Drinks To Maintain Heart Health

Diet plays a major role in influencing your heart health. It is important to consume the right foods and drinks, while avoiding the unhealthy ones. The functioning of your heart depends a lot on what you eat, drink, and other daily activities. World Heart Day is celebrated on 29th September, every year, to spread awareness about the increase in cardiovascular diseases and how to control them. The theme for year 2022 is ‘Cardiovascular Health for Everyone’. To mark the occasion, OnlyMyHealth editorial team spoke to Dr. (Mr) Kiran Rukadikar, Bariatric Physician and Obesity Consultant, and founder of DietQueen Appto know about the best drinks to keep your heart healthy.

Drinks to keep heart healthy

Listed below are five drinks to keep your heart healthy:

1. Water

Water is a super drink. It is life, and benefits every organ and system of our body. Whenever you are thirsty, drink water instead of aerated drinks. Nothing can beat water. And above all, water has zero calories, and zero fat, protein, carbohydrates and other organic nutrients.

People commonly follow the practice to drink a minimum 2 liters or 8 to 10 glasses of water daily. But the quantity depends upon – age, height, weight, working conditions, sweating, physical activities, weather, health, etc. The water requirement is never fixed, and we cannot say that a person should drink this much of water every day. The benefits of water are:

• Increases energy
• Prevents dehydration, cramps, and relieves fatigue
• Flushes out toxins
• Improves skin complexion
• Helps in weight loss

2. Coconut Water

Second best natural option is coconut water. Coconut water has a sweet and savory flavour. This low-calorie drink is fat and cholesterol-free, and is rich in carbohydrates and electrolytes such as potassium, sodium, and magnesium. Coconut water is better as compared to any other sugar beverages, because of its hydrating ability which gives a similarity to water. It contains digestion-friendly carbohydrates in the form of sugar.

Coconut water is commonly used as a beverage and as a solution for treating dehydration related to diarrhea or exercise, but the electrolyte composition in coconut water is not adequate to be used as a rehydration solution. It is also tried for high blood pressure and to improve exercise performance. Some notable benefits of coconut water are:

• Promotes lipid metabolism, Cardiovascular health, and reduces blood pressure
• Can help in prevention of kidney stones, and in control of renal diseases
• Can help in reducing bloating and constipation

3. Pomegranate Juice

Pomegranate juice is sweet and has around 3 times more antioxidants as compared to oranges and green tea. Pomegranate is a good source of polyphenols, which is a powerful antioxidant. Pomegranate contains several nutrients and is rich in Vitamin E, Vitamin K, important for blood clotting, and magnesium, which helps in controlling blood pressure and sugar levels. Health benefits of pomegranate juice are:

• Improves your heart health
• Prevents anemia
• Maintains your blood sugar levels, blood pressure, digestion
• Reduce the risk of cancer
• Boosts your Immunity

4. Green Tea

Green tea is almost entirely water. Green tea leaves contain many compounds, nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, and these elements are very much diluted in one cup of tea. The nutrients found in one mug of green tea include zero calories, and zero proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Similarly, the vitamins found are also very minimal. What is found in measurable quantities are minerals like calcium, iron, and potassium.

Green tea is also comparatively high in caffeine, containing around one-fourth the amount present in coffee. Actually what it has is a potent punch of polyphenols, a type of antioxidants, Due to these antioxidants, green tea consumption is linked to lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease. The minimum daily requirement to gain these benefits is five cups in a day. Other benefits are:

• Might help in weight loss
• Reduce your cholesterol and maintain blood pressure
• Boost immune system

5. Orange Juice

Oranges are a very delicious fruit with many benefits. Oranges prevent the chance of seasonal diseases. Pure orange juice is always refreshing, whether it is summer, or even on daily during morning breakfast. But avoid bottled juice, as it is always available with added sugar. Benefits of orange juice:

• Maintain blood pressure level
• Good for the immune system
• Might help in reducing the risk of kidney stones
• Helps in Weight Loss
• Prevents anemia