Salmon

Super-rich in omega-3 fatty acids, salmon can effectively reduce blood pressure and keep clotting at bay. Aim for two servings per week, which may reduce your risk of dying of a heart attack by up to one-third.

"Salmon contains the carotenoid astaxanthin, which is a very powerful antioxidant," says cardiologist Stephen T. Sinatra, MD, the author of Lower Your Blood Pressure In Eight Weeks. But be sure to choose wild salmon over farm-raised fish, which can be packed with insecticides, pesticides, and heavy metals.

Not a fan of salmon? Other oily fish like mackerel, tuna, herring, and sardines will give your heart the same boost.


Avocado

Add a bit of avocado to a sandwich or spinach salad to up the amount of heart-healthy fats in your diet. Packed with monounsaturated fat, avocados can help lower LDL levels while raising the amount of HDL cholesterol in your body.

"Avocados are awesome," says Dr. Sinatra. "They allow for the absorption of other carotenoids—especially beta-carotene and lycopene—which are essential for heart health."

Olive Oil
Full of monounsaturated fats, olive oil lowers bad LDL cholesterol and reduces your risk of developing heart disease.

Results from the Seven Countries Study, which looked at cardiovascular disease incidences across the globe, showed that while men in Crete had a predisposition for high cholesterol levels, relatively few died of heart disease because their diet focused on heart-healthy fats found in olive oil. Look for extra-virgin or virgin varieties—they're the least processed—and use them instead of butter when cooking.



Nuts
Walnuts are full of omega-3 fatty acids and, along with almonds and macadamia nuts, are loaded with mono- and polyunsaturated fat. Plus, nuts increase fiber in the diet, says Dr. Sinatra. "And like olive oil, they are a great source of healthy fat."

Berries

Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries—whatever berry you like best—are full of anti-inflammatories, which reduce your risk of heart disease and cancer.

"Blackberries and blueberries are especially great," says Sinatra. "But all berries are great for your vascular health."





Legumes
Fill up on fiber with lentils, chickpeas, and black and kidney beans. They're packed with omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, and soluble fiber.

SpinachSpinach can help keep your ticker in top shape thanks to its stores of lutein, folate, potassium, and fiber.

But upping your servings of any veggies is sure to give your heart a boost. The Physicians' Health Study examined more than 15,000 men without heart disease for a period of 12 years. Those who ate at least two-and-a-half servings of vegetables each day cut their risk of heart disease by about 25%, compared with those who didn't eat the veggies. Each additional serving reduced risk by another 17%.

Honey is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. The variety produced by honey bees (the genus Apis) is the one most commonly referred to, as it is the type of honey collected by most beekeepers and consumed by people.

 High-quality honey can be distinguished by fragrance, taste, and consistency. Ripe, freshly collected, high-quality honey at 20 °C (68 °F) should flow from a knife in a straight stream, without breaking into separate drops.After falling down, the honey should form a bead. The honey, when poured, should form small, temporary layers that disappear fairly quickly, indicating high viscosity. If not, it indicates excessive water content (over 20%) of the product. Honey with excessive water content is not suitable for long-term preservation.

Honey is mainly devoid of essential nutrients, containing only trace amounts ofprotein, dietary fiber, vitamins or minerals (table).

A mixture of sugars and other carbohydrates, honey is mainly fructose (about 38-55%) and glucose (about 31%), with remaining sugars including maltose, sucrose, and other complex carbohydrates. Its glycemic index ranges from 31 to 78, depending on the variety.The specific composition, color, aroma and flavor of any batch of honey depend on the flowers foraged by bees that produced the honey.
Typical honey analysis:

Fructose: 38.2%
Glucose: 31.3%
Maltose: 7.1%
Sucrose: 1.3%
Water: 17.2%
Higher sugars: 1.5%
Ash: 0.2%
Other/undetermined: 3.2%

Honey has a density of about 1.36 kilograms per litre (36% denser than water).

