Quick Answer: Although there is no single food that acts like a pipe cleaner for existing plaque accelerated childhood marketing myths aside the most proven arterial calcification (hardening) / potentially decreasing artery stiffness dissolution product around is Natto. This fermented soybean product is the richest natural source of Vitamin K2 (more specifically, MK-7). In stark contrast to conventional wisdom that focuses on suppressing symptoms, Vitamin K2 acts more like a traffic cop. It activates proteins that “direct” calcium where it belongs — your bones and teeth — and away from your arteries… which prevents the build-up of ‘stones’ inside you (more below).
The At-Risk & Diagnosed (Focus: The Calcium Paradox)
If you’ve got a high LDL or signs of possible atherosclerosis, your first concern probably is for the “hardening” of the arteries. The counter-intuitive reality is that calcium — not just cholesterol — is a major part of the sludge filling your veins.
The Answer: Divert Calcium with Vitamin K2
We all know that Vitamin D aids in the absorption of calcium, lesser known is that without Vitamin K2, your arteries can become as calcified as cement. Without K2, calcium can be found in soft tissues such as your arteries.
The Food: Natto — the food that really seems like it was sent from the Devil.
The Logic: Natto is high in levels of Vitamin K2 and contains an enzyme called Nattokinase (which dissolves blood clots).
The Protocol:
- Sourcing: Purchase organic Natto from an international market. It typically comes in small styrofoam packages in the frozen section.
- Preparation: Do not cook it. Heat kills the Nattokinase enzyme (degradation begins at 150°F/65°C). Defrost in the refrigerator overnight.
- Consumption: Consume one pack (40-50g) per day with your dinner. Stir it vigorously for 60 seconds, until it is stretchy and sticky (this process activates the healthy stuff).
- Taste Profile: Strong odor and slimy feel. Combine with mustard, green onions and a bit of soy sauce (to help cover the taste), or mix with cold rice.
- Critical Note: If you are already on Warfarin otherwise known as Coumadin, please make sure to speak with your physician prior to eating Natto since it is a direct blood clotter.
For The Rainbowing Age Group (Focus: Endothelial Rejuvenation)
You want to maintain youthfulness. The condition of your arteries depends on the health of the endothelium — the paper-thin, Teflon-like lining in your blood vessels. Arteries are flexible when this lining is healthy.
The Solution: Mediating Nitric Oxide (NO)
Nitric Oxide is a gas your body naturally produces to signal the arteries in your body to relax and expand (vasodilation). Our bodies ability to produce NO declines by more than 50% as we age.
The Food: Beets (and Beet Greens) orArugula.
The Logic: These are foods higher in nitrates. Your Body Turns Food Nitrates Into Nitric Oxide.
The “Mouthwash” Trap (Counter-Intuitive Insight):
The transformation of nitrates into Nitric Oxide occurs by bacteria in your mouth. But if you use antiseptic mouthwash, you wipe out these bacteria and also block the cardiovascular benefit of the foods too.
The Protocol:
- The Smoothie: Puree raw beets (scrubbed but not peeled) with an apple and lemon. When boiled, offering this vegetable can reduce the absorption of nitrates by up to a quarter.
- Chewing: Chew the smoothie or salad well. The more food is in contact with your saliva, the more nitrates get converted.
- When to take: Take 60-90 minutes before daily walk. NO burst and movement together serve to maximise blood flow.
If You’re Looking for a Home Remedy (Focus: Antioxidant Scrubbing)
You want to avoid pharmaceuticals. You probably see cholesterol as the ‘enemy’, when really it’s oxidised LDL. Cholesterol only adheres to your artery walls in response to damage (oxidized) and inflammation.
The Answer: Don’t Let LDL “Rust” Ultimately, this is all about keeping our LDL free from oxidation.
You want strong polyphenols that attach themselves to LDL particles and protect them against oxidation.
The Food: Pomegranate (white pith and seeds in particular).
The Logic: Pomegranate is also a source of rare antioxidants called punicalagins. These are in high concentrations in the white, bitter pith that most people discard.
The Protocol:
- Juice vs. Fruit: Most commercial juice will extract out the pith and pasteurize the enzymes. You are better off eating the fresh fruit, or making a glass of juice from freshly pressed oranges that contains some of the bitter white membrane.
- Dose: Studies show only 2-3 ounces (60 ml) of concentrated pomegranate juice may be needed.
- Time: This is not a rush job. Marked decrease in intima-media thickness (thickness of the wall of the artery) is generally seen after 12 months of continual use.
For Caregivers & Family Cooks (Focus: The “Bile Acid” Trap)
You want to cook for a family member with heart problems, but you don’t want to produce “medical food” that’s dreadfully bland or insipid. The aim is to reduce the serum cholesterol mechanically.
The Solution: Soluble Fiber Sponge
The liver takes cholesterol out of your body by forming good (HDL) cholesterol and bile. If you can capture that bile and poop it out, the liver has to suck more cholesterol out of your blood to make more.
The Food: Steel-Cut Oats (Not Instant).
Oats are full of beta-glucan, the source of their healthy reputation. But the nature of the oat is an issue. Instant oats cause a quick spike in blood sugar, resulting in inflammation (bad for the arteries). Steel-cut oats digest slowly.
The “Resistant Starch” Method:
- Cooking: Make a big pot of steel cut oats.
- Cooling (Crucial!) : Transfer the cooked oats to the fridge to chill overnight. Cooling alters the structure of the starch molecules and makes them “resistant,” meaning they pass through your small intestine unchanged.
- Reheating: Reheat the next morning. The resistant starch sticks around, deploying a stronger “broom” to clear out the digestive tract while feeding good gut bacteria that decrease inflammation even more.
- Serves: Cinnamon (blood sugar balance) and chopped walnuts (Omega-3s); if picky parents or spouses won’t eat it plain.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the single best food to consume for avoiding calcified arteries?
The single most proved by science food that halts artery hardening is Natto, a soybean product. It’s the richest natural source of Vitamin K2 (MK-7, in particular), which activates proteins that guide calcium out of your arteries and into your bones — so dangerous buildup goes nowhere near!
Why should I avoid antiseptic mouth rinse when ingesting foods high in nitrates such as beets?
Your mouth is home to certain bacteria that your body needs so you can convert dietary nitrates found in foods such as beet roots and arugula into Nitric Oxide (which relaxes arteries). Antiseptic mouthwash will kill these bacteria, thereby negating the cardiovascular benefits from the vegetables.
What is the best way to prepare oats (the steel-cut type) to maximize their cholesterol-lowering effects?
You want to cook a batch of steel-cut oats, cool them down overnight in the refrigerator and then reheat them. This cooling process alters the shape of the molecules in the oats to make them act more like resistant starch, an even better hot-buttered thing when it comes to trapping bile (which is then eliminated from your body) and pulling cholesterol out of your blood.
Is there any way to cook Natto in order to make it taste or feel better?
No, don’t cook your Natto! That’s because heat will kill off the good enzyme Nattokinase that starts dying at 150°F (65°C). Defrost it in the refrigerator and mix the heck out of it for 60 seconds to enliven its compounds before eating it with cold or warm (but not hot) rice.
What is the most protective part of the pomegranate against oxidized LDL?
The strongest antioxidants, called punicalagins, are found in the white (bitter) pith or membrane that surrounds the fruit. “In order to gain the full anti-oxidative health benefits of this LMF, you have to eat or consume fresh fruit and juice with its attached white membranes intact, so that none of these bioactive substances are lost.” In other words: real fruit or freshly made juice that can include this white membrane. Not commercial juice which very often has had it removed.
References
Vitamin K2 and the Progression of Atherosclerosis Study (The Rotterdam Study):
- Institution: Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
- Subjects: 4,807 individuals who were 55 years or older.
- Outcome: The highest Vitamin K2 intake group had a 52% lower chance of developing aortic calcification and a 57% less risk of dying from coronary heart disease, compared those who consumed the least amount.
- Citation: Geleijnse, J. M., et al. (2004). “Dietary intake of menaquinone is associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease: the Rotterdam Study”. The Journal of Nutrition.
Pomegranate and Intima-Media ThicknessStudy:
- Institution: The Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
- Subjects: 10 patients with stenosis (blockage) of the carotid artery.
- Findings: Carotid intima-media thickness (plaque buildup) shrunk up to 30% in a year for daily consumption of pomegranate juice. In the no juice (control) group thickness increased 9%.
- Citation: Aviram, M., et al. (2004). Long-term supplementation with pomegranate juice does not increase prostate-specific antigen nor does it delay its doudoune canada goose expression after radical prostatectomy. Clinical Nutrition.
Nitrate-Rich Vegetables Trial and Blood Pressure:
- Institution: Queen Mary, University of London.
- Subjects: 68 hypertensive patients.
- Outcome: Beetroot juice, the dietary source of NO3-, significantly reduced BP and improved endothelial function compared with placebo in relation to QT segment.
- Citation: Kapil, V., et al. (2015). “Dietary nitrate produces sustained blood pressure lowering in hypertensive patients.” Hypertension.
