A low-fat and heart-healthy diet can help you reduce your risk for heart disease, which is the leading cause of death in the United States. A heart-healthy and low-fat diet will include healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and healthy fats and stay within your calorie limits. Some examples of heart-healthy and low-fat diets include the DASH diet, a Mediterranean diet and following the heart-healthy guidelines from the Mayo Clinic.
DASH Diet
The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, or DASH, diet was developed to reduce high blood pressure and is endorsed by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. The DASH diet limits foods with too much sodium, is low in saturated fat, cholesterol and total fat and focuses on fruits, vegetables, whole-grain foods and lean meats. It also encourages eating foods high in potassium, calcium and magnesium, which can help lower your blood pressure. In a 2001 press release, the National Institutes of Health reported that the DASH diet not only lowers blood pressure but it can also lower your cholesterol. Lowering your blood pressure and your cholesterol are two important things you can do to reduce your risk of heart disease.
Mediterranean Diet
Another heart-healthy diet that is increasing in popularity is the Mediterranean diet. This diet is named after the common eating style found in the Mediterranean region and focuses on heart-healthy fats. This eating plan includes olive oil, fish, beans, nuts and seeds as well as fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Shirley Perryman, registered dietitian and food science and human nutrition specialist at Colorado State University, reports that the Mediterranean diet is evidence-based and has been proven to reduce "bad" cholesterol, prevent type 2 diabetes and may help reduce your risk for Alzheimer's disease.
Mayo Clinic Guidelines
The Mayo Clinic website also has recommendations for your low-fat and heart-healthy diet. It suggests limiting saturated fat and avoiding trans fat as these types of fat can increase your cholesterol and your risk for heart disease. Also recommended is eating more fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables can provide you with vitamins, minerals and fiber, all of which may help fight against some types of cancer and other diseases. Another suggestion to make your diet more heart-healthy is to add more whole-grain foods to your diet instead of products made from refined grain. Whole-grain foods include whole-wheat bread, oatmeal and brown rice; these types of food can help regulate your blood pressure and aid in digestion and just a few servings each day can improve your diet and health.
References
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: FastStats: Deaths and Mortality
- National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute: Your Guide to Lowering Your Blood Pressure with DASH
- National Institutes of Health: NIH News Release: DASH Hypertension Diet Also Lowers Cholesterol, Finds New NHLBI-Funded Study
- Colorado State University Extension: Weighing in with the Mediterranean Diet
- MayoClinic.com: Heart-healthy diet: 8 steps to prevent heart disease
