If you experience migraines, you know when one is about to occur. You feel the pain creep across your forehead or up the back of your neck. People have different triggers for migraines, and determining what your trigger is can be a big obstacle to overcome. Once you identify your trigger, you can do your best to avoid it and reduce the frequency of migraines. 

Not a lot of people suspect their diet to trigger migraines, but certain foods can easily cause your head pain. According to research, a variety of foods and beverages contribute to nausea, throbbing, pounding, and some visual symptoms of migraines. If you want to experiment with your diet to be free of migraines, consider eliminating the following foods, which have been known to set off pain. 

Alcohol

This is a beverage that’ll give you a headache whether you get migraines or not. An evening cocktail is relaxing while you casually sip it, but it can contribute to migraine tension. The Association of Migraine Disorders lists alcohol as one of the most common dietary triggers. There are certain compounds in alcohol, such as histamine and congeners, which may be to blame. Alcohol is also a diuretic, which can cause dehydration (another migraine trigger). Regardless of what the research says, it may be a good idea to avoid beer, wine, and spirits if alcohol is your trigger. 

Foods With Phenylalanine

What is this compound? Well, it is an essential amino acid that exists in myriad protein sources. You can find it in meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, nuts, seeds, and legumes. High doses of this amino acid have been linked to headaches, including migraines. Because phenylalanine exists in many healthy protein sources, avoiding it completely may prove difficult, not to mention a questionable decision for your overall health. Avoiding all foods that contain phenylalanine creates a highly restrictive eating pattern. If you suspect this to be your migraine trigger, just consider cutting down on these foods, or make sure that you don’t overeat them. 

Caffeine

Caffeine is a mixed bag for migraines. It is a common trigger food for migraines, but some people drink a cup of coffee or soda and know relief is on the way. Unfortunately, there is not a sufficient amount of research on this matter, so scientists cannot give a definitive recommendation on caffeine consumption or avoidance for migraine relief. That said, if you experience migraines and know that drinking caffeine negatively affects you, avoid it to the best of your ability. If you exceed 200 milligrams of caffeine daily and you suddenly stop drinking caffeine, you may experience a migraine as a withdrawal symptom. 

Food Intolerances

Occasionally, headaches can stem from certain food intolerances. According to research, migraines are very common in the setting of gluten, soy, and other food intolerances. If you have a food intolerance, be it to gluten, soy, or something else, you will usually experience symptoms within 12 to 24 hours after eating. 

Foods With Tyramine

If you have never heard of this compound, don’t be hard on yourself because you won’t see it on ingredient lists. It exists in both plant and animal foods and is a byproduct of the breakdown of tyrosine, an amino acid. Some people experience headaches from foods that contain tyramine, such as red wine, figs, aged cheese, and smoked fish. Whether or not you get a headache depends on how much of these foods you eat or drink, according to health experts. Preliminary research shows that people who are prescribed monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) may experience migraines after eating tyramine-containing foods because of the chemical interaction that occurs.

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Sometimes, the only thing that will hit the spot is a big plate of chili cheese fries. Unfortunately, that same plate will also cause serious digestive problems, such as bloating, gas, and possible constipation or diarrhea. We didn’t mean to gross you out from the start, but that is just the reality of scarfing down a big plate of chili cheese nachos. Fortunately, you don’t have to worry about that with this healthier vegan rendition.

This recipe comes together with a handful of pantry ingredients, many of which are rich in fiber, healthy fats, and protein. To accelerate the prep and cook time of this recipe, we opted to use a can of cooked lentils, instead of dried lentils. If you want to soak and then boil the lentils, you can go that route, but expect to add a couple extra hours to the total recipe time. With the canned lentils (try your best to get unsalted or low-sodium), you can drain and rinse them prior to adding them to the pot with the seasonings. Cook for five minutes and your chili portion of the recipe is ready.

For the best chili cheese fries, you need crispy fries. You can bake the fries in the oven, or you can cook them in an air fryer. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to cook the fries in batches. Once they are nice and crispy on the outside, the fries are ready. While the fries are baking, you can make the cheese sauce, which is from another recipe, but it was so good that we used it again! Let us know how you like this vegan creation!

