16 heart-healthy foods you aren't eating

Eat your heart out with these 16 superfoods.

You may love to eat, but does the food you eat love you back?

If you munch like most Americans, the answer is no.

With excessive calories, sodium, fat and refined carbs (including sugar), the typical Western diet can lead to high blood pressure, high cholesterol and ultimately heart attack and heart disease. But many foods contain beneficial nutrients that help lower heart disease risk and improve overall health. Here are 16 heart-healthy foods to add to your menu.

1. Cherries

Cherries get their bright red hue from anthocyanin, a type of antioxidant that helps reduce the risk of heart disease and may help prevent stroke. For maximum benefit, buy and eat fresh cherries. Frozen cherries can lose as much as 50 percent of their anthocyanins during six months of freezing, one study showed.

2. Whole grains

Whole grains are rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and healthy fats. And they're high in both soluble and insoluble fiber, which together help keep blood sugar levels more even, lowering inflammation that can lead to heart disease. Soluble fiber also helps reduce levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol in the bloodstream. Plus, whole grains may protect against diabetes, another big risk factor for heart disease.

Look for the American Heart Association heart-check icon on food packages. This symbol means the item contains 51 percent or more whole grains by weight and is low in saturated fat and cholesterol.

3. Pistachios

Eating a small handful of pistachio nuts a day can increase the levels of antioxidants in the blood of adults with high cholesterol and reduce "bad" LDL cholesterol, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Nutrition. Antioxidants are thought to help prevent LDL cholesterol from oxidizing, building up as plaque in the blood vessel walls and causing inflammation.

4. Cinnamon

Spice up your heart-healthy menu with cinnamon. Antioxidants in cinnamon have been linked to lower inflammation as well as reductions in blood glucose levels in people with diabetes. Benefits may result from eating about three teaspoons a day. Try sprinkling cinnamon on top of your morning oatmeal, mixing it in with yogurt or adding it to a smoothie.

5. Beans

You were on to something as a kid: It turns out beans are good for your heart. In addition to being packed with LDL-cholesterol-lowering soluble fiber, beans are high in magnesium and potassium, which help regulate blood pressure. Eating four or more servings of beans and other legumes a week helped lower the risk of heart disease by 22 percent for participants in one large survey. If you're worried about embarrassing gas, rinse beans after soaking or pop some Beano before or while eating.

6. Tea

The findings on the health benefits of tea keep pouring in. Researchers in the Netherlands uncovered that, compared to drinking less than one cup a day, drinking three to six cups of tea a day (black, green or similar leaf teas, not herbal) was associated with a 45 percent reduced risk of death from heart disease, and drinking more than six cups a day was associated with a 36 percent lower risk of heart disease itself. Other studies have shown that tea helps to keep blood vessels relaxed and prevent blood clots.

In addition, flavonoids, the major antioxidants in tea, have been shown to prevent the oxidation of LDL cholesterol that leads to plaque formation on artery walls.

For maximum benefit, drink caffeinated tea. The decaffeination process can reduce antioxidant levels.

7. Olive oil

When consumed in moderation, olive oil is one of the heart-healthiest foods around, thanks to its concentration of monounsaturated fat, which helps lower "bad" cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. Skip the "light" varieties — they're just refined versions of regular olive oil and have no less fat but possibly fewer nutrients — and choose extra-virgin olive oil. Cold-pressed olive oil retains the most heart-healthy antioxidants.

8. Oatmeal

Oats have the highest proportion of soluble fiber of any grain — a hearty (pun intended) two grams per one-cup serving. Soluble fiber forms a gel-like substance in the body, which helps sweep up cholesterol in the body. Don't just save this whole grain for breakfast. Swap oats for one-third of the flour in baked goods and use it instead of breadcrumbs in recipes like meat loaf.

9. Oranges

This tangy, juicy fruit contains three grams of cholesterol-fighting fiber as well as blood-pressure-regulating potassium. Researchers recently reported that a type of flavonoid antioxidant in orange juice called hesperidin may also improve blood vessel function, reduce clogs in the arteries and help lower heart disease risk.

Like all citrus fruits, oranges are good sources of the B vitamin folate (folic acid). Folate helps break down homocysteine, an amino acid in the blood, that is related to heart disease, atherosclerosis, stroke and peripheral vascular disease.

10. Coffee

Dutch researchers found that drinking two to four cups of coffee a day is linked to a 20% lower risk of heart disease (compared to drinking fewer than two or more than four cups a day).

Other studies back this evidence. A 2008 study from the Harvard School of Public Health showed that women who drank two to three cups of coffee a day, for instance, had a 25% lower risk of dying from heart disease than non-coffee drinkers. Stick to regular coffee, though.

11. Avocados

This rich, creamy fruit (yes, an avocado is technically a fruit) is high in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats that may help raise "good" HDL cholesterol and lower "bad" LDL cholesterol. In addition, avocados contain more of a type of sterol called beta-sitosterol than any other fruit. Sterols reduce the amount of cholesterol absorbed from food.

12. Walnuts

Like olive oil, walnuts are rich in monounsaturated fat. They're also high in omega-3 fats, which can reduce triglyceride levels, prevent arterial plaque buildup, lower blood pressure and decrease the risk of arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats). Try sprinkling a few chopped walnuts on top of yogurt, cereal or oatmeal, or mix in with salad or rice.

13. Tomatoes

Lycopene, one of the most potent antioxidants, is abundant in tomatoes, watermelon and other red-hued fruits and veggies. Studies have shown that consuming tomatoes and tomato products like pasta sauce reduced the risk of heart disease. Scientists believe antioxidants slow the progression of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) by interfering with the oxidation of "bad" LDL cholesterol that can lead to plaque buildup. Lycopene also has an anti-inflammatory effect on the lining of the arteries.

14. Fish

Omega-3 fats are what give fish its heart-healthy power. Omega-3s lower triglyceride levels, slow the growth of arterial plaque, slightly lower blood pressure and decrease the risk of arrhythmias, which can lead to sudden death. To reel in these benefits, the American Heart Association recommends you eat two servings of fish a week, particularly fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, herring, lake trout, sardines and albacore tuna.

15. Flaxseed

This small, golden-colored seed has three heart-healthy elements: fiber, phytochemicals called lignans (which have shown some early promise in treating breast cancer) and ALA, a type of omega-3 fatty acid found in plants. The body converts ALA to the more powerful omega-3s EPA and DHA, which are naturally found in fish.

To unleash the power of flaxseeds, grind them up before eating; otherwise they pass through the body undigested. Flaxseed oil is another option, although it lacks the fiber and lignans of the seed.

16. Wine

Alcohol promotes a small increase in "good" HDL cholesterol, and the antioxidant resveratrol found in red wine may reduce blood clot formation and reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. Even so, the American Heart Association recommends exercise and other dietary changes over drinking wine or other forms of alcohol for heart-health purposes.

AHA experts caution that drinking too much alcohol can raise triglyceride and blood pressure levels, contribute to weight gain and lead to heart failure. If you drink, do so in moderation: no more than one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men.