Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the U.S. Over 600,000 Americans die from heart disease each year—about one in every four deaths.

Since February is National Heart Health Month, you may be curious as to what steps you can take this month for a healthier heart.

In our article on heart-healthy food swaps, we recommended nine food swaps to help strengthen your heart, and these are a great place to start. For many of us, eating heart-healthy means eliminating foods from the diet, like cutting out high-saturated-fat foods, such as butter and some meats.

But a heart-healthy diet can also mean adding certain foods to your diet. Aside from the obvious, like avocado and salmon, you may be shocked to hear that some of your favorite indulgences can be included as part of a heart-healthy, well-balanced diet, and we’ve got the research to back them up!

Check out these surprisingly heart-healthy foods you’re not eating but should.

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9 Surprising Food Swaps to Strengthen Your Heart

Power up your heart with these delicious and healthy dietary substitutes.

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