A MULTI MADE JUST FOR YOU

Yogurt and apple

In recent years, the role that microbes in our gut and the metabolites they produce play in improving cardiovascular health is becoming apparent. Eating more fermented foods, such as yogurt, kefir, and sauerkraut, is one of the best ways to fertilize your microbiome with beneficial micro-critters for better heart and digestive health.

One way to feed these beneficial micro-organisms so they can proliferate is to supply them with a variety of different forms of dietary fibre, including pectin, found in apples. Pectin is a nondigestible soluble fibre considered a prebiotic, a.k.a. plant fibres that help healthy bacteria grow in your gut. And it’s believed that when the bugs in your digestive tract work on breaking down pectin, there’s a release of beneficial compounds such as butyrate.

Besides, one study found that healthy, middle-aged adults with a one-apple-a-day habit reduced blood levels of a substance linked to hardening of the arteries by 40 percent over four weeks. For a heart-protecting snack, top a bowl of plain yogurt with chopped apples and a few chopped nuts, or use thick Greek yogurt as a dip for apple slices.

Kind-hearted

To show your heart some love, it appears you need not settle for fat-free yogurt. New research among the world’s biggest consumers of dairy foods has shown, using blood levels of certain fatty acids, that higher intakes of dairy fat were not associated with an increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease.

The health impact of dairy foods might be more dependent on dairy types, such as yogurt, cheese, milk, and butter, rather than the fat content, with probioticlaced fermented options such as yogurt likely leading the way for heart health.