Everyone needs a healthy cardiovascular system, so when you need to lose weight, pursue an eating plan that benefits heart fitness as it trims high-calorie fats from your diet. Your heart, blood and blood vessels need adequate nutrition to do their jobs as you lose weight. The American Heart Association recommends eating low-fat foods from each of the five food groups, to provide a balance of protein, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins and fatty acids that will support and not detract from your heart health.
Vegetables
A weight-loss diet should center around three to five daily servings of vegetables, which are low in fat and high in fiber, vitamins and minerals. The USDA notes that this combination reduces your risk for heart attacks and strokes. Vegetable servings of 50 calories or less per ½ cup include cooked spinach, tomatoes, broccoli and carrots.
Fruits
The calorie counts of fruits are nearly as low and the fiber as high as heart-healthy vegetables, so get your three to five servings per day and still lose weight. Low-calorie fruits of fewer than 50 calories per ½ cup or medium fruit include plums, kiwis, apricots and blueberries.
Grains
Wheat bran cereal, brown rice, and whole-grain breads and crackers belong at the heart of your weight-loss diet. Don't skip any of the recommended six to eight grain servings just because they have relatively higher calories than other foods. Your body needs their protein, iron and B vitamins to maintain a healthy blood count. Fat content is still low, and if you choose whole grains, their strong dietary fiber will fill you up on less food and contribute to a healthy blood cholesterol level.
Dairy
The same dietary trade-off brought by grain foods holds true for dairy products as well: You need two to three servings of low-fat milk, cheese or yogurt for optimum heart function. Drink fat-free milk while losing weight for the same calcium value as full-fat varieties in only 83 calories per 1-cup serving.
Protein
Low-calorie, heart-healthy sources of protein depend upon small portion sizes and no-fat cooking methods to help you lose weight. Cooked black or pinto beans have little fat, no cholesterol and about 120 calories per ½ cup. Low-fat fish with 100 or fewer calories per 3 oz. include tuna, sole and cod. If you don't have high blood pressure and need to limit sodium, two 1-oz. slices of extra-lean deli ham or turkey breast will cost you less than 100 calories. Eat up to 6 oz. of meat or fish or a combination of low-fat protein foods to total 50 g of protein per day, the FDA's average recommendation.
References
- American Heart Association; Weight Loss Diets May Reverse Atherosclerosis in Overweight and Obese People; March 2010
- American Heart Association; How Do I Follow a Healthy Diet?; August 2010
- USDA; Dietary Guidelines for Americans; December 2010
- FDA; Recommended Daily Values for Nutrients; March 2011
- USDA: Nutrient Database
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