Over the years, a restrictive, low-calorie diet called the "cardiac diet" has made the rounds on the Internet and office copy machine. No such diet has ever come from a reputable medical institution, reports the University of Alabama, which has often been associated with the cardiac diet. Certain guidelines do exist for patients who have or who are at risk of developing heart disease. Following nutritional guidelines that improve general health and nutrition while losing weight will also benefit your heart.
Definition
Heart disease is not a single entity, but many. Different types of heart disease require different types of dietary restrictions. Some diseases such as obesity, diabetes or high blood pressure can lead to heart disease, and eating to reduce these health problems will also reduce the risk of heart disease. High cholesterol can cause atherosclerosis, a buildup of plaque inside blood vessels that decreases blood flow and can lead to heart attack or stroke.
Allowed Foods
While you can eat anything on a cardiac diet, the key is to moderate the amounts you eat. Increasing the amounts of vegetables and fruits you eat is part of every healthy diet, and you generally can't eat too many of these vitamin-rich foods, unless you cover them in sugar or cream sauce. Fruits and vegetables add fiber, which can lower your cholesterol levels if you eat five to 10 g per day, MayoClinic.com reports. Fatty fish, nuts such as walnuts and almonds and foods with added plant sterols, such as orange juice and margarine, can also help lower cholesterol levels. Whole grains rather than refined add fiber and additional nutrients while helping to control blood sugar levels.
Disallowed Foods
If you have heart disease related to high blood pressure, reducing your sodium intake to less than 1,500 mg per day can lower blood pressure. Most Americans consume 3,436 mg of sodium per day, according to the American Heart Association. Sodium increases fluid retention and blood volume, which increases the heart's workload. No foods are strictly forbidden, but simple refined sugars, which can raise blood sugars if eaten in excess and also contribute to weight gain, should be limited. Saturated fats, particularly man-made trans fats, which can raise cholesterol, should also be eliminated from your diet or greatly decreased.
Fat Percentages
To keep your diet heart healthy, get less than 10 percent of your daily calories from saturated fats, and keep you total fat intake to 25 to 35 percent of your daily calories, MedlinePlus advises. The National Cholesterol Education Program suggests less than 7 percent for saturated fats, with monounsaturated fats making up 30 percent and polyunsaturated fats 10 percent of your daily calorie allowance. Keep cholesterol intake to less than 200 mg per day.
Carbohydrate and Protein Intake
Your daily protein intake should equal 60 g of protein, the Merck Manuals Online Medical Library states. Choose lean meats over fatty meats with higher amounts of saturated fat. While carbohydrate can equal 50 to 60 percent of your daily calorie intake, choose whole grains over refined starches and sugars and limit sweets.
