5 Red Fruits That Are Essential For Heart Health

The health benefits and nutritional worth of fruit are widely recognized. Did you know, though, that eating fruit can also increase your lifespan and heart health?

1. Cherries

Sweet cherries, sour cherries, dried cherries, and cherry juice are all delectable. They are all abundant in antioxidants called anthocyanins. They are believed to help protect blood vessels. Add dried cherries to cereal, muffin batter, wild rice, and green salads.

2. Raspberries

These well-known berries—you could even call them nature’s sweets—make a delicious snack and are excellent for cardiovascular health. Consuming berries, like raspberries, for example, has been associated with several cardiometabolic benefits, including reduced inflammation, improved blood pressure, lowered LDL cholesterol, and healthy weight control.

3. Tomatoes

Do you find it surprising that tomatoes are on the list of heart-healthy fruits? Tomatoes grow on shrubs and are members of the berry family. In a recent study, researchers at Tufts University in Boston found that eating foods high in lycopene, such tomatoes, more than five times a week during an 11-year period reduced the risk of coronary heart disease by 26%. Tomatoes and several other fruits and vegetables receive their color from the antioxidant lycopene. But the tastiest tomatoes are cooked. The heating process enhances lycopene absorption.

4. Apples

Apple consumption can reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol by as much as 40% every day. Additionally, the Iowa Women’s Health Study, which tracked more than 34,000 postmenopausal women for 18 years, found that eating apples was associated with a decreased risk of dying from heart disease. The best antioxidants are found in the fruit’s skins, so consume the fruit rather than the juice.

5. Strawberry

Consuming strawberries on a daily basis might improve your heart health and taste delicious. LDL cholesterol is reduced by this type of soluble fiber and the pectin enzyme present in strawberries.