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A nutritional survey found that about 95% Americans do not meet their recommended daily intake (RDI) of fiber. The RDI of fiber ranges from 21-38 grams, depending on your age and gender. Most people have a lot of room for improvement on this nutrient, which plays an essential role in regulating bowel movements, nurturing the gut, and filling you up. In this article, we detail easy ways to add more fiber to your diet. 

Try Chickpea Pasta

It’s hard not to love pasta, especially because you can usually throw a recipe together in 30 minutes or less. The unfortunate reality is that most people use jarred sauce (full of sodium) and boxed pasta enriched with poor quality ingredients. Instead of feeling tired and bloated, consider switching to chickpea pasta to increase your fiber intake. Two ounces of chickpea pasta (about one cup of noodles) offers eight grams of fiber, which is a major increase from two grams of fiber from regular pasta. Chickpea pasta also has twice the protein content as regular pasta and it’s gluten-free!

Add Lentils To Grain Bowls

You can easily customize grain bowls, but a lot of people like to use rice as the base. Rice, even brown rice, is not the best source of fiber. One cup of brown rice offers 1.6 grams of fiber, while a mere half-cup of lentils offers eight grams of fiber. If you enjoy rice, consider a lentil-rice mixture to enhance the fiber content of your grain bowl. Plus, a half-cup of lentils offers nine grams of protein, and a good portion of the fiber in lentils comes from prebiotics, which feed the probiotics in your gut. 

Blend Kiwis Into Your Smoothies

Kiwis have an incredible vitamin C content and they are bursting with antioxidants. They also contain fiber, with two kiwis offering four to five grams, depending on the size. Half of that fiber content, however, is concentrated in the skin. Most people do not enjoy snacking on fuzzy kiwi skin, though. In order to reap all the fiber benefits of kiwis, toss a couple whole kiwis into your smoothie. You won’t even taste the skin!

Eat Chia Pudding With Berries

Most dietitians agree that breakfast is the best meal of the day to load up on fiber-rich foods. In doing so, you will be full and energized until lunch, avoiding unnecessary snacking. Both chia seeds and berries contain a lot of fiber, despite their small size. A half-cup of raspberries and one tablespoon of chia seeds provide four grams of fiber, each. We have many chia pudding recipes available in our recipe section (click here) if you need some inspiration. 

Snack On Nuts And Figs

Each fig, depending on the size, generally provides one gram of fiber, and one serving of figs is roughly between three to five fruits. Pair those figs with a quarter-cup of almonds for four more grams of fiber and six grams of protein. That makes almonds and figs an ideal snack to give you a natural pick-me-up and fill you up between meals. 

Add Pears To Your Salads

Pears are sneaky fiber superstars, with one medium pear offering five to six grams of fiber. Can you enjoy pears as healthy snacks from time to time? Sure, but adding them to salads can give you a better fiber bang for your buck. Pair your pears with kale (one gram of fiber per cup) and other fiber-rich ingredients for a filling, lunchtime salad!

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One of the trickiest parts about switching from a vegetarian diet to a vegan diet is saying goodbye to cheese. A sharp brick of cheddar, creamy brie, or a luxurious cheese sauce can take your meal to the next level. Fortunately, you can make impressively delicious vegan and raw vegan renditions of cheeses and cheese sauces. You just need a handful of ingredients and a powerful blender!

The great thing about this low-fat vegan cheese sauce, besides the low-fat part, is that it comes together in just five minutes. Normally, vegan or raw vegan cheese sauces either have a base of cashews, another nut, or seeds. This cheese sauce packs a protein punch because the base is beans. This might just be the dairy-free cheese sauce you’ve been missing in your life. In fact, it may be the very sauce that gets you to convert from a vegetarian to a vegan.

