A heart-healthy diet focuses on nutrient-dense foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats. This diet usually limits foods rich in saturated fats, sugar, and salt. Diet and lifestyle factors impact heart health, and even small changes can be significant.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for adults in the United States. Fortunately, several diet changes can improve your heart health and lower your risk of chronic disease.

Foods to Prioritize

1. Fruits and Vegetables

When making healthy dietary changes, incorporating more fruits and vegetables is a good place to start. Choose a variety of fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables. Canned options may be high in sodium or sugar, so check the label first. Aim to fill half of your plate with fruits and vegetables at each meal.

Consider adding the following fruits and veggies to your diet:

• Leafy green vegetables (kale, spinach, and Swiss chard)
• Fresh vegetables (such as carrots, bell peppers, and broccoli)
• Berries (raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries)
• Fresh fruits (such as apples, oranges, bananas, and mangoes)

2. Whole Grains

Whole grains are an essential part of a heart-healthy diet because they are rich in fiber. Consider adding some of the following whole grains to your regular rotation:

• Barley
• Brown rice
• Buckwheat
• Bulgur (parched cracked wheat)
• Millet
• Oatmeal
• Quinoa
• Whole wheat bread, bagels, tortillas, and English muffins
• Whole wheat pasta and pizza dough

3. Lean Proteins

Most heart-healthy eating plans include lean proteins to keep you full and satisfied. Consider the following options:

4. Healthy Fats

Certain fats, including saturated and trans fats, can raise the risk of heart disease. However, there are healthier fats that improve cholesterol levels and reduce heart disease risk. Consider switching out your regular fats for any of the following:

• Avocado oil
• Avocados
• Fatty fish
• Oil-based vs. mayonnaise-based salad dressing
• Olive oil
• Unsalted nuts
• Vegetable oils, including canola, corn, peanut, and sunflower

5. Low-Fat Dairy

While full-fat dairy products are high in saturated fats, low-fat alternatives are a healthy swap. Consider adding some low-fat dairy products to your eating plan:

• Fat-free or low-fat cottage cheese
• Fat-free or low-fat yogurt
• Nonfast or low-fat milk

Foods to Limit

Aim to reduce or eliminate foods that raise the risk of heart disease. Calorie-dense foods that are high in fat, salt, or sugar may increase the risk of heart attack and stroke over time.

When following a heart-healthy diet, reduce, limit, or avoid the following types of foods:

• Alcohol: Limit your intake of alcoholic drinks, including beer, wine, and cocktails.
• Cholesterol: Cholesterol is found in meat, bacon, whole milk, and ice cream.
• Processed meats: Processed meats like bacon, beef jerky, and lunch meat are high in sodium.
• Saturated fats: Dairy products like butter and full-fat cheese are high in saturated fats. Other such foods include red meat, fried foods, and sweets.
• Sodium: Sodium is found in salty foods like table salt, processed foods, chips, pizza, and frozen meals. Store-bought meals and sauces are usually high in sodium.
• Sweets: Foods with added sugars include candy, pastries, ice cream, and soda. Added sweeteners may be listed as corn syrup, fructose, glucose, sucrose, maltose, or fruit juice concentrate on ingredient labels.
• Trans fats: Trans fats are found in processed foods such as fried food, boxed cookies, crackers, and chips.

Heart-Friendly Diets

If you are craving more guidance, consider following a heart-healthy diet plan to take the guesswork out of meal planning. Research shows that certain diets have heart-health benefits and may lower the risk of heart attack and stroke over time.

Heart-healthy diets include:

• DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet: This low-sodium diet includes vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, fish, poultry, beans, and nuts. This diet is proven to lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease.
• Mediterranean diet: This diet focuses on whole foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, olive oil, fish, and nuts. It lowers the risk of heart disease and stroke.
• Plant-based diet: Plant-based diets focus on vegetarian foods like fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and plant-based proteins like beans and nuts. It is naturally low in saturated fat.
• Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) diet: This plan limits dietary fat and focuses on fiber-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and nuts. It is proven to lower blood cholesterol levels.

Meal Ideas

It can be difficult to know where to start when making healthy diet and lifestyle changes. Having some meal ideas to kickstart your heart-healthy eating plan may help. When meal planning, aim to fill half of your plate with fruits and vegetables.

Heart-healthy meal ideas include:

• Baked chicken with brown rice and a side salad
• Black bean veggie burger on a whole grain bun with lettuce, onions, and tomato
• Grilled salmon with roasted vegetables and quinoa salad
• Oatmeal with fresh berries and sliced almonds
• Shrimp tacos with fresh veggies and guacamole
• Strawberry spinach salad with grilled chicken and walnuts
• Vegetable egg white omelette with fresh fruit
• Vegetable stir-fry
• Whole-grain pasta with fresh tomatoes and beans
• Whole wheat toast with fresh guacamole and sliced tomatoes

Tips for Dining Out

You do not need to give up dining out when following a heart-healthy diet. However, restaurant meals typically contain more fat, sugar, and salt than home-cooked versions, so it is important to plan ahead.

Heart-healthy tips for dining out include:

• Look at the menu beforehand and decide which meals fit your healthy eating plan.
• Ask your server for recommendations and clarify any ingredient questions you may have.
• Request that your meal be cooked with healthier fats like olive or sunflower oil instead of butter.
• Aim to fill half of your plate with fruits and vegetables.
• Request that any cheesy or rich sauces be served on the side, rather than on your meal.
• Plan to take half of your meal home for leftovers; restaurant meals are usually large and provide more than one portion.

Summary

A heart-healthy diet is rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and other healthy nutrients. Add heart-healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats to your daily diet. Reduce or avoid saturated fats, trans fats, sodium, cholesterol, and added sugars.

Talk with a healthcare provider about the right heart-healthy diet for you. Examples include the DASH diet, the TLC diet, the Mediterranean diet, or the plant-based diet.