6. Kale
When it comes to stroke prevention, you just can’t go wrong with leafy greens consumption. Kale and Swiss chard are loaded with magnesium, so eating them more often can help keep your heart healthy.
“Magnesium acts as a vasodilator, opening up blood vessels, and protects the endothelium, the innermost layer of blood vessel walls,” says Carolyn Dean, MD, ND, Medical Advisory Board Member at the Nutritional Magnesium Association and author of The Magnesium Miracle. “Magnesium also closes the calcium channel to excessive calcium influx, which is toxic and damaging to arteries and blood vessels.”
