Heart-Healthy Eating
Heart-healthy eating means eating food that can help lower your risk of heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. It focuses on eating more healthy foods and cutting back on foods that aren't so good for you. It is part of a heart-healthy lifestyle that includes regular activity and not smoking, vaping, or using other tobacco or nicotine products.
A heart-healthy eating plan means that you:
- Eat fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and other high-fiber foods.
- Eat lean proteins, such as fish, lean meats, beans, nuts, and soy products.
- Eat healthy fats, such as canola and olive oil.
- Choose foods that are low in saturated fat.
- Limit sodium and alcohol.
- Limit drinks and foods with added sugar.
There are a few heart-healthy eating plans. They include the DASH eating plan and the Mediterranean diet.
DASH eating plan
The DASH eating plan is a way of eating that can help lower your blood pressure. DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. It includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy. It also includes lean meat, fish, poultry, beans, nuts, and seeds. It recommends limiting sodium, saturated fat, and added sugar.
Mediterranean diet
The Mediterranean diet is a heart-healthy style of eating. It features foods eaten in countries that border the Mediterranean Sea. This diet emphasizes food rich in fiber and healthy fats. These include fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, fish, high-fiber grains, and olive oil. The diet limits meat, cheese, and sweets.
