Cardiovascular ailments have been the leading cause of death in the country for both women and men. To deal with this, many people are now switching to plant-based diets to improve their heart health and reduce the risk of developing these diseases. These diet plans can help you lose weight and also reduce the cholesterol levels in the blood a lot more efficiently, which is also beneficial for heart health.
However, if you don’t really like eating vegetables, switching to a vegan diet can be quite difficult for you. So, you can start by eating small amounts of fruits and opt for vegetarian snacks to make a slow transition to a vegan diet easily. Here are some healthy vegetarian and vegan snack ideas that you can opt for:
- Eat berries
Almost all types of berries, including strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries, are known to be rich in vitamin C and various other nutrients. Besides, they are great sources of antioxidants, both of which are essential for a healthy heart and liver. The nutrients present in berries can also improve the functioning of your heart vessels, and they can help reduce the risk of pulmonary hypertension, which is usually caused by narrowed blood vessels.
A recent study also revealed that eating berries daily can lower the risk of developing heart diseases by almost 27%. You can have your choice of berries by themselves to satisfy your hunger pangs and boost your health. Alternatively, smoothies are healthy vegetarian and vegan snack ideas to get your share of nutrition from berries. - Increase your intake of avocados
Avocados are excellent sources of monounsaturated fats, which can lower cholesterol levels in your blood. Apart from that, this fruit can also help reduce the amount of fat in your body.
So, including avocados in the regular diet helps you stay fit and also helps improve heart health, preventing cardiovascular diseases. - Opt for walnuts
Unlike avocados, walnuts pack a lot of soluble fibers and minerals like copper, magnesium, and manganese, which are very essential for heart health. Besides, they can also help lower the amount of bad cholesterol in your blood and keep the blood vessels healthy, improving heart health. - Increase your intake of legumes and beans
When it comes to healthy vegetarian and vegan snack ideas, beans are among the first foods to come to mind. They contain a lot of resistant starch, which can help reduce the level of triglycerides, a component that increases the risk of heart ailments if the levels are high.
Most people with heart diseases usually eat beans in their raw form, but you can also roast or fry them in olive oil and add a pinch of salt for a healthy and delicious vegetarian and vegan snack.
These simple yet effective snack ideas can help you lower the risk of developing heart diseases by boosting your heart health.