Ten Foods That May Help Keep Your Heart Healthy

A new study published in the journal Food and Function says that even people who eat the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables a day may still fall short on flavonols, a plant compound linked to heart and brain health. Flavonols, also known as flavan-3-ols or catechins, are natural antioxidants found in foods such as cocoa, grapes, plums and certain teas.

The researchers reviewed current fruit and vegetable guidance and found that only 25% of participants who met the five-a-day target also reached the recommended 500 mg of flavonols a day, the amount they said is needed for heart health. Fewer than one in five participants in the study met that flavonol target.

The problem, the researchers said, is that not all fruits and vegetables contain the same amount of flavonols. To get enough of them, they advised focusing on specific foods. Their top 10 sources were plums, cranberries, blackberries, green tea, broad beans, cherries, apples with skin, strawberries, blueberries and pinto beans, with the listed amounts ranging from 70 mg in two tablespoons of pinto beans to 450 mg in 500 grams of plums.

Despite the study’s findings, the British Nutrition Foundation said keeping to five portions a day remains essential and beneficial. It said that intake is linked to longer life expectancy and lower risk of death from heart disease, cancer and respiratory disease, while still providing more flavonols than eating none.