Combining certain foods helps maintain healthy arteries and reduces the risk of heart attacks.
A heart attack or “myocardial infarction” occurs when a coronary artery, responsible for supplying the heart with blood, becomes blocked and deprives the heart muscle of oxygen. If age and genetics are important, lifestyle, and in particular diet, plays a determining role. Learning to combine certain foods wisely allows you to bring together essential nutrients in one plate to preserve the health of the arteries. A doctor recommends his “ideal” meal, simple and tasty, and above all good for the heart.
The effectiveness of this meal is based on four nutritional pillars. The first consists of favoring “good fats”, in particular omega-3, for their powerful anti-inflammatory properties. Next, it aims to increase potassium intake. This essential mineral acts as a regulator of the heart rhythm and, as Dr. Eric Berg, chiropractor and nutrition specialist, points out, it is essential for “soften the arteries”. The third pillar is magnesium, whose role is “to prevent calcium from building up in the arteries”thus preventing their stiffening. Finally, this meal promotes the production of nitric oxide which is “a vasodilator” explains Dr. Berg on Instagram, specifying that he “helps soften the arteries around the heart” to improve blood circulation.
Concretely, this heart-protecting meal includes a protein base: wild salmon. In addition to being “one of the best food sources for vitamin D”it is very rich in omega-3. It is accompanied by arugula and pieces of avocado, all drizzled with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. The rocket is “the best source of nitric oxide” to help dilate the vessels. Avocado provides a good dose of potassium and olive oil contains antioxidant polyphenols. To finish on a gourmet note, a square of dark chocolate with a high cocoa content is recommended for its magnesium intake.
The main thing is not to eat this single dish every day, but to draw inspiration from these principles to vary your dishes. So, to stock up on “good fats”, also think about sardines, mackerel and nuts. For a potassium boost, spinach and sweet potatoes are excellent alternatives to avocado. Magnesium is also found in abundance in almonds and legumes. Finally, to promote the dilation of the vessels, beetroot and green leafy vegetables are other allies of choice. We must never forget that each meal is an opportunity to take care of your heart.
