Eating nutritionally dense, low saturated fat, and low glycemic index foods are your primary dietary strategies for fighting heart disease. Inflammation caused by high blood glucose and blood lipids can be the tipping point for cardiac ischemia or cardiac arrest. While eating foods high in soluble fiber helps keep your arteries from becoming blocked, eating foods high in insoluble fiber keeps your blood glucose from spiking and has added benefits for your digestive tract. The American Heart Association website has several tools for preparing tasty, beneficial foods and how to interpret nutrition labels.
Foods to Avoid
If you already have heart disease, you have probably heard that saturated and transfats are to be avoided. Saturated fat is the marbled fat you can see on a cut of red meat and is the white section of bacon. Saturated fat is solid at room temperature. Transfat is processed saturated fat often present in processed foods. The role of dietary cholesterol is not clear. Avoiding organ meats, however, is a best practice. Ground chuck beef, marbled cuts of steak, and deep-fried meats like chicken-fried steak and corn dogs are also to be avoided.
Foods in Moderation
Egg yolks, eaten in moderation, do not appear to raise blood lipids. Lower calorie desserts, such as those with a high fruit content and without added sugar, are also acceptable in moderation. Lean poultry and pork eaten in small servings are fairly healthy and filling. Fatty fish like salmon contain omega-3 fatty acids, which are beneficial to heart health, and can be eaten in moderation. If you use oil to cook, stick with olive oil or oils made from nuts. Try using non-stick spray, when possible. If you have heart disease, it is likely you have high blood pressure. Low-sodium foods are preferable for maintaining normal blood pressure.
Foods to Fill Up On
The American Heart Association suggests vegetables and fruits, whole grain carbohydrates and non-fat dairy products be the staples of your diet. The more the food looks like it did when it came out of the ground or off the plant or tree, the better. If you wish to eat red meat, buy cuts of meat labeled "round" and "loin." Most nuts are high in the "good fats," mono- and polyunsaturated. Serving sizes of nuts are fairly small, however, so make sure that you read the nutrition labels. Adding an omega-3 fatty acid supplement may lower your blood lipids. Check with your physician for recommendations.
A Sample Day Menu
A sample day of eating might look something like this: breakfast of fruit, scrambled egg whites and low-fat cheddar cheese, low fat yogurt, and a slice of whole grain toast with a butter substitute that has no transfat and low saturated fat. For lunch you might eat a mixed greens salad, with carrots, beets, sprouts, and nuts with grilled chicken breast and an olive oil-based salad dressing with vinegar and herbs. As your afternoon snack, you eat an apple and a tablespoon of natural peanut butter. You finish the day with dinner of one serving of grilled salmon with lemon, steamed, mixed vegetables, quinoa with cubed red pepper, sweet potato, onion, and garlic, and a tasty, healthy dessert of decaf coffee and a fruit tart with no added sugar.
Don't Deprive, Satisfy
If you focus on what you cannot eat, you will likely be unhappy and may go on a binge of unhealthy eating out of frustration. Focus on taking care of yourself by treating yourself to tasty and nutritious meals. If you are not much of a cook, try a local supermarket for healthy cooking classes. Refer to websites such as eatright.org and heart.org for recipe ideas. You are making a major lifestyle change in your diet and probably in your exercise. Be patient with yourself during the transition, and focus on what you can eat, rather than on what you cannot. A registered dietitian or registered nutritionist can help you analyze your diet and give you other creative ideas.
