WHAT TO EAT TO BOOST YOUR HEART HEALTH
Despite knowing all there is to know about a healthy diet, nutritionist Kristen Stavridis found herself feeling groggy and sluggish five years ago. “I was following a high-protein, low-carb diet and my fibre intake decreased dramatically,” she says. “I was so bloated and my skin was breaking out. My mood was all over the place.”
Stavridis decided to overhaul her diet and, over a few weeks, increased her daily fibre intake from 15g to the recommended 30g target. She loaded up on vegetables, fruit and wholegrains, cut back on ultra-processed food and drank more water.
“In weeks, I was less bloated and my skin was starting to clear up,” she says. Yet more impressive still are the benefits that aren’t detectable to the eye – “especially for the heart and circulatory system”, Stavridis says.
“When you eat more fibre, your gut bacteria – the trillions of microbes that live in your large intestine – munch and ferment it. They produce short-chain fatty acids, which are amazing anti-inflammatory compounds.” This has been linked to beneficial knock-on effects for our heart, brain and gut.
In her book, The Fibre Fix, Stavridis provides a practical guide to fibre and how to get more into your diet. Here she shares why this approach will benefit your heart health – and what to add to your plate.
The heart health benefits of eating more fibre
Lowers cholesterol
Having high cholesterol is one of the biggest risk factors for developing cardiovascular diseases. As it builds up in the arteries, it restricts blood flow and increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.
“Fibre, particularly soluble fibre [a type of fibre that dissolves in water], can act as a sort of ‘sponge’ or a binding agent, soaking up cholesterol and blocking a lot of it from being absorbed into the bloodstream and deposited in our arteries,” says Stavridis.
“So many people are struggling with high cholesterol, especially as they get older, and fibre really helps with that.” In the UK around six in 10 adults have raised cholesterol levels, but it rises to 72 per cent among people aged 45 to 64.
What to eat: Oats
Beta-glucans, in particular, are a type of soluble fibre that has been strongly linked to better heart health by lowering cholesterol. Oats are a particularly good source, containing around 3.4g of fibre and 1.3g of beta-glucan per 40g portion.
“Oats are such a great way to start your day with fibre and lower your cholesterol,” she says. “It helps keep you fuller for longer and allows you to have sustained energy throughout the morning.
“I like to put frozen mixed berries in the microwave for 30 seconds to one minute and mash them to make a healthy jam, and top my oats with that and a little bit of almond butter for some healthy fat and extra fibre as well.”
Recommended
Six health benefits of eating oats every day
Lowers blood pressure
High blood pressure is one of the major risk factors for developing cardiovascular disease, Stavridis notes.
One review found that those who adopted a higher-fibre diet saw significant drops in their blood pressure, independent of medications, she says. For every extra 5g of fibre per day, systolic blood pressure fell by 2.8 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure fell by 2.1mmHg.
“A high-fibre diet is associated with lowering your blood pressure, which is going to reduce the strain on your heart and arteries,” Stavridis says. It’s thought that this effect is, in part, down to short-chain fatty acids – compounds released when gut microbes ferment fibre – reducing inflammation and improving blood vessel flexibility.
What to eat: Bananas and nuts
Bananas are high in fibre (2g) to support healthy blood pressure and also contain vitamin B6 and the minerals magnesium and potassium, which support healthy blood pressure levels.
“Nuts also have loads of heart-healthy benefits and are another source of fibre,” Stavridis says. “But if you are on a calorie-deficit diet, just be careful that you’re not eating massive portions because they are very calorie-dense.”
Reduces risk of heart disease
Research shows that a 7g to 10g increase in the amount of fibre you eat daily can reduce your risk of developing cardiovascular disease by nine per cent. A separate analysis, which looked at data from over 1.4 million people, found that those who consumed around 29g of fibre per day had a 23 per cent lower risk of dying from cardiovascular diseases.
“Three things are going on here – fibre is lowering cholesterol and blood pressure,” which reduces the risk of developing heart disease, Stavridis says. “Fibre is also helping with weight management,” due to it making you feel fuller for longer, which prevents overeating.
What to eat: Whole grains
Stavridis says research showed that people who ate more fibre from cereals – such as oats, brown rice and wholegrains – had a lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease than those who consumed their fibre from other sources.
For this reason alone, it’s worth upping the whole grains on your plate. “I always buy mixed bags of grains instead of rice and add quinoa or buckwheat to a salad with tomatoes, beetroot and feta,” Stavridis says. “Whole grains have bran [the fibre-rich outer shell of the grain], which is removed in white rice or white bread.”
How to build a fibre-rich plate
1. Three-quarters vegetables and whole grains
“Most of the time, our meals are so built around protein that vegetables, fruit, legumes and whole grains are an afterthought,” Stavridis says.
She recommends making these plant-based foods the star of the show, accounting for 75 per cent of the food on your breakfast, lunch and dinner plates, to ensure you’re getting enough fibre in your diet.
“Ideally, aim for three different types at each meal,” she says. “It shouldn’t be half a plate of peas – it can be a quarter peas, a quarter beetroot mixed salad and a quarter wholewheat pasta, for example,” she says.
This approach doesn’t mean you have to eat drastically differently. “You can disguise extra fibre in meals you already enjoy,” she says. “For example, if I’m making mashed potatoes, I’ll blend in some cannellini beans – you don’t taste the difference at all and you’re getting an extra fibre boost.”
2. One-quarter lean protein
“This is about shifting your plate slightly,” she says. Ideally, protein should make up one-quarter of your plate. “This is not about completely changing what your plate looks like,” she says. “Make small shifts to increase the plant-based foods on your plate and slightly reduce the amount of protein.”
Stavridis swaps half the chicken in a homemade curry for chickpeas or half the beef mince in a bolognese for lentils. “You’re still getting the meat but you’re getting much more fibre and reducing the saturated fat.”
3. Fewer ultra-processed foods
“Most of the food that we’re eating – around 57 per cent in the UK – is ultra-processed,” Stavridis notes. These are foods that are made with ingredients you wouldn’t find in your kitchen cupboards and are, generally, very low in fibre.
“Making more of your own food at home is one way to reduce your intake,” she says. This will increase the fibre content of your meals and support your heart health as a result.
In her book, she shares recipes for brownies made with black beans and dates, and dark chocolate mousse made with avocado, so that you can still enjoy sweet treats while cutting back on ultra-processed foods.
“If you have white toast in the morning with a bit of marmalade, you could switch to rye bread with chopped bananas and almond butter. These sort of swaps are delicious and easy to do.”
The Fibre Fix by Kristen Stavridis is published by Bluebird in trade paperback, ebook and audio on March 5
Recommended
I tracked my fibre intake for a month and the results were life-changing
