Heart-healthy Foods to Help Fight Disease

(CBS)  When it comes to eating for your heart, there's one color-coded rule of thumb. Go red!

Early Show Medical Correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton showed Early Show co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez how to incorporate five powerful, disease-fighting foods into your daily diet.

TOMATOES:- DISH: Fresh tomato sauce over pasta
- rich in lycopene -- one of the MOST concentrated food sources of lyopene, an antioxidant that may help protect you from heart disease
- low calorie - a medium size tomato only has 22 calories
- recommended daily amount for fruits and veggies: at least 4.5 cups a day

BEETS: - DISH: Beet Salad
- provides 19 percent of the daily value for folate
- no saturated fat
- high in folate, manganese and potassium

RED CHILI PEPPERS - DISH: CHILI
- contains an antioxidant (capsaicin)
- may protect blood vessels
- can increase body's metabolism

RED KIDNEY BEANS - DISH: CHILI
- low in fat, contain no cholesterol, and are high in folate, potassium, iron and magnesium
- good source of fiber - can help you feel full longer, which may help in weight loss
- healthy sub for red meat
- AHA recommends eating at least 4 servings/week of beans, nuts or seeds

POMEGRANATE - DISH: Yogurt sprinkled with seeds
- may help reduce the buildup of plaque in arteries and lower blood pressure
- rich with Vitamin C and antioxidants - which may reduce inflammation and lower BAD cholesterol
- **WARNING: check with your doctors, may have interactions with meds, may not be for people on statins

[cktirumalai]

"You are what you eat." "Your heart is what you eat." And either before or after (an hour or more) you have eaten, walk about for at least for half an hour. A cardiac crisis can develop in a matter of minutes; preventing it takes forethought and effort on a daily basis. I speak as one who had a coronary bypass four years ago despite following most of the rules of cardiac health, but, alas, not all of them. Fortunately, with periodic advice from an experienced cardiologist, all has been well since then.
Candadai Tirumalai