A great way to get the healthy nutrients you need from vegetables is to juice them. Here are three vegetables that have been researched and shown to have heart healthy benefits. What are they you might ask?

SPINACH

Spinach contains vitamin C and vitamin A (beta-carotene). These are two important antioxidants that disarm free radicals that can attack artery walls. Vitamin C is a water soluble nutrient and beta-carotene is fat soluble. Together they provide a powerful combination that can prevent cholesterol from oxidation. When oxidized, cholesterol becomes sticky and can attach itself to artery walls, leading to blocked arteries. This can cause heart attacks and strokes.

Spinach also contains potassium and magnesium. These two minerals are essential for the proper regulation of the heart muscle. Therefore, potassium and magnesium can lower blood pressure.

Further more, spinach contains a vitamin called folate. Folate is essential for keeping the blood levels of homocysteine at safe levels by converting excess homocysteine into more benign chemicals. High blood levels of homocysteine is a definite risk factor for developing heart disease.

Juicer recipes idea: You will need a good amount of spinach to get enough juice. I recommend four to five cups or even more. You can also add an apple juice to sweeten. Spinach juice alone isn’t very palatable and apple also has heart healthy benefits.

BROCCOLI

Sulforaphane is an antioxidant plant chemical that is found abundantly in broccoli that can indirectly safeguard the heart from cellular damage. Research from the University of Connecticut has shown that sulforaphane some how activates a release of the protein thioredoxin into the body. It is then thioredoxin that protects the heart’s cells.

Also, broccoli is bountiful in the cardioprotective phytochemical sulphoraphane. Sulphoraphane is somehow able to trigger the release of thioredoxin. Theioredoxin is a protein that has been proven in a study by the University of Connecticut to protects the cells of the heart from harm.

Juicer recipes idea: Juice the florets and the stalks to get maximun nutrition benefits. Also the stalk contains more juice than the florets.

TOMATOES

Lycopene is the amazing phytochemical that makes tomatoes so heart healthy. Lycopene is also the pigment that gives tomatoes and other red fruits and vegetables their red coloring. Many studies have shown lycopene to considerably reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, lower blood pressure and protect the arteries from cellular damage. One study conducted at Harvard proved that giving women lycopene every day for 5 years, decreased their risk of heart disease in half!

Juicer recipes idea: You can use the left over pulp from your tomato juice to make soups or salsa.

Darren Haynes loves writing about health subjects and especially about food and its healing properties. Check out my juicer recipes blog Juice Recipes

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Filed under: Nutrition

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