Bananas are one of the best foods that can supply energy to your body. Rich in potassium and B vitamins, bananas will help slow down digestion, making you feel full and keep your blood sugar levels stable.

Bananas also contain vitamins A, B6 and C, fiber, potassium, phosphorous, iron, and carbohydrate. The carbohydrates and vitamin B6 helps to boost your mood, reduces anxiety and also aids sleep. Bananas are good for your heart.

They are packed with potassium, a mineral electrolyte that keeps electricity flowing throughout your body, which is required to keep your heart beating. Bananas can be helpful in overcoming depression, improving vision, for bones and for weight loss.

2. Water

Water is an extremely important element for our bodies to function properly. Try starting the day with a mug of freshly boiled water and a slice of lemon. Also, drink plenty of water, possibly 1-2L a day. When we’re dehydrated, it can really affect our ability to concentrate.

3. Coconut

Coconut contains beneficial oils that provide a nutritious source of energy. It primarily consists of medium chain triglycerides, a type of fat that is turned into energy quickly and efficiently. Also, the coconut will prevent you from feeling lethargic throughout the day as it is utilized by the body to actually produce energy rather than store it as fat.

4. Fruits

Thanks to the minerals, vitamins, and micronutrients in fruits, it is found to lower the risk of depression. It can also boost your mood and satisfy your sweet tooth. Try to include fresh fruits in your daily diet for health and happiness.

5. Spinach

Spinach, rich in Vitamin B, is found to alleviate depression. Studies show that serotonin production can actually be hindered by low Vitamin B levels. Important B vitamins to look out for include folate, vitamins B3, B6, and B12. The perfect natural solution for this is to include leafy green vegetables such as spinach or broccoli in your regular diet.

Heart-healthy diets: Did you know your diet plays a pivotal role when it comes to your heart health? A study published in the European Society of Cardiology’s journal found that eating unhealthy diets is one of the main contributors to heart attacks and other heart disease. The best way to avoid that is by eating the right diet in your daily regimen. Here are 5 heart-healthy diets to keep cardiovascular diseases at bay.

DASH diet: DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, which is specially designed to cater to your heart. It includes foods that are rich in calcium, magnesium, and potassium. The purpose of the diet is to control blood pressure by limiting the intake of sodium, saturated fats, and added sugars.

Mediterranean diet: Several studies, including the one published in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, found that eating a Mediterranean diet can be beneficial for your heart. This diet includes a lot of vegetables, fruits, legumes, seeds, fish, and nuts. It also involves restricting your calorie intake.

Flexitarian diet: The diet is a combination of two words: flexible and vegetarian. It includes a diet rich in protein and processed plant-based foods but encourages the consumptionof meat and animal products in moderation. A study published in the British Medical Journal found that eating a flexitarian diet can reduce the risk of heart disease.

Low-carb diet: Generally, this type of diet involves limiting the intake of carbs, including foods like pasta, processed foods, sugary foods, and bread. A study published in the Americal Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that people, especially obese or overweight individuals, who ate a low-calorie diet had improvements in the risk factors of cardiovascular diseases.

According to the American Heart Association, saturated fats should be limited and replaced with better fats, including monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Monounsaturated fats are found in foods like olive oil and avocados, while polyunsaturated are found in sunflower seeds and most vegetable oils. If you need to lower your blood cholesterol, then saturated fat should account for no more than 5 to 6 percent of total calories. If you are eating 2,000 calories per day, that’s 13 grams of saturated fat. Saturated fat is most abundantly found in fatty cuts of meat and in the skin on poultry. Using leaner varieties of these foods and eating less by limiting your servings to approximately 6 ounces daily will help limit the amount of saturated fat you consume.

Trans fats are found in foods made with hydrogenated oils. They show up in commercially baked goods, processed snack foods, stick margarine, shortening and many fried foods. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have called for food companies to cut trans fat out of food products in the next few years. Meanwhile, read food labels carefully and avoid foods that contain hydrogenated fat or partially hydrogenated oil.

Sodium is another nutrient that should be limited. According to the American Heart Association, to lower blood pressure, you should be taking in no more than 2,400 milligrams of sodium per day. If you want to lower blood pressure even more, cut back to 1,500 milligrams. Most added salt is consumed when dining out or from processed food. This means eating out less often and choosing processed foods with less sodium (like low-sodium soy sauce).

The American Heart Association also recommends cutting back on added sugar and alcohol. They recommend women eat no more than 100 calories per day, or 6 teaspoons, of added sugar. Men should limit added sugar to no more than 150 calories per day, or 9 teaspoons. Too much alcohol can also contribute to heart disease. It’s recommended than men consume no more than two drinks per day and that women consume no more than one drink per day. One drink is defined as 5 fluid ounces of wine, 12 fluid ounces of beer, or 1.5 fluid ounces of 80-proof liquor like rum or vodka.

1. Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables
Fruits and vegetables are a great source of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. They also contain antioxidants that help reduce the buildup up of plaque in your arteries from cholesterol. When choosing fruits and vegetables, make sure to buy fresh, frozen, or canned with no salt added, and canned fruit packed in juice or water instead of syrup or sugar. Including a of variety of fruits and vegetables, especially dark leafy greens and red, orange, and yellow fruits and vegetables, is a good way to get more nutrients. Keeping fruit and veggies cut and washed in your fridge can make it easier to choose to eat them.

2. Choose whole grains
Whole grains are a good source of fiber and other nutrients that help regulate blood pressure and keep your heart healthy. Choose products labeled “whole grain” instead of products made from white flour, aka refined grains, in order to get the health benefits from whole grains. Some examples of delicious and inexpensive whole grains are oatmeal, popcorn, and brown rice.

3. Choose heart healthy fats
Generally, unsaturated fats are considered to be more heart healthy than saturated fats. Saturated fats are those that tend to be solid at room temperature; think fat that you trim off of meat, fats found in dairy products, butter, and tropical oils like coconut or palm oil. Limiting saturated fat in your diet is important in managing cholesterol levels which will lower your risk of coronary artery disease. Replace saturated fats with unsaturated fats, which tend to be liquid at room temperature; think olive oil, avocado oil, and canola oil. You can limit saturated fat by choosing lean meats, meat alternatives like beans or soy-based products, non-fat and low-fat dairy products, and polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats in things like olive oil instead of products high in saturated fat like butter. Nuts and seeds are also sources of nutritious, heart healthy fats.

4. Reduce the amount of sodium (salt) you consume
Limiting the amount of salt in your diet is important to overall health. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting sodium intake to no more than 2,300 milligrams per day. This can help lower blood pressure which lessens your risk of heart disease. Some ways to reduce sodium intake include buying fresh, frozen, or canned veggies with no salt added, choosing packaged foods labeled with “low sodium” or “no salt added,” reading food labels and choosing the option with the lowest amount of sodium, and choosing prepared meals with 600 mg of sodium or less per meal.

5. Limit added sugar
Added sugar contributes added calories, but without essential nutrients like potassium, calcium, or vitamin D. The American Heart Association recommends no more than 6% of total calories coming from added sugars. This is around 25 grams a day for women and 36 grams for men. Naturally occurring sugars, like those found in fruits or dairy products, shouldn’t be counted towards this daily total.

6. Stay hydrated with water
Water is critical to heart health because by keeping your body hydrated it helps your heart more easily pump blood throughout the body. Choosing to drink water over other drinks is also a good way to reduce added sugar intake.

As it turns out, red wine contains the plant compound resveratrol—the factor behind many of the red wine health claims. Read on to learn what resveratrol is, how it impacts your health, and where you can find it.

What is Resveratrol?
As mentioned above, resveratrol is a plant compound, more specifically, a polyphenol. In other words, it’s a naturally occurring substance found in a variety of plants. Thought to act as an antioxidant, resveratrol helps the body rid itself of various toxins and free radicals. And this positive effect has prompted numerous studies to explore its potential health benefits.

Although much of the research surrounding resveratrol is recent, it isn’t new to most people’s diets. It’s found in common foods such as peanuts, various berries, grapes and, by extension, wine. Both red and white wine contain resveratrol, but red varieties have a much higher quantity.

Health Benefits of Resveratrol
With all the background info out of the way, let’s move to the big question: Is resveratrol good for you? The short answer is yes. But let’s take a look at why and how it impacts your health.

Some of resveratrol’s most widely accepted health benefits include:

Antioxidant support: Numerous studies have observed ways resveratrol acts as an antioxidant. It has been shown to help the body eliminate free radicals (a type of atom that can damage cells) and reduce and prevent oxidative stress. Basically, it helps promote health on a cellular level.
Inflammation reduction: When it comes to inflammation, resveratrol supports your body on two fronts. First, it helps prevent the production of inflammatory substances. And second, it supports a healthy inflammatory response—crucial for the health of key organs and body systems.
Cardiovascular health: Oxidative stress in the body can negatively impact cardiovascular health (the proper function of heart and blood vessels). And as mentioned, resveratrol has been shown to support healthy inflammation and the reduction of oxidative stress—the primary reason it’s often discussed with heart health. It supports key processes in your body directly associated with keeping your heart and blood vessels functioning smoothly.
Liver function: The liver provides vital functions in your body, including filtering the blood and breaking down harmful substances. And resveratrol has been shown to promote liver health by helping to protect it from unhealthy levels of toxicity.
Brain aging: In some studies, resveratrol has been shown to support healthy aging of the brain.