Do beans give off that cheesy flavor, though? Unfortunately not, but that’s why you include nutritional yeast. Vegan cheese sauces depend on this ingredient! Fresh lemon juice gives this sauce a zesty zing and the almond milk provides a lovely creaminess to bring everything together. Once you blend all of the ingredients together, taste and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Feel like taking it up a notch? Add some garlic powder and onion powder and you won’t regret it!

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Following a low-calorie diet can be difficult if you are filling up on the wrong foods. Educating yourself on which foods have the lowest calories is a great first step, but the next step is finding which of those foods have a lot of fiber. You see, you can eat a lot of low-calorie foods, but they won’t necessarily fill you up. If you eat high-fiber foods, though, you will feel fuller for longer. 

A common trend among low-calorie foods is that they are naturally low in fat and sugar, making them great for weight loss. Taking in fewer calories than you extend is helpful on your weight loss journey. That said you also need fiber-rich foods to feel full and benefit the digestive system. If you are in search of low-calorie, high-fiber foods to incorporate into your weight loss meals and snacks, there are plenty of delicious options. Continue reading to learn about the foods that are readily available.

Beans And Legumes

Cooked legumes, such as lentils, peas, and beans, are full of fiber and low in calories. They provide lots of plant-based protein and are very inexpensive and versatile. According to the U.S. Dietary Guidelines, people should consume at least 1.5 cups of them each week. You can use beans as a meat replacement in burritos or in burgers. Lentils, peas, and chickpeas go great in soups and stews, and you can add veggies as well. Top salads with chickpeas or black beans, and you can always browse the internet for more legume recipe inspiration.

Vegetables

Ideally, you should aim to consume at least 2.5 cups of vegetables every day. Incorporate certain vegetables into smoothies, salads, stir-fries, soups, stews, and other entree options. Roast some Brussels sprouts, grill some green beans or asparagus, or go green with a big bowl of mixed greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, and more. Most vegetables are low in calories and have lots of water and dietary fiber, making them hydrating, filling options. One cup of boiled Brussels sprouts, for example, contains 56 calories and 3.3 grams of fiber. A 100-gram serving of raw sweet potatoes offers 86 calories and three grams of fiber.

Fruits

A good rule of thumb is to always keep fresh fruit in the house. You can always incorporate fruit into smoothies, on top of yogurt, in salads, desserts, or simply enjoy raw fruit as it is. Fruit usually has 100 calories or less per serving, while also providing lots of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. Take a medium apple, for instance, which offers 95 calories and three grams of fiber. One cup of blueberries contains 84 calories and 3.6 grams of fiber, while a medium pear offers 101 calories and six grams of fiber. And bananas, which everyone should have in their kitchen, offer 89 calories and 2.6 grams of fiber per one medium banana. 

Whole Grains

Packed with fiber, B-vitamins, iron, protein, and other nutrients, whole grains are a great low-calorie addition to your diet. You can incorporate whole grains into breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert options. Enjoy oatmeal for breakfast, a quinoa-based Buddha bowl for lunch, and chickpea pasta or wild rice and legumes for dinner. You just have to be careful with how many grains you consume in a day because the calorie content can add up quickly. One cup of oats offers 307 calories, but it also gives you 8.1 grams of fiber. A single serving (about one cup) of quinoa offers 5.1 grams of fiber, 8.1 grams of protein, and 222 calories. Just be careful not to use packaged, pre-made, or microwaveable varieties because they often contain other preservatives, sodium, and added flavors that negate their health properties. 

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Salads aren’t the same as ice cream, but plenty of people eat them on a regular basis. In fact, a recent poll of 2,000 U.S. adults reported that 62% of the people eat salads four times per week. If that is the case, how do you explain the staggering rates of obesity in America? Well, the unfortunate reality is that people may be sabotaging their salads without knowing it. 

A salad should be a large bowl of fresh, raw vegetables and leafy greens. You can also add fresh fruit, legumes, sprouts, quinoa, and nuts and seeds to enhance your salads. These ingredients make for a terrific, healthy salad, but it’s very easy to go astray and detract from a salad’s health benefits. Drowning your salad in store bought dressing, overdoing the carbs, and forgetting about healthy protein, among other missteps, can turn a nutritious bowl into a caloric nightmare. 

