We are all in danger of suffering from clogged arteries thanks to the food that we eat on a daily basis. All that greasy and salty foods that we’ve been eating for quite some time can affect our insides. Add to this our sedentary lifestyle and it won’t be too much of a surprise to find ourselves in the hospital with a heart problem. With that being said, we can actually prevent our arteries from being clogged by changing our eating habits. If you want to protect yourself against heart issues, try adding these five foods that can help unclog your arteries.

Broccoli 

Adding broccoli to your diet can help protect your arteries as it is packed with vitamin K which is known to prevent calcification of the arteries. When you eat this vegetable, you are actually preventing oxidation of LDL cholesterol since too much of this can trigger serious heart problems. Another reason why you should add broccoli is that it comes with high amounts of fiber that can keep your blood pressure normal. 

Cherries 

You might be surprised to find that this fruit actually has more than 17 compounds that can actually clear up any debris lodged in your arteries. As a matter of fact, eating cherries is much more effective than taking vitamin supplements when it comes to cleaning your arteries. The compounds referred here are present in the anthocyanins that give this fruit their red color. Compared to your usual vitamins C and E supplements, cherries have more antioxidants than the two combined. 

Olive Oil 

Not all fats are bad for your health, remember that. There are those that are actually needed by the body such as in the case of olive oil which has monounsaturated fats in them. Studies show that particles of bad cholesterol that have monounsaturated fats in them do not become oxidized which is a good thing. Choose a “cold-pressed” organic olive oil for your food to reduce your risk of heart disease significantly. 

Green tea 

You’ve probably heard that drinking green tea is going to be good for your health and you are not wrong. This particular drink contains high amounts of antioxidants that prevent cholesterol absorption during digestion. So have a cup or two or three of green tea if you like daily to boost your blood-lipid levels while reducing the blockage in your arteries. Green tea can also help with your metabolism too which aids in weight loss. 

Salmon 

Like it was mentioned before, not all fats are bad for you. For example, omega-3 is good for you because it can inhibit inflammation, while omega-6 has the opposite effect. The problem is that we tend to eat foods that have omega-6 which is why we often suffer from inflammation but adding salmon, tuna, and herring to your diet can deliver you loads of omega-3s that can protect you against heart problems. 

These five foods are just for starters so make sure that you check out all the healthy foods to add to your diet to reduce your risk of clogged arteries.