Nine Heart-Healthy Foods for Summer

In summer, clothing is often light and quilts are thin, so even healthy people must guard against external pathogens. Once sick, one should not轻易 use diaphoretic agents to avoid excessive sweating which can damage the heart. The elderly should pay special attention to preventing qi and blood stagnation to prevent heart attacks. Therefore, in summer, one's mood should be cheerful, relaxed, and happy, and one must avoid extreme joy that can harm the heart. As the saying goes: For heart care, food comes first! So, which foods actually have the effect of protecting and nourishing the heart? Today, the editor has rounded up the following fine products for you, why not give them a try!

1. Pig Heart

The pig heart is neutral in nature and sweet and salty in taste, with the functions of nourishing the heart, replenishing blood, calming the mind, and relieving shock. It is rich in protein and components like calcium, phosphorus, and vitamins, with low fat content. It can enhance myocardial nutrition and increase myocardial contractility.

Sautéed Pig Heart with Pickled Cabbage

2. Eggs

Eggs are neutral in nature and sweet in taste, with the effects of nourishing yin and moistening dryness, replenishing qi and blood, and calming the mind and securing the fetus. They are not only rich in protein, eight essential amino acids for the human body, and various vitamins, but also have extremely high nutritional value. They also contain lecithin, which can enhance and improve memory function. Modern research has confirmed that it can indeed remove cholesterol from the body, lower blood lipids, and protect blood vessels.

Therefore, consuming no more than 2 eggs daily not only avoids the harm of increasing blood lipids but can also prevent and treat cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension and atherosclerosis, and is also beneficial for senile dementia.

3. Red Wine

Drinking red wine in moderation is beneficial for the heart. It can increase the level of high-density lipoprotein, or "good" cholesterol, and make the blood thinner, reducing the possibility of blood clots that cause heart attacks and strokes. Additionally, because red wine is rich in bioflavonoids, it can prevent the oxidation of low-density lipoprotein, thereby reducing its adhesion to the arterial walls.

Egg Milk Grape Crisps

4. Grapes

Grapes are neutral in nature and sweet and sour in taste, with the effects of replenishing qi and blood, strengthening muscles and bones, and promoting urination. They are rich in various nutrients and have a nourishing and excitatory effect on the brain's nerves. Due to their high content of iron and potassium (especially in raisins), they are an important source for replenishing iron and potassium, which is beneficial for correcting anemia and stabilizing the electrophysiological function of myocardial cells.

5. Jujubes

Jujubes are warm in nature and sweet in taste, with the functions of nourishing blood and calming the mind, replenishing qi and promoting body fluids, tonifying the spleen and stomach, and moderating the properties of other herbs. In addition to being rich in amino acids, carbohydrates, vitamins, and various minerals, they also contain substances that can regulate material metabolism and cell proliferation and division. They can dilate blood vessels, improve myocardial nutrition, enhance myocardial contractility, and help stabilize the normal activity of the heart. The flavonoids and dammarane-type saponins they contain also have sedative, hypnotic, antihypertensive, and anti-fatigue, endurance-increasing effects. Because they are rich in various vitamins, with Vitamin C content the highest among fresh fruits—82 times that of apples—they are known as the "natural vitamin pill."

Lily Seed and Pumpkin with Lotus Seeds

6. Lotus Seeds

Lotus seeds are slightly cool in nature and sweet and astringent in taste, with the functions of nourishing the heart, tonifying the spleen, and strengthening the kidneys. In addition to containing protein, carbohydrates, a small amount of fat, and various vitamins, they are also rich in minerals such as phosphorus, calcium, and iron. The lotus alkaloid they contain has the effect of strengthening the heart and lowering blood pressure.

7. Avocado

When making sandwiches or spinach salads, you can add some avocado to increase the amount of heart-healthy fats in your diet—monounsaturated fats. This type of fat in avocados helps reduce "bad" cholesterol in the body while increasing "good" cholesterol.

Longan and Shrimp Balls

8. Longan Aril

Longan aril is warm in nature and sweet in taste, with the functions of benefiting the heart and spleen, replenishing qi and blood, and calming the mind. It contains various organic acids, amino acids, proteins, and abundant minerals and vitamins, which have a nourishing effect on the whole body. It also contains substances like adenine and choline, which are particularly beneficial to brain cells, and have effects such as eliminating fatigue, enhancing memory, and anti-aging. Research has found that longan aril contains a substance that can significantly inhibit the activity of an enzyme that accelerates aging in the body, thus it has a significant anti-aging effect.

9. Oatmeal

Rich in omega-3 fatty acids, folic acid, and potassium. Fiber-rich oatmeal can lower "bad" cholesterol (i.e., low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, LDL) in the blood and help clear arteries. It is recommended to eat a bowl of hot oatmeal porridge in the morning. You can also choose the "a bowl of oatmeal + a banana" method to intake an additional 4 grams of fiber. Instant oatmeal contains less dietary fiber, so it is better to choose coarse oatmeal. You can sprinkle some crushed flaxseeds on your oatmeal or whole wheat breakfast.

Nine Heart-Healthy Foods for Summer

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