Whether you order out or make your own, be mindful of the following ways you may be sabotaging your salad. 

Drowning It In Dressing

Here’s the thing about dressings…they can be healthy, especially if you make them yourself. Ideally, you want a dressing that is not too light, but not too heavy, either. The dressing can drastically increase the calories of your salad because most store bought dressings contain excess fat, dairy products, sodium, and processed ingredients. You don’t want your salad to turn into a 2,000-calorie meal. Balsamic, apple cider, and red wine vinegars are all great to mix with olive oil, avocado oil, or grape seed oil. Choose your favorite seasonings and get after it! Be sure to comb through our salads and dressings section here for inspiration.

Going Crazy With The Croutons

Croutons, quite simply, are very high in saturated fat, sodium, and refined carbohydrates. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), just a half-ounce of croutons contains 99 milligrams (mg) of sodium and 10 grams (g) of carbs. While there are healthier versions of croutons, most of the available choices are unhealthy. Rather than cover your salad in processed bread cubes, add a satisfying crunch to your salad with nuts or seeds, chickpeas, kale chips, or dried seaweed. 

Using Light Greens

We aren’t talking about weight, we’re talking about color. A lot of people use iceberg lettuce, which isn’t the unhealthiest thing you can eat, but it pales in comparison to darker leafy greens like spinach, kale, romaine lettuce, and arugula. For example, one cup of spinach provides 30 mg of calcium and .8 mg of iron, whereas a cup of iceberg lettuce only offers 10.3 mg of calcium and .2 mg of iron. Dark leafy greens are naturally rich in fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Many reports and studies confirm that these greens contain health properties that can help combat heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and can improve gut health. Consider abandoning the lighter leaves and focus on darker, richer greens. Plus, using different greens helps change up your salad, which works to keep your taste buds interested.

Forgetting Protein

If a salad is going to be your meal, you need to make it substantial. While you can have a large bowl of different fruits and vegetables, you may want to include additional sources of protein. A salad doesn’t have to be a wimpy afterthought! When people hear the word “protein,” they tend to associate it with poultry, meat, chicken, fish, or eggs. If you don’t want to include animal products, there are many vegan protein sources to choose from. Nuts, seeds, legumes, and whole grains all offer protein and other nutrients that help increase feelings of fullness. Don’t be afraid to put nuts or avocado in your salad because you think it will increase the calories too much. All those store bought dressings and croutons do the exact same thing in a much unhealthier way. 

Packaged Dressings

Store bought and packaged salad dressings, which can come in bagged salads, are very convenient, but they contain a lot of problematic ingredients. These dressings can contain high amounts of sodium, saturated fat, and artificial additives. Additionally, these dressings can be sneaky sources of added sugars. Some store bought dressings use low-quality oils that aren’t as healthy as olive oil or avocado oil. Soybean oil, which is the common oil in store bought dressings, was linked to an increased risk of heart disease in a 2018 study. Olive oil, on the other hand, works to encourage healthier heart function.

Your Salad Is Boring

If you eat the same salad every single time, you will tire of it quickly. Not only is mixing up your ingredients a great way to get a diverse mix of nutrients, but it also changes up the flavors. A salad of kale, pistachios, apples, blueberries, and sunflower seeds is much different than a salad of arugula, pears, and dried figs. If you enjoy a certain leafy green or a few specific ingredients, you can carry them over from salad to salad. Bell peppers, nuts, dried fruit, and in season produce can take your salads to the next level. And don’t forget about different herbs!

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Tikka masala is a dish that typically contains roasted marinated chicken cubes in an aromatic and highly flavorful sauce. The complexity of the sauce seems almost impossible to attain in your own kitchen, but all you need are a few key ingredients. This sauce is usually cream and orange in color and Indian cooks who moved to England popularized the dish. Now, it is a staple on most Indian restaurant menus, but there are about 48 variations for the sauce.

