The Underrated Food This Cardiologist Swears By For Heart Health

We like to think the underdog always comes out on top, but when it comes to “superfoods,” it seems the popular green guys get all the glory. But it’s not all kale and avocado all the time. If you’re looking out for your heart, cardiologist and New York Times best-selling author, Alejandro Junger, M.D., says you better be eating more beets. 

The beneficial, yet underrated, root vegetable is “an incredible source of nitrate-containing nutrients,” Junger tells mbg. Nitrate-containing nutrients are essential precursors of nitric oxide, which helps to relax the arterial walls and regulate the blood clotting cascade, he explains. 

So, what does all of that mean in non-medical jargon?