Eating a healthy, balanced diet is essential to long-term heart health, reducing your risk for serious heart-related conditions such as high blood pressure, coronary disease and heart failure. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, planning your meals for optimal heart health involves identifying and maximizing the types of food that benefit heart health, while reducing or eliminating foods that contribute to coronary disease.
Risky Foods to Avoid
Knowing what not to include is the first step in planning a heart healthy diet, according to the USDA. Major dietary culprits that raise your risk of heart disease include sodium, trans fats and saturated fats, reports Healthfinder.gov. Processed foods, fried foods, frozen meals, fast food burgers, french fries and potato chips are prime examples of risky foods to avoid when you're planning a heart-healthy diet. By greatly reducing or totally eliminating these salty, high-fat foods from your meal plan, you're doing your heart a tremendous favor in relation to long-term health.
Whole Grains
Foods that form the basis of the USDA's healthy eating pyramid are optimal choices to include in a heart healthy meal plan. The base of the food pyramid is comprised of whole grains that are not only good for your heart, but provide you with nutritious complex carbohydrates to keep you energized for physical activity. These foods include oatmeal, unrefined pasta, whole wheat bread, brown rice and high-fiber cereals. Include eight to 11 servings of these foods in your meal plan to optimize your diet for heart health -- with each serving being 1 slice of bread, 1 cup cereal or 1/2 cup cooked pasta or rice.
Vegetables and Fruits
The vegetable food group is the second-largest tier of foods to include in your meal plan for a healthy heart, packing plenty of fiber, vitamins and antioxidants. The USDA recommends three to five servings of vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and leafy green vegetables, with one serving equivalent to 1 cup of raw leafy green vegetables, or 1/2 cup of other raw or cooked vegetables. Fruits are essential to your meals too -- enjoying nature's sweets is crucial to replacing unhealthy sugars for your heart's sake. Eat two to five servings of 1 medium-sized fruit or 1/2 cup cooked or chopped fruit daily.
Protein Sources and Other Foods
Your body needs protein to maintain healthy cells and tissues, including that of your heart and circulatory system. Getting your protein from healthy sources is vital, and the USDA recommends two to three servings from both the meat and beans and dairy food groups, including legumes such as lentils and kidney beans, lean red meat, nuts, lentils, and low fat milk and yogurt. Examples of serving sizes for protein-rich foods to incorporate into your meal plan are 1 cup of low fat milk or yogurt, 2 to 3 oz. of lean meat, 1 egg or 1/2 cup of cooked or dry beans. Atop the USDA's healthy eating pyramid rest the foods you must eat very sparingly or eliminate for optimal heart health, such as those that contain unhealthy oils, salt, sugar and fats.
Crafting Meals
A simple way to improve your diet to be friendlier to your heart is to replace unhealthy food items with healthier ones. For example, switch to skim milk for your breakfast cereals, replace white bread with whole grain bread, and cut out greasy burgers in favor of baked fish or small portions of lean, broiled red meat.
Member Comments