes

3 Easy Ways to Eat More Plants in a Heart-Healthy Diet

And you don’t have to spend hours preparing in the kitchen!

1. Stock up on canned, dried and frozen fruits and vegetables

Canned, dried and frozen fruits and vegetables are super convenient for adding volume to your meals with our fruit and vegetable friends. When shopping in these aisles, keep these tips in mind:

• Choose dried fruits without added sugar.
• Opt for canned fruits in water or their own juice (without added syrup). Rinse under cold running water before consumption to reduce the sugar content.
• Choose canned vegetables that are low in sodium, such as canned beans, corn, peas and lentils. Rinse them under cold running water when you open the lid to further reduce the sodium content. (6)
• Buy frozen fruits and vegetables without sauces or seasonings.

2. Meal prep products after shopping

You’ve just unpacked your shopping and the beautiful products are calling your name. Step one, done. But instead of letting it sit and go to waste (because let’s face it, life is hectic), prepare it immediately. Portion baby carrots into snack bags for work, chop lettuce for ready-made salads or Prepare other fruits and vegetables This makes them easy to grab throughout the week.

When your produce is washed, chopped, and ready to eat, you’re far more likely to actually use it, even on your busiest days.

3. Plan your meals to produce produce – and then add protein

Plants should take up most of the space on your plate (or bowl). This means planning meals around them is one of the easiest ways to eat more of them on a regular basis. Craving a burrito bowl? Perfect. Let lettuce and beans form the base, then layer with toppings and proteins as finishing touches. Think of plants as the foundation and everything else as extras.

To make it even easier, rely on tools that support your goals, such as: MyFitnessPal app. You can keep track of your vegetable intake while tracking the macro and micronutrients you get from these plant foods.

Conclusion

There’s a reason health professionals encourage you to “eat the rainbow” when it comes to the variety of fruits and vegetables on the market. This rainbow is packed with a variety of nutrients that support heart health by lowering blood pressure, improving cholesterol, and reducing inflammation.(1,2)

But thinking about how to eat more plants doesn’t have to become a full-time job. MyFitnessPal nutritionist Katherine Basbaum says, “Adding an extra fruit or vegetable to your plate with every meal is one of the easiest ways to support long-term heart health.”

Start today by combining a handful of berries to your taste Morning bagel sandwich. You don’t have to become one green smoothie Lover, if that’s not your thing. In the long term, what matters most is progress, not perfection. Use that MyFitnessPal meal planner to identify opportunities to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into your routine.

The post Why Your Heart Needs You to Eat More Plants (and How to Start) appeared first MyFitnessPal Blog.

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