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Every year September 29 marks the World Heart Day. It aims to create heart health awareness and sensitise about cardiovascular disease (CVD) and its alarming signs, preventing and curative steps and how to help people with CVD. Cardiovascular diseases can be hereditary for a few. For others, it causes due to wrong lifestyle choices. A significant part revolves around the food that one consumes. However, the good news is by incorporating certain heart-friendly nuts and seeds; one can restore cardiac health and prevent and cure an ailment related to it.
Nuts and seeds are an essential part of such diets. Numerous heart-healthy elements, including vitamin E, omega-3 fatty acids, fibre, and unsaturated fats, are present in almost all nuts and seeds. They might assist in lowering cholesterol, reducing inflammation, enhancing blood vessel health, and reducing heart disease risk. Use them as snacks, include them in your diet, or add them to salads, nut butter, yoghurt, or other dishes.
Almonds
Almonds, Image Source: Unsplash
LDL cholesterol, sometimes known as bad cholesterol, is reduced by eating almonds. LDL contributes to the development of coronary artery plaques that can result in heart attacks. It is reduced by almonds in a dose-dependent way. In other words, one can lower LDL even more by eating more almonds. According to clinical nutrition research, almonds can reduce the chance of developing insulin resistance and diabetes. Almonds can enhance your insulin sensitivity, even if you already have diabetes. Several studies have also shown that consuming almonds minimises bodily inflammation.
Walnuts
Walnuts kernels, Image Source: Pexels
Polyunsaturated fatty acids, also known as "healthy fats," make up 47% of walnuts' composition. They are the only nuts containing a sizable quantity of a particular fat called alpha-linolenic acid. The anti-inflammatory effects of alpha-linoleic acid have been demonstrated to help lessen plaque formation in coronary arteries. It has been shown that consuming walnuts enhances blood vessels and small artery health. Recent research found that people who ate 43 g of walnuts daily had lower total and LDL cholesterol levels. The amount of apolipoprotein B, a significant genetic risk factor for coronary artery disease, was decreased by walnut consumption.
Pistachio
Include this heart health-boosting nut in your diet. A study of participants subjected to mental stress discovered that after consuming about 1.5 ounces of pistachios per day, their blood pressure rose less than that of non-pistachio participants. Consuming pistachios decrease LDL and total cholesterol in those with diabetes. It can lessen the chance of artery disease brought on by diabetes. A diet high in pistachios (approximately 6 to 10 gm/day) improved 24-hour blood pressure readings, cardiac function, and output in a four-week trial of diabetic patients reported in 2014. Consider adding pistachios if you want to lower your cholesterol, enhance how you handle stress, and drop your blood pressure.
Rules for nuts:
According to Mayoclinic: A balanced diet for adults should include 4 to 6 servings of unsalted almonds each week. A modest handful (1.5 ounces) of whole nuts or 2 teaspoons of nut butter constitutes one serving. Nuts fried in oil should be avoided; opt instead for raw or dry-roasted nuts.
Black sesame seeds
The macrominerals and trace minerals in black sesame seeds are very abundant. Some trace minerals in black sesame seeds, including iron, copper, and manganese, are crucial for controlling your immune system, metabolism, cell function, and oxygen circulation throughout your body, among other things. These seeds are composed of over 50% oil. Thus, they are an excellent source of beneficial monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. According to the most recent scientific research, switching to a diet high in unsaturated fats instead of meals high in saturated fats may reduce your chance of developing heart disease.
Sunflower seeds
Sunflower seeds, Image Source: Unsplash
Consuming seeds, notably sunflower seeds, has been related in studies to lower incidences of heart disease, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat are two types of "good" fat abundant in sunflower seeds. 14 grammes of fat are included in a three-fourths cup serving of sunflower seeds. Numerous vitamins and minerals, including zinc and selenium, can be found in sunflower seeds. The anti-inflammatory, anti-infective, and immune-boosting effects of selenium are essential.
