Heart diseases have caused a lot of painful goodbyes over the years, but in recent years, the numbers dropped. Even if this is so, it is still the number 1 cause of death for Americans and the world for both men and women. It has been known that these days, many people know how to prevent cardiovascular diseases including strokes and heart attacks. Diet, lifestyle and enough exercise can actually make a very big difference to your heart health.

According to Fox, there are some food that can be included in the diet which can make the heart healthy. Average Americans eat almost the same amount of food as they did in the early 70s. The amount of calories consumed between-meals has increased to about 580 calories per day. For workers, make sure to pack and bring heart-healthy foods to make sure you're on the right track.

Let's take apples for instance. As the saying goes, "An apple a day keeps the doctor way." This is actually true according to some cardiologists. A women's health study in Iowa followed about 34,000 women for 20 years and it was discovered that apples were linked to lower risk in causing death due to coronary heart or cardiovascular diseases.

Apple has a soluble fiber that helps lower cholesterol and provides antioxidants that reduce oxidative stress that can lead to atherosclerosis and other cardiovascular problems. It has vitamin C that delivers heart-protective nutrients.

Believe it or not, popcorn is also heart-healthy. It's not only for watching movies, but it can pass as a smart healthy office snack. It has polyphenols which is an antioxidant connected with improving heart health. In a research it shows that a gram of popcorn contains about 3 times more polyphenols than kidney beans.To make this snack truly heart healthy, hold the added butter and salt and avoid certain microwavable popcorn bags. 

To ensure you get the heart-healthy benefits you intend, pop your own popcorn or buy pre-popped bags free from PFOAs. Season yourself with olive oil and fresh herbs or spices, like rosemary or cayenne pepper.

There are a lot more food choices that is heart-healthy, we just need to know what those are.