A heart-healthy diet aims to manage your cholesterol and blood pressure levels and prevent serious health conditions, such as heart attack, stroke and heart disease. The diet involves ample fruits and vegetables, regular intake of whole grains, healthy fat sources and fatty fish and limiting saturated fat and processed foods. For additional benefits, exercise regularly, avoid smoking and maintain a healthy body weight. For best results, seek guidance from a qualified professional.
Function
A heart-healthy diet encourages foods that help you obtain or maintain healthy cholesterol and lipid levels and increase high-density lipoprotein, or HDL, the "good," cholesterol. Heart-healthy diets also work to reduce or prevent heart-related health conditions, such as high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke and heart disease. Because heart-healthy diets are rich in nutrients and satiating fiber, you may also find that healthy weight management is more feasible.
Basic Guidelines
While numerous diets promote positive heart health, they generally promote similar basic guidelines. The American Heart Association recommends you eat at least 4 1/2 cups of fruits and vegetables and three 1-oz. servings of whole grains per day. Aim for 3 1/2-oz. servings of fish at least twice per week. Limit your sodium intake to 1,500mg per day and sugary beverages to no more than 36 oz. per week. For improved HDL cholesterol, consume at least four servings of nuts per week. Limit processed meats to a maximum of two servings per week. Up to 7 percent of your total daily calories can come from saturated fats.
Optimum Foods
While a variety of healthy foods suit a heart-healthy diet, particular varieties provide most benefits. Consume a variety of fresh, colorful fruits and vegetables regularly for broadest nutritional benefits. Though lean fish provides a nutritious lean protein option, the American Heart Association recommends fatty fish, such as salmon, tuna, lake trout, herring, sardines or mackerel, which contain omega-3 fatty acids --- essential fats known to reduce inflammation and improve cardiovascular health. Low-fat dairy products, legumes and skinless chicken and turkey breasts provide rich amounts of protein and little fat.
Examples of nutrient-rich whole grains include oats, barley, whole wheat, brown rice, wild rice, quinoa and popcorn. Breads, cereals and other foods made with whole grains should list a whole grain as a primary ingredient or carry a "100 percent whole grain" label. Healthy fat sources include olive oil, canola oil, safflower oil, sunflower seeds, walnuts, almonds, ground flaxseed and avocados.
Foods to Avoid
While you can enjoy almost any food on a heart-healthy diet, saturated fats, trans fats and refined carbohydrates, such as white flour and sugar, can increase your risk for weight gain, cholesterol and blood pressure problems and heart disease when consumed in excess. To avoid these risks, MayoClinic.com suggests limiting unhealthy fats, such as butter, lard, margarine, hydrogenated vegetable oil, cocoa butter and tropical oils. You should also limit meats rich in saturated fat, such as beef, steak, poultry fat, lamb, pork, bacon, sausage and fried meats. For additional benefits, replace enriched breads, pasta, cereals, crackers, potato chips, pastries, candy and instant rice with whole grains or starchy vegetables, such as potatoes, regularly. In other words, consider sugary and salty snack foods treat foods, rather than main courses.
Additional Suggestions
In addition to a diet based upon heart-healthy foods, do physical activities you enjoy regularly. The American Heart Association also recommends not smoking, limiting alcoholic beverages and maintaining a healthy body weight. If you feel deprived of your less healthy favorite foods, learn ways to prepare healthy adaptations, such as replacing conventional pepperoni pizza with whole grain pizza crust topped with vegetables and low-fat cheese. See your doctor annually, or more often if she suggests additional monitoring. For specified dietary guidance, discuss your wellness goals with a qualified nutritionist.
