How Going Green Helps Your Heart

Spending time in green places can make you feel calm. And now there’s evidence that putting greens on your plate is like a chill pill for your arteries.

Just about anything leafy and green -- from spinach and kale to collards and turnip greens -- helps you get your fill of vitamin K, an important ally in squelching inflammation. We don’t mean the kind that happens when you bump your shin on the hope chest while you’re running to answer the phone. We mean the dangerous inflammation that happens in your arteries and is at the core of problems including heart attacks, strokes, and even memory loss.

Inflammation happens in your arteries when problems like high blood pressure and high blood sugar nick the smooth inner layer of your arteries. Your body tries to repair the nick with cholesterol. And when it tries to use lousy LDL cholesterol, inflammation is triggered. And that’s like telling a plane full of hungry passengers that there’s no more snack mix: Everything just gets more irritated. In your arteries, irritation causes plaque to rupture, clots to form -- and you to get a heart attack or stroke. Not worried? It can also cause impotence and memory loss (got your attention now?).

But more research is linking high vitamin K intake to a lower bodywide inflammation index. So try all kinds of greens. Slip collards into your red sauces. Saute kale with red wine vinegar and garlic. Go to your farmers market today, and then get creative. Your taste buds will thank you, too.