Vegetable and fruit assortment

“Eat your vegetables.” It’s advice most people have been told since they were a kid. Maybe in your younger years, you got away with existing on a diet primarily consisting of fast food and microwaveable meals—not exactly one that prioritizes veggies. But unhealthy habits have a way of catching up to us, especially when it comes to cardiovascular health.

It’s not a coincidence that only 10% of adults in the U.S. are eating the recommended daily vegetable intake (two to three cups per day) and heart disease is the country’s leading cause of death. Eating fruits and vegetables regularly is scientifically linked to reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.

If vegetables aren’t already a core part of your diet, committing to eating them regularly can be a challenging change. To make it easier, it can help by starting with adding just one versatile vegetable into your meals more often. Which one should it be? There’s one vegetable in particular that cardiologists recommend.

Related: This Is the Worst Habit for Heart Health, According to Cardiologists

Why Are Vegetables Good for Heart Health?

Sure, you know that vegetables benefit the body, including the heart. But maybe you’re less clear about how. “Vegetables are an important part of a heart-healthy diet. This is likely due to their richness in various vitamins including B1, B2, niacin and folate, essential elements like calcium and potassium, and phytochemicals, which are plant-based bioactive compounds,” says Dr. Joy Gelbman, MD, a cardiologist at Weill Cornell Medicine.

B vitamins help keep blood pressure at a healthy level, while niacin helps lower LDL cholesterol. Folate has been linked to lowering the risk of both cardiovascular disease and stroke. Calcium plays a role in keeping the heart beating and potassium benefits the heart by easing tension in blood vessel walls, which helps lower blood pressure. As Dr. Gelbman has explained, eating vegetables provides all these benefits at the same time!

Related: ‘I’m a Cardiologist and This Is the Type of Fish I Eat At Least Once a Week for Heart Health’

The phytochemicals in vegetables are especially important for heart health. Scientific research shows that they help protect against oxidative stress, which causes inflammation in the body and can negatively impact the heart.

In addition to all these benefits, vegetables are also high in fiber. A high-fiber diet supports heart health by keeping cholesterol and blood pressure from rising.

The Vegetable Cardiologists Love the Most

While all vegetables have fiber, phytochemicals and a range of vitamins and nutrients, there’s one in particular Dr. Gelbman loves for its nutrient density and versatility: leafy greens. “I love to eat leafy greens such as kale, spinach and bok choy. Leafy greens are particularly good for heart health since they are rich in nitrates which are converted into nitric oxide, a compound that can relax blood vessels,” she says.

Dr. Deepak Vivek, MD, a cardiologist at Orlando Health, also says the vegetable he eats most often is leafy greens—specifically spinach. “Spinach supports cardiovascular health in many ways including improving insulin sensitivity and reducing oxidative stress. It may [help lower] blood pressure too,” he says. This, Dr. Vivek explains, is because spinach is such a rich source of fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, iron, potassium and folate.

Related: This Is the #1 Sign Someone Has a Healthy Heart, According to Cardiologists 

Spinach is the vegetable Dr. Sushant Khaire, MD, FACC, a cardiologist at Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare in Memphis, Tennessee, eats most frequently too. He explains that the iron in spinach is important for red blood cell production. Dr. Khaire says that spinach also has vitamin E, an antioxidant that protects the body from free radicals, which may play a role in causing heart disease, cancer and other diseases.

While the fact that leafy greens are a nutritional powerhouse makes them a heart-healthy win, another benefit is that they’re super versatile. You can integrate them into virtually any meal. “I incorporate spinach into salads or sauté it to pair with grilled lean meats,” Dr. Khaire says of how he likes to integrate leafy greens into his meals. Dr. Vivek says he does this too, often pairing them with salmon. Other ways to include leafy greens in meals include adding them to eggs, pasta dishes, curry and soups.

Eating more greens will benefit your entire body—your heart included. Each time you find a way to add them to your meal, it’s a win for your cardiovascular health. Go for the green!

Next up, find out what the best workout for people over 50 is, according to cardiologists.

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