While wearing red raises awareness of heart disease, eating red may lower your chance of heart disease! Check out these red foods that are great for heart health.
Share this post with the women in your life to encourage them to eat a heart-healthy diet! #GoRed
The color of a fruit or vegetable says a lot about it – each different color contains unique phytochemicals that are essential to our health. Red fruits and vegetables contain lycopene, ellagic acid, Quercetin, and Hesperidin among many other nutrients. Regular consumption of red fruits and veggies can help lower blood pressure, reduce tumor growth, reverse the effects of harmful free-radicals and support joint tissue in arthritis cases. The National Cancer Institute even recommends the consumption of deep red or bright pink fruits and vegetables daily!
One of the main good-for-you nutrients in red foods is lycopene, a carotene that helps protect against several cancers and heart disease. Lycopene is oil-soluable, so a tip to increase your absorption is to combine your red vegetables with a little olive oil. With the help of a little oil, your body can absorb 70% of the lycopene in a tomato.
Another important group of nutrient found in red foods are anthocyanins, a group of powerful antioxidants that help control high blood pressure and protect against diabetes-related circulatory complications. Good sources of anthocyanins include: raspberries, strawberries, cranberries, red cabbage, kidney beans, cherries, beets, and red apples.
While fruits and vegetables are an incredibly healthy part of your diet, many are high in natural sugars and other carbohydrates. You can balance the benefits with the need to consider total consumption of natural sugars by continuing to eat healthy sources of protein and eating a variety of fruits and vegetables.
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