After my own heart, follow your heart, from the bottom of your heart, have a change of heart. Our point? It’s all heart, isn’t it? The heart of the matter (last one, we promise) is that we need to keep our hearts healthy and strong in order to live beautiful, long lives. 

Most of us have made or are making an effort to lead a healthy lifestyle. Yoga or meditation, exercising reg-ularly and a balanced diet are what we aim for, but, obviously find difficult to maintain. 

If we tell you that there are a few really simple things that you can do, actually eat, to keep your heart healthy, would you be interested? We bet you would! 

Walnuts 

Walnuts are rich in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) which is basically a plant based omega-3 fatty acid that helps in lowering the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Researchers have found that daily consumption of walnuts is effective at decreasing blood pressure and maintaining healthy cholesterol levels. 

Not only this, studies have also shown that these impressive nuts help in preventing plaque accumulation in arteries. So, all in all, just nibbling on a fistful of these tiny yummies can take you a long way in keeping your precious heart strong. 

Now, our favourite part! Let’s bust a myth. The healthy fats present in walnuts do not make you gain weight. We iterate - walnuts do not make you gain weight if eaten in moderation. Is that what was stopping you from eating them? Just stick to the recommended serving which is between 3-5 walnuts a day, and you’ll be fine, actually more than fine. 

What are you waiting for, grab a few of these finest quality walnuts. They are not only delectable but also help in reducing inflammation and cutting down heart attack risk. 

Almonds 

Any write-up about nuts is incomplete without mentioning almonds. Is there anything that these nuts can-not do? 

The healthy fats (unsaturated fats) present in almonds help in getting rid of bad cholesterol, thereby raising good cholesterol in your body. Another great thing about almonds is that they have fewer calories as com-pared to other nuts. So, weight watchers, you have nothing to be afraid of! 

Almonds are chock-full of fiber and protein, and calcium, the list is endless, isn’t it? All these endearing qualities mean that they keep you feeling fuller for a longer period, so that you don’t reach out for un-healthy, fattening snacks, and therefore, successfully protect your heart. 

Cashews 

Surprised to find cashews here? These innocent, heart helpers are undoubtedly misunderstood by many. 

Cashews are a good source of unsaturated fatty acids, copper, fiber and antioxidants. 

Several studies have suggested that eating cashews everyday can lower harmful cholesterol, decrease blood pressure and reduce the risk of stroke. Not many people know that cashews are blessed with some very desirable properties - they are good at caring for your heart and help with inflammation as well!

Pistachios, too, are lower in calories relative to other nuts and make a healthy, anytime-of-the-day snack as they help with bringing down your risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. 

Now that we know how to keep our valuable heart strong, how do we incorporate all these nuts in our diet? 

Eat them as a lazy snack (open the pack and munch), garnish your smoothies with them, add them to salads for added crunch, grind them into gravies, just go nuts with them!