Health applications

In myths and folk medicine, honey has been used both orally and topically to treat various ailments including gastric disturbances, ulcers, skin wounds, and skin burns by ancient Greeks, Egyptians and in Ayurveda and traditional Chinese medicine.

Ingredients 

-3 (10.5 ounce) canscondensed chicken broth
-2 cups water
-1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
-1/2 cup uncooked wild rice
-8 slices bacon
-1/2 cup margarine-3/4 cup all-purpose flour
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
-1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
-2 cups half-and-half cream
-1 1/2 cups cooked, diced turkey meat
-2 tablespoons dry sherry

Directions

In a large pot over medium heat, combine chicken broth, water, green onions and wild rice. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until rice is tender, 35 to 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Allow to cool and then crumble. Set aside.
When rice is tender, melt the margarine in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in flour, salt, poultry seasoning and pepper all at once. Cook, stirring, until smooth and bubbly. Stir in half-and-half and cook until thickened, 2 minutes. Stir half-and-half mixture into rice mixture. Stir in bacon, turkey and sherry. Heat through and serve.

Ingredients

-3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
-1 large red onion, chopped
-2 large stalks celery, chopped
-4 cloves garlic, chopped
-2 large carrots, diced
-1/4 pound thinly sliced pancetta, cut into thin strips
-1/2 head Savoy cabbage, finely sliced, blanched and drained
-1/2 bunch Swiss chard, finely sliced
-1 large waxy potato, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
-4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
-3 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced
-1 bouquet garni (1 sprig rosemary, 4 sprigs thyme, 1 bay leaf and 1 bunch parsley, tied together with kitchen twine)
-3 cups cannellini beans (canned or cooked dried beans)
-1 cup spinach, coarsely chopped
-Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a 4-quart pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery, garlic, carrots and pancetta and cook, stirring, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add 4 cups water, the cabbage, chard, potato, chicken stock, tomatoes and bouquet garni. Bring the soup to a gentle simmer and cook 25 to 30 minutes.

Place half of the beans (1 1/2 cups) in a food processor and process until smooth. Add the bean puree and the whole beans to the soup and simmer 10 minutes. Add the spinach and cook 2 more minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with cheese.

Ingredients

-750ml dry white wine, such as Semillon-chardonnay, chilled
-1 1/2 cups (375ml) unsweetened apple juice, chilled
-1 1/2 cups (375ml) peach juice, chilled
-6 thin slices (about 1/4) lemon
-1/2 small orange, thinly sliced
-1/2 lime, thinly sliced
-10 round mint leaves

Directions

Place all ingredients in a 2-litre jug with ice. Stir to combine then serve immediately poured into glasses.

Ingredients

-1 large Bethonga or mareeba Gold pineapple, peeled, cored, cut into 3cm pieces (see note)
-3 lebanese cucumbers, unpeeled, cut into 3cm lengths, plus extra wedges, to serve
-55g (1/4 cup) caster sugar
-1L sparkling mineral water, chilled
-3 limes, juiced
-Ice cubes, to serve

Directions

Working in 2 batches, blend pineapple, cucumbers, sugar, 250ml (1 cup) sparkling water and a pinch of salt in a blender to a purée. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl, stirring vigorously and pressing down with a spoon to extract as much juice as possible. Discard pulp. Blot top of juice mixture with paper towel to remove froth. Transfer to a jug, cover with plastic wrap, then refrigerate until needed or for up to 1 day.

When ready to serve, stir in lime juice. Half-fill glasses with ice, then fill three-quarters full with juice mixture. Top up with sparkling water. Place a cucumber wedge in each to serve.

Ingredients

-Ice cubes, to serve
-200ml vodka
-100ml lime juice, plus the pared rind of 1 lime, cut into strips, to serve
-1L (4 cups) cranberry juice

Directions

Place the ice cubes in a tall serving jug. Pour in the vodka, lime juice and cranberry juice, then stir until combined.


Pour the cranberry cooler into tall glasses, top with a twist of lime rind, then serve immediately.