Although sauce recipes may vary, they usually contain tomatoes, coconut milk, garlic, onions, and a masala spice mix. The color turns orange when you include ingredients like turmeric, paprika, and tomato paste. While the sauce deserves high praise, the featured protein in this recipe is no slouch in the nutritional department. Chickpeas, or garbanzo beans, have been grown and eaten in Middle Eastern countries for thousands of years. They are rich in fiber, protein, magnesium, phosphorus, healthy fats, folate, iron, zinc, copper, selenium, and manganese.

Chickpeas do a great job at making you feel full because the protein and fiber work to slow digestion. This process promotes feelings of fullness and may increase levels of appetite-reducing hormones in the body. Protein is also essential for weight management, bone health, and muscle strength. Some studies even found that the quality of protein in chickpeas is superior to the protein from other legumes. That is because chickpeas contain all of the essential amino acids, except methionine.

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If you are familiar with the content we post, then you know we laugh at the idea of a salad being a simple side dish. We direct the spotlight on the salad, allowing it to take center stage as the main course. You just need to pack it with plenty of cruciferous and colorful vegetables, heart-healthy nuts, savory beans, avocados, berries, and, most importantly, an incredible dressing. 

Make It Colorful

In order to make the perfect salad, you want to include as many nutrient-dense, filling ingredients as possible. If you can make it as colorful as possible, that is a bonus. The reason you want to include colorful foods, such as blueberries, purple cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, or bell peppers, is to diversify your antioxidant intake. This relates back to the concept of “eating the rainbow.” Eating this way not only ensures that you eat a wide range of fruits and vegetables, but also that you eat as many vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients as possible. Continue reading to learn about other tips to make a great post-holiday detox salad. 

Start With The Greens

Greens will form the base of your salad, but you don’t have to be traditional with your choice of leaves. Some people enjoy crispy romaine, while others prefer the diversity of spring mixed greens. Kale makes for an excellent salad base, so long as you remove the thick stems and chop it finely. Arugula is a great choice if you water a peppery base, and shredded Brussels sprouts or cabbage work well as bases for slaws. The point is that green vegetables are some of the healthiest foods on the planet! Some people abide by the phrase, “The more you eat green, the more you get lean.”

Don’t Be Afraid Of Onions

Onions, garlic, and other members of the allium family, exhibit unique flavor profiles. They have a strong bite, but a lot of health benefits come with that intensity. For example, onions exhibit impressive anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties because of their sulfide compounds. The same compounds that make your eyes tear up benefit your health! If you need to tame the intensity of onions, soak them in a little sea salt and lemon/lime juice. You can also crush up fresh garlic to incorporate into your salad dressing. Fun fact: crushing the garlic actually releases the health properties!

Bring Legumes To The Party

Legumes are naturally rich in fiber and protein, two things that help fill you up. When you add them to salads, they add a starchy creaminess that is very hard to replicate. In fact, you keep aiming for black beans, kidney beans, or garbanzo beans bite after bite! Most beans are naturally rich in soluble and insoluble fiber, in addition to resistant starch. Plus, several studies found that they exhibit anti-diabetic and anti-inflammatory properties. 

Dress For Success

Before you dig into your big bowl of greens, colorful vegetables and fruits, onions, and legumes, you need a proper dressing. You can go with a simple vinaigrette using olive oil, your favorite vinegar, and sea salt and pepper, or you can blend several ingredients into a dressing. If you prefer creamy dressings, consider blending avocado, cilantro, olive oil, lime juice, cumin, and salt and pepper. Once your dressing is ready to go, drizzle it over your salad, toss to coat all the ingredients, and serve. When ready to eat, you can top with some almonds, walnuts, cashews, or other nuts and seeds of your choice. 

We regularly publish salad recipes on our website. If you need inspiration, you can click here to view all of our salad recipes. It’s a useful resource that can help you if you’re ever in a pinch.

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Too often do you hear phrases like, “My mother has Alzheimer’s disease,” or, “My father has dementia.” The sad reality of growing old is that the brain starts to deteriorate. In fact, research shows that roughly one in nine adults in the United States develop some form of cognitive decline. Fortunately, there are daily habits that can drastically reduce your risk of diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Placing more focus on what goes into your grocery cart and on your plate can help you avoid cognitive decline. Avoiding ultra-processed foods may be one of the best dietary interventions you make. Research shows that these foods, which include things like packaged snacks foods and sugary beverages, are largely responsible for high rates of cognitive decline. This is especially true for people who follow the Standard American Diet. A recent 2022 study indicated that replacing 10% of your ultra-processed food intake with fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains helped reduce dementia risk by 19%. This study followed 72,083 adults 55 years or older for 10 years. The general observation was that providing the body with foods that exhibit brain-protecting nutrients helped improve overall cognition. 

Since food is one of the easiest ways you can improve brain health, why not start eating healthier for your brain? Keep your brain functioning optimally by giving it foods that contain brain-boosting nutrients. Continue reading to learn about which foods benefit your brain. 

Blueberries

Loaded with anthocyanins, which are plant compounds that exhibit anti-inflammatory properties, blueberries may provide protection against oxidative stress and inflammation. Both oxidative stress and inflammation contribute to brain aging and neurodegenerative diseases. Some of the antioxidants in blueberries may accumulate in the brain and improve communication between brain cells. Several review studies also concluded that blueberries helped to improve memory and certain cognitive processes in children and older adults. 

Black Lentils

Not all lentils are created equal when it comes to boosting brain health. Black lentils, just like all legumes, are naturally rich in fiber. According to a 2022 study, a diet lacking in fiber may be jeopardizing long-term brain function. Adults should consume 28 grams of fiber per day on a 2,000 calorie diet. In addition to being rich in soluble fiber, black lentils, just like blueberries, contain anthocyanins. A 2021 study found that adults who ate at least half a serving of foods rich in flavonoids experienced reduced their risk of cognitive decline by 20%. Anthocyanins exhibit anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects that help prevent premature loss of cognitive abilities. 

Tempeh

Adding more protein to your diet isn’t just beneficial for building lean muscle; rather, it may potentially slow brain decline. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published an investigative report that tested the associations between yearly protein intake and age-related cognitive decline. The results found that adult women and men who consumed more protein than carbohydrates over several years experienced fewer signs of cognitive decline. Health experts say that your protein should ideally come from wild caught fish, poultry, and legumes. Interestingly enough, plant sources of protein were linked to better cognitive function than animal protein sources. All of this is to say that tempeh is an incredible source of plant-based protein, delivering 20 grams in a three-ounce serving. It is also rich in iron, which helps to transport oxygen throughout the body, including the brain. 

Broccoli

Broccoli contains an assortment of nutrients, but it is the vitamin K and plant compounds that interest researchers in regards to brain health. One cup of cooked broccoli delivers more than 100% of your recommended daily intake of vitamin K. This fat-soluble vitamin helps to form sphingolipids, which are fats that densely populate brain cells. Older adults that consume more vitamin K have better overall cognitive function and memory. The anti-inflammatory benefits of the antioxidants may also protect against cognitive damage. 

Strawberries

According to recent research, strawberries contain pelargonidin, a compound that is more abundant in strawberries than any other fruit. Pelargonidin may be linked to fewer neurofibrillary tau tangles in the brain. Why is this important? Well, abnormal changes in tau proteins in the brain are one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease. Pelargonidin exhibits anti-inflammatory properties that may decrease overall neuroinflammation. Keeping tau proteins from becoming inflamed may allow for easier transport of nutrients between brain nerve cells. 

Spinach

Popeye’s favorite green is an excellent choice to help keep your cognitive abilities strong as you age. The reason for this is because spinach contains carotenoid antioxidants, including lutein and beta-carotene. Both of these carotenoids may lower the odds of poor cognitive function in women as they age, according to a 2020 study. A separate research study found that middle-aged participants with higher levels of lutein had neural activity that was on par with younger adults. You need to regularly consume carotenoid-rich foods like spinach if you want to experience their full brain-boosting benefits, though. Eating them every once in a while isn’t going to do the trick.

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Eating smart for your heart is a great idea, no matter if you are young and healthy, or elderly and suffering from heart problems. Your diet is often the best place to start when it comes to improving your health. This is especially true for your heart because many foods in the Standard American Diet cause higher levels of triglycerides, cholesterol, and inflammatory markers. 

In addition to watching what you eat, it can be beneficial to control your portion sizes, limit unhealthy fats, and choose low-fat protein sources. Regular cardiovascular exercise can also play a big role in your efforts to improve heart health. When it comes to controlling blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglycerides, though, you should focus on eating more of the following foods. You’ll notice that all of these foods are plant-based, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, or legumes. Besides boasting incredible nutritional profiles, these foods are very tasty. 

Berries

Pick a berry, any berry! Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries all contain vital antioxidants, like anthocyanins, that protect against inflammation and oxidative stress. Both of those can increase your risk of developing heart-related illness. One study monitored 33 obese adults, half of which ate two and a half servings of berries for a four-week period. After the study, the group that ate berries significantly improved insulin resistance and lowered LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. A separate analysis of 22 studies found that eating berries helped lower systolic blood pressure, body mass index, and certain inflammatory markers. 

Oats

Researchers note that the soluble fiber in oats, and other whole grains, can help lower LDL cholesterol levels. Oats alone will not solve your heart problems, though. In addition to the heart-healthy fiber in oats, health experts advise that you reduce your intake of saturated fat if you want to reduce the risk of heart disease. A half-cup serving of oats contains two grams of soluble fiber, making oatmeal an excellent breakfast option. Just don’t add a bunch of sugar and unhealthy toppings. 

Avocados

Rich in monounsaturated heart-healthy fats, avocados should be one of your go-to foods to improve the health of your heart. According to several studies, avocados exhibit lipid-lowering and cardioprotective properties. For example, one study monitored three cholesterol-lowering diets in 45 overweight people. One of the groups consumed one avocado per day, and that group experienced reductions in LDL cholesterol, which can significantly increase the risk of heart attack. In addition to the heart-healthy fats, avocados also contain potassium, a nutrient that helps to reduce the amount of sodium in the body. That can go a long way towards reducing your blood pressure.

Beans

Beans contain resistant starch, which actually resists digestion and gets fermented by your gut microbiome. Resistant start positively affects the gut, improving resident microbiota. One older study of 16 people found that eating pinto beans reduced blood triglycerides and LDL cholesterol levels. A review of 26 studies found that diets higher in beans and legumes significantly reduced LDL cholesterol. Plus, eating more beans can help you reduce blood pressure and inflammation, according to researchers. 

Beets

There are many nutrients in beets that are beneficial for your heart. They contain potassium, nitrates, folate, manganese, vitamin C, and iron. Out of those nutrients, the potassium and nitrates stand out. The body converts dietary nitrates from beets into nitric oxide, which works to dilate blood vessels. In doing so, you lift the stress off your heart and may improve blood pressure. Beet juice is the most concentrated way to reap these heart-healthy benefits, but make sure the juice is cold-pressed and free of added sugars. 

Almonds

Almonds exhibit a very impressive nutritional profile, boasting a long list of heart-healthy vitamins and minerals. Two of the standout nutrients are monounsaturated fats and fiber, both of which help protect the heart from disease. Researchers found that eating almonds can also positively affect cholesterol levels. One study monitored people with high cholesterol who ate 1.5 ounces of almonds a day for six weeks. They were able to reduce belly fat and LDL cholesterol levels, two risk factors for heart disease. 

Garlic

Since ancient times, people have used garlic in various medicinal applications. In recent years, researchers have identified that garlic contains nutrients that help to improve heart health. Garlic contains allicin, a compound that exhibits a series of therapeutic benefits. One review of 39 studies found that garlic extract can inhibit platelet buildup, which may reduce the risk of stroke and blood clots. Additionally, garlic may be able to lower LDL cholesterol levels and help regulate blood pressure.

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