These 7 Summer Fruits and Vegetables Are Healthy for Your Heart, According to Dietitians

If you would like a heart-healthy poolside snack or picnic side dish this summer, search for seasonal vegetables and fruit.

Plenty of summer produce comprises vitamins, minerals, and fiber that help lower blood pressure and support heart health. These vegetables and fruit also can keep you hydrated as summer weather sets in.

“Go for local produce if possible as they have a tendency to be more energizing, higher in nutrients, and budget-friendly when in season,” Sherry Gray, MPH, RDa registered dietitian and extension educator on the University of Connecticut, told Verywell in an email.

Eating quite a lot of vegetables and fruit maximizes heart health advantages and provides you a mixture of antioxidants, Gray added.

“If [you’re] not used to using vegetables and fruits in your weight loss program, start by adding one or two to your day and increase from there,” she said.

Consider these 7 vegetables and fruit to spice up your heart health this summer.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are a nutrient-rich summer staple full of heart-healthy nutrients like potassium and vitamin C. Tomatoes also contain folate, which helps regulate blood levels of homocysteine, an amino acid that may contribute to heart disease risk, in keeping with Gray.

Research has associated lycopene, an antioxidant in tomatoes, with a lower risk of stroke and heart disease.

Tomatoes are available several varieties, including plum, heirloom, green, cherry, and beefsteak, so look for various colours and sizes when looking for tomatoes this summer.

“I wish to cook tomatoes in pasta and add fresh arugula, somewhat olive oil, and parmesan cheese,” Gray said.

Blueberries

Summer berries, like blueberries and blackberries, contain anthocyanin pigments. These pigments provide anti-inflammatory and antioxidant advantages and should lower heart disease risk.

Blueberries are a very good source of fiber, which is a significant focus area for heart health, in keeping with Heather A. Hodson, RDN, CDN, CDCESthe clinical nutritionist for NYU Langone’s Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease.

Hodson explained that blueberries offer additional advantages beyond heart health, including vitamin K, which supports blood clotting and bone constructing, and manganese, which aids immune and reproductive function.

“In the recent summer months, a lot of us turn to frozen treats to assist cool off. Remember that fruit could be fabulous for this. Freeze chunks of cut-up fruit or mix and pour into popsicle molds for a sweet and fiber-filled dessert or snack,” Hodson told Verywell in an email.

Peaches

Peaches, a summer stone fruit, are wealthy in potassium, vitamin C, and fiber. These nutrients help improve cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and protect against heart disease.

This stone fruit also comprises beta-carotene, an antioxidant that offers peaches their signature yellow hue. Once converted into vitamin A within the body, it helps reduce heart disease risk.

Peaches work well grilled or mixed into salsas. Hodson recommends adding peaches to summer fruit salads.

“Keep things easy by sticking to a couple of of your favorite fruits, or take this a step further by adding unexpected twists like seasonal fresh herbs,” she said.

Apricots

Apricots, like peaches, are a summer stone fruit with antioxidants that help protect against coronary heart disease. They also contain the fiber pectin, which acts as a natural laxative, in keeping with Bethany Doerfler, RDa registered dietitian at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago.

“This summer sweet treat is full of vitamins A, B, and C in addition to phenolic compounds and carotenoids, which may improve blood vessel health,” Doerfler told Verywell in an email.

To fully benefit from the sweetness of apricots, she recommends replacing your usual dessert with fresh apricots topped with cinnamon and yogurt.

“Substituting fruit for dessert is a positive lifestyle change that adds as much as greater cardiovascular health,” Doerfler said.

Watermelon

Watermelon is a refreshing fruit with potassium, fiber, and lycopene, the identical antioxidant present in tomatoes. Research has associated lycopene with improved blood pressure control and prevention of cardiovascular disorders. Limited research suggests that L-citrulline, an amino acid in watermelon, can lower blood pressure and arterial stiffness.

Many watermelon studies use supplements or extracts, so people would wish to eat over two kilos of the raw fruit per day to achieve similar amounts.

However, Doerfler said all produce have vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients that support heart health. Hence, it’s a very good idea so as to add quite a lot of fruits, including watermelon, into your summer weight loss program.

“Try watermelon with pickled onions and a gentle crumbled cheese like feta for a singular summer salad,” Doerfler said.

Zucchini

Zucchini and other summer squash are a very good source of potassium, a vital mineral for managing blood pressure and lowering the chance of stroke and heart disease. Most Americans don’t eat enough potassium, so give attention to adding more zucchini and other potassium-rich produce to your weight loss program this summer to support heart health.

“I personally like to roast vegetables, including zucchini and cabbage, whether on the grill outside, on a sheet pan within the oven, or in a skillet on the stove. I often will frivolously spray with olive oil and add my favorite no-salt seasonings corresponding to garlic, onion, pepper, parsley, dill, and ground mustard,” Dawn Earnesty, PhD, RDNa registered dietitian and senior extension specialist at Michigan State University Extension, told Verywell in an email.

Earnesty said zucchini also comprises vitamin C and fiber, which support healthy digestion and aid in removing cholesterol from the blood.

Strawberries

A small 2021 study found that consuming 2.5 servings of strawberries per day helps improve cardiometabolic risk aspects and insulin resistance.

Strawberries contain antioxidants and vitamin C, which attack free radicals that may cause damage to your heart, in keeping with Melissa Ann Prest, DCN, RDNa registered dietitian based in Seattle and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Enjoy fresh strawberries on their very own, blended right into a smoothie, chopped in a salad, or as a topping for oatmeal or Greek yogurt.

“In general, we usually are not eating enough vegetables and fruit,” Prest said in an email. “Make a goal this summer so as to add a fruit or vegetable to no less than two meals and one snack.”