Something to Relish

Three foods your arteries can't get enough of: onions, celery, and parsley.

Whether you add them to soups, relish dishes, sandwiches, or salads, improving the health of your arteries may be as simple as munching on these flavor boosters. People who eat more flavonoid-rich veggies like these cut their risk of hardening of the arteries -- especially in the legs -- in half.

The health fuel powering these foods comes from flavonoids -- naturally occurring plant compounds that are widely known for their disease-fighting antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Yellow onions, parsley, and celery are loaded with flavonoids, though there are other good sources: kale, leeks, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, and blueberries. And most fruits and veggies, as well as tea and red wine, have at least a smattering of them. Flavonoids are potent defenders against peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD), which narrows and hardens arteries in the legs and arms, reducing blood flow.

So the next time you're whipping up tuna or egg salad, marinara sauce or vegetable soup, gazpacho or a dish of crudites, add some extra parsley, onion, and celery. The flavor will hum, and your arteries will, too.

Flavonoid classes and risk of peripheral arterial occlusive disease: a case-control study in Greece. Lagiou, P., Lagiou, A., Skalkidis, Y., Katsouyanni, K., Petridou, E., Trichopoulos, D., European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2006 Feb;60(2):214-219.

Polyphenols: food sources and bioavailability. Manach, C., Scalbert, A., Morand, C., Remesy, C., Jimenez, L., American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2004;79(5):727-747.