One of the most important things to keep in mind if we are concerned with our general health and well-being is how to keep blood vessels healthy. Blood vessels play a crucial role in our body since they are responsible for carrying essential nutrients and oxygen to tissues and organs throughout the body. Familiar ways to keep blood vessels healthy include:
- eating healthy (food low in sugar, fat, and carbs)
- staying active (working out at least twice a week)
- staying away from toxins such as alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, etc.
Assuming you are already familiar with those general rules, there is one more thing you could do to keep blood vessels healthy – eat more fish. A survey reveals that only one-third of Americans eat fish once a week, around half eat fish only sporadically or not at all, and only less than one in five Americans eat fish two times a week, which is consumption advised by the American Heart Association. The reasons for low consumption vary from cooking dilemmas to the risk of being exposed to too many toxins that can be found in some fish.
How to keep blood vessels healthy with fish
Fish and seafood are rich in vitamin D, selenium, and protein and are low in saturated fat which makes them a necessary ingredient in any diet since they are highly beneficial to our general health. But it is the high concentration of omega-3 fatty acids that makes fish so beneficial to our heart and blood vessels. People who eat fish twice a week are less likely to develop a heart disease by 36 percent according to an analysis of twenty studies conducted by Harvard School of Public Health professors Dariush Mozaffarian and Eric Rimm. Eating fish twice a week means that your body is provided with about 2 grams of omega-3 fatty acids weekly that will help you:
- prevent cardiac rhythm disturbances
- improve blood vessels function
- control blood pressure and heart rate
- ease inflammation
- lower triglycerides
Mozaffarian and Rimm have also showed the benefits of fish intake during pregnancy as it positively influences the development of a baby’s brain and nervous system.
The benefits of fish consumption in regards to heart and heart vessel health are also supported by the American Heart Association and Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Yet, it is not advisable to eat just any kind of fish as it is known that some may have high levels of mercury and other harmful contaminants. You should avoid shark, swordfish, king mackerel, or tilefish for this reason, and eat about two portions a week of salmon, herring, shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish instead.
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