Chili peppers
If mild green bell peppers are as spicy as you get, you may want to train your taste buds to like a little more heat. “Chili peppers give a kick to the blood, increasing the circulation around the body,” says Arnett Elnahar. In a 2015 study published in the BMJ, researchers looked at the diets of nearly half a million men and women over a seven-year span. They found that people who ate spicy foods like chili peppers several days a week had a 14 percent lower risk of death during the study—including from heart disease and cancer. Take baby steps by adding a little diced chili pepper to your stir-fry or chili, or squirt a drop or two of Sriracha sauce on your eggs.
Kale
If you haven’t heard enough about kale, here’s another reason to add this food to your diet: It could help improve circulation. “Kale is exceptional at replenishing red blood cells and increases the blood’s ability to transport more oxygen around the body,” says Arnett Elnahar, RD, based in New York. Bonus: Kale is rich in folate, which may help lower high blood pressure. (Watch out for these silent signs of heart trouble.)
