How To Follow a Heart-Healthy Diet – Health Essentials from Cleveland Clinic

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Many diets are very specific about what you can’t eat. However, the most powerful (and empowering) diets help you focus instead on what you can and should eat. In fact, research shows that adding certain foods to your diet is just as important as cutting back on others. 
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That especially holds true for a heart-healthy diet. 
Good nutrition and a healthy heart go hand in hand. For example, following a heart-healthy diet can help reduce your total cholesterol and bad (or LDL) cholesterol, lower your blood sugars and triglycerides, and decrease your blood pressure. For instance, potassium — which is found in many fruits and vegetables — can help lower your blood pressure. 
Even more importantly, making good diet choices can also address risk factors for heart disease and heart-related conditions. That means eating healthier foods can reduce or even eliminate the chance you’ll develop certain health issues down the line. 
According to the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology Lifestyle Management Guideline on the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease (2019), a heart-healthy diet focuses on: 
Heart-healthy diets should avoid: 
However, moderation is key. It can be difficult to eliminate some of these things from your diet completely, so don’t feel guilty about occasionally having a small serving of an unhealthy indulgence. The trick is to keep the portion small. 
In contrast, you shouldn’t overdo it on some recommended healthy foods either. For example, registered dietitian Julia Zumpano, RD, notes you should limit fish that’s high in mercury, like albacore tuna, swordfish and king mackerel, to 6 ounces a week.
It can be overwhelming knowing what to eat (and how much to eat) to be healthy. Zumpano offers some tips on how to put together a balanced, heart-friendly diet. 
Your parents were right: Eat your fruits and veggies! These provide a variety of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber — all things known to help prevent disease. If you have high blood pressure, a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and grains is especially recommended. 
Zumpano says to aim for a combined seven to nine servings of fruits and vegetables each day: roughly 4 or greater for vegetables and two to four for fruit. If you don’t reach recommended serving sizes in a given day, don’t worry. It’s more about what your overall diet looks like in a week, so just load up on veggies or fruits in the following days.  
One serving of fruit is equal to: 
One serving of vegetables is equal to: 
How to increase fruits and vegetables in your diet 
Where fruits and veggies are concerned, variety is the spice of a healthy life. Choosing food in a rainbow of colors ensures you’ll ingest a diverse array of nutrients. Eat carrots and oranges; tomatoes, strawberries and raspberries; plums and eggplant; blueberries and blackberries: green grapes, celery, spinach and kiwi; and yellow peppers and bananas.  
We all need fat in our diet, but not all fat is created equally. Trans fats and saturated fats are so-called bad fats. These raise your LDL (or bad) cholesterol, the kind that encourages plaque build-up in your arteries (that waxy substance). Red meat is high in saturated fat, as are certain kinds of cheese. 
A better choice is consuming good fats, or monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. You’ll find these in nuts, seeds, avocados, olives, flaxseed, soy and fatty fish.
Tips
Animal proteins are the kind of protein found in beef, pork, lamb, poultry and eggs, as well as cheeses and yogurt. Although the American Heart Association recommends you eat 5.5 ounces of protein per day, the kind of protein you eat matters.  
For example, animal protein often means you’re ingesting higher amounts of cholesterol and saturated fat— both of which contribute to weight gain and an increased risk of developing heart disease.  
Luckily, there’s a solution. In addition to eating more veggies, you should eat more plant-based proteins. These are proteins found in food such as legumes (dried beans, peas and lentils) nuts and seeds. The American Heart Association recommends you eat minimally 5 ounces of plant protein per week. 
An easy way to eat more plant-based protein is meatless meals. There are plenty of tasty recipes that provide good sources of protein but that also provide heart-friendly ingredients such as fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

One ounce of protein is equal to: 
Dietary fiber is a type of carbohydrate that your body can’t digest. It’s found primarily in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts/seeds and beans. As fiber passes through your body, it aids in digestion and helps eliminate waste.
When eaten as part of a healthy diet, fiber can reduce cholesterol. But that’s not its only health benefit. A diet rich in fiber helps control blood sugar, keeps your bowels running on a regular schedule, prevents gastrointestinal disease and aids in weight management. 
Foods contain a mix of soluble and insoluble fiber. Each type has a unique effect on health:
To receive the greatest health benefit, you should eat a wide variety of fiber-rich foods. Overall, aim for a total intake of 25 or more grams of dietary fiber (soluble and insoluble) each day. 
Zumpano says to stick to three to six servings of whole grains a day. Steer clear of processed or refined carbohydrates. This includes foods like white bread, white pasta and white rice.   
Instead, it’s better to load up on what’s called unrefined or whole-grain carbohydrates. These foods provide more vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and dietary fiber than refined carbohydrates. 
Examples include: 
Examples of one serving of grains: 
Dairy is good for your heart, bone and blood pressure health. Zumpano recommends sticking to one to three servings of dairy per day, though. Plus, dairy products can have saturated fat, so it’s best to stick to lower- or non-fat versions of your favorites.
These include skim or 1% milk, 1% or nonfat yogurt or cottage cheese, and reduced-fat cheeses. If you cannot tolerate dairy products or choose not to consume them, consider a dairy alternative to meet calcium needs such as unsweetened almond, soy or oat milk.
One serving of dairy includes: 
It’s difficult to resist sugary foods such as a melt-in-your-mouth dessert or a super-sweet beverage. And (good news!) you don’t have to eliminate sugar from your diet completely — just limit your intake. Indulging in sugar a couple times a month is better than a few times a week. 
Drinking alcohol is not encouraged on a heart-healthy diet. But if you do, drink in moderation. Moderate alcohol use is defined as no more than one drink per day for women and no more than two drinks per day for men. Be aware that alcohol should be avoided with some medical conditions or medications. Talk to your doctor about drinking alcohol. 
When you’re trying to follow an eating plan that’s good for you, it may help to know how much of a certain kind of food is considered a “serving.” Here are some examples: 
Maintaining an active lifestyle can have considerable heart-health benefits. Following a healthy diet in tandem with getting regular exercise improves blood pressure, cholesterol and your overall heart health. But be sure to engage in exercise that gets your heart rate up, and do so for at least 30 minutes most days of the week.
No matter what physical activity you prefer, it’s best to check with your doctor before starting any exercise regimen or radically changing your eating habits. They can offer advice and support, as well as any referrals (like to a dietitian or nutritionist) for help planning a heart-healthy diet. 
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Good nutrition and a healthy heart go hand in hand. Our registered dietitian offers these steps to put together a heart-healthy diet plan packed full of vitamins, minerals and nutrients.

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