5 foods for a healthy heart - Fox 2 News Headlines

A lot of us grab some breakfast, maybe a bagel, or a breakfast bar, and we're out the door. Then we eat lunch, and maybe even dinner on the go, too. There may be simpler way to eat better.
     
Registered dietitian Paige Love with Nutrafit Sport therapy says it's easy to find foods that will help you keep your heart healthy -- think red, think blue, think bright and buy those foods.

"Heart disease is an inflammatory disease, so if we can take in foods that do the opposite, actually help bring down inflammation, these red, purple foods.  In fact, being heart month, we want to eat red," said Love.

The deeper the color, the more packed fruits and vegetables are with heart-healthy nutrients.

"So, put your red peppers, put your tomatoes, put your berries on your salad.  Make it as colorful as possible, even with purple cabbage," Love said.

Deep green vegetables are a great option. Berries may not look like much, but they are a nutritional powerhouse.

"Blueberries, strawberries, so any of those purple red berries," said Love.

For protein, think pink and go for salmon, or any deep water fish. Love says try for three or four servings a week. It's high in Omega 3 and helps thin the blood.

Oatmeal doesn't have much color, but it's packed with fiber, which may lower your bad cholesterol.

Love says there's lots of buzz about tart cherry juice,

"There's new evidence showing it is really an inflammation fighter. It can help with heart disease. It can help with muscle soreness after physical activity. So open a cup of tart cherry juice a day seems to be as helpful as taking one Advil in our body as far as anti-inflammatory benefits," said Love.

Instead of trying to go out and buy all the food we mentioned, add one or two to your shopping cart on your next trip to the store. Love says work your way up to eating at least five or six servings of the bright fruits and vegetables a day.