Why Your Heart Needs to Eat More Plants (And How to Get Started)

Healthy eating is having a moment, and for good reason. The foods you choose today play a big role in how well your heart functions for years to come.1) The good news? Keeping your heart healthy doesn’t require a complicated or restrictive diet. In fact, many of the most heart-friendly foods are simple, colorful staples like fruits and vegetables.

Despite what the flashy headlines might suggest, heart health isn’t just about one « superfood. » It’s about consistent eating patterns that put more plants at the center of your plate. When you build this habit, the benefits are not only long-term in better cardiovascular health, but also in the short-term with improved nutrient intake. (1,2)

Ready to add more heart-healthy plants to your plate? Read on for the lowdown on what to prioritize and how to get started today.

Why plants are great for your cardiovascular health

Heart-healthy fruits and vegetables are rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.3) Think fruits, such as berries, grapes and watermelon, vegetables, such as leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables, and even protein-packed legumes, such as beans and lentils. Together, these foods can help improve the symptoms that accompany 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 a variety of colors of fruits and vegetables

Reaching for a variety of colors is an easy way to cover your nutritional bases and keep your heart happy. Each color of produce on the market contains different phytonutrients, such as antioxidants.4) These are those good guys that keep your body healthy and push free radicals (or those foreign invaders that can harm your heart over time) to the curb.(4)

Need some inspiration? Use this little cheat sheet to take advantage of the colorful benefits that different products offer.

• Blue and purple:(5)
  • Fruits: blueberries, currants, grapes, plums, raisins
  • Vegetables: olives, cabbage, eggplant, potatoes
• green:(5)
  • Fruits: avocado, honeydew, kiwi, lime, green pea
  • Vegetables: artichoke, broccoli, celery, leafy greens, okra
• Yellow and Orange:(5)
  • Fruits: apricots, melon, mango, peaches, persimmon
  • Vegetables: Butternut Squash, Carrots, Pumpkin, Sweet Corn
• red:(5)  
  • Fruits: apples, cherries, strawberries, watermelon
  • Vegetables: red peppers, radishes, onions, rhubarb, tomatoes
• White, brown and brown:(5)
  • Fruits: bananas, dates, peaches
  • Vegetables: cauliflower, garlic, mushrooms, potatoes

3 easy ways to eat more plants in a healthy diet

And they don’t require you 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 extremely convenient to add more volume to your meals with our product friends. Keep these tips in mind when shopping these aisles:

• Choose dried fruit without added sugar.
• Choose canned fruit in water or own juice (no added syrups). Rinse under cool running water to reduce sugar content before consumption.
• Choose canned vegetables that are low in sodium, such as canned beans, corn, peas, and lentils. Rinse them under cool running water when you open the top to reduce sodium even more. (6)
• Buy frozen fruits and vegetables without added sauces or seasonings.

2. Food preparation products after you shop

You’ve just unpacked your groceries and this beautiful produce is calling your name. First step, done. But instead of letting it sit and spoil (because let’s be honest, life is busy), make it right away. Distribute baby carrots in snack bags for work, chop lettuce for ready-to-eat salads, or prepare other fruits and vegetables so they’re easy to grab throughout the week.

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

3. Plan meals around produce – then add protein

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

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

Bottom row

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 levels, and reducing inflammation.1,2)

But you don’t need to constantly think about how to eat more plants. MyFitnessPal nutritionist Kathryn Basbaum shares, « Adding another fruit or vegetable to your plate at every meal is one of the easiest ways to keep your heart healthy for the long haul. »

Start today by pairing a handful of berries with your morning bagel sandwich. You don’t have to become a green smoothie lover if that’s not your thing. Progress, not perfection, is what matters most in the long run. Use the MyFitnessPal Meal Planner to discover opportunities to add more fruits and vegetables to your routine.

The post Why Your Heart Needs to Eat More Plants (and How to Get Started) appeared first on the MyFitnessPal Blog.

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