{"id":18669,"date":"2021-02-12T09:30:05","date_gmt":"2021-02-12T14:30:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/?p=18669"},"modified":"2026-04-22T13:50:49","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T17:50:49","slug":"heart-healthy-diet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/heart-healthy-diet\/","title":{"rendered":"The best diet for heart health"},"content":{"rendered":"

Heart disease is the number one killer of men and women in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). About <\/span>697,000<\/span> Americans died of heart disease in 2020\u2013that\u2019s 1 in 5 deaths overall, reports the CDC. Why should those statistics\u2014or a heart-healthy diet matter to you?<\/span><\/p>\n

You may be at greater risk than you think. About <\/span>47%<\/span> of all adults in the U.S., or 116 million people, have high blood pressure. High blood pressure puts you at increased risk for heart disease and stroke. High cholesterol also hurts the heart. <\/span>Given how prevalent heart disease is<\/span><\/a>, no one can afford to ignore cardiovascular health.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u201cHeart health is critically important for all of us to take into account,\u201d says cardiologist Nicole Harkin, MD, founder of<\/span> Whole Heart Cardiology<\/span>. One of the best ways to regain control is to plan what you put in your refrigerator, pantry, and body every day. You can decrease your risk of heart disease by making positive changes to your eating patterns. Consider making one heart-healthy change a month, such as only eating dessert on weekends or adopting Meatless Mondays.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is considered a heart-healthy diet?<\/h2>\n

In general, a heart-healthy diet is one that is heavy on fruit, vegetables, and whole grains\u2014and light on red meat and unhealthy fats including saturated fats and trans fats. Trans fats, which are often found in foods containing partially hydrogenated oils, raise your low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels, also known as your bad cholesterol, and decrease your HDL, or good, cholesterol.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u201cYou\u2019ve heard it before, but it works,\u201d says John P. Cooke, MD, Ph.D., professor of cardiovascular science at Houston Methodist Hospital and science advisory board member for<\/span> HumanN<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a bonus: Eating a heart-healthy diet may also help you maintain a healthy weight. That, in turn, may help you<\/span> further reduce your risk of developing heart disease<\/span><\/a> as obesity is a risk factor for diabetes, hypertension, and heart problems.<\/span><\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/b>The best diet for weight loss<\/b><\/a> | <\/b>4 triglyceride treatment options<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

The best heart diets to try<\/h2>\n

Two of the best diets you can try are the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet. Here\u2019s what you need to know about both of them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mediterranean diet<\/span><\/h3>\n

The Mediterranean eating plan offers numerous health benefits, meeting the AHA\u2019s recommendations for heart-healthy eating and<\/span> even helping to reverse prediabetes<\/span><\/a>. In fact, a <\/span>study<\/span><\/a> in the <\/span>New England Journal of Medicine<\/span><\/i> noted that the Mediterranean diet helped people at high risk for heart disease \u201creduce the incidence of major cardiovascular events.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

When you follow this eating plan, you concentrate on eating nutrient-rich, plant-based foods, including fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and nuts and seeds. It also recommends using olive oil instead of butter or margarine. Use\u00a0 low to moderate amounts of lean meat like fish and skinless chicken, and low-fat or fat-free dairy products (instead of their full-fat counterparts).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

DASH diet<\/span><\/h3>\n

The AHA also gives a thumbs up to the<\/span> DASH diet<\/span><\/a>. DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. This plan also emphasizes the fruits, veggies, and whole grains, with smaller amounts of low-fat and fat-free dairy, fish, poultry, nuts, and vegetable oils. You also want to cut back on the saturated and trans fats. According to the AHA, this diet allows more meat and low-fat dairy than the Mediterranean diet generally does. Another hallmark of this diet is its <\/span>approach toward salt<\/span><\/a>: Aim to keep your daily sodium intake below 2300 mg\u2014and ideally less than 1500 mg.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The DASH diet emphasizes foods that contain dietary nitrates, says Dr. Cooke. Research, such as this <\/span>study<\/span><\/a> in the journal <\/span>Hypertension<\/span><\/i>,<\/span> suggests that dietary nitrate may help lower blood pressure. How? Your body converts this substance into nitric oxide, which is a vasodilator. In other words, those foods help keep your blood vessels open, which helps the blood vessels of the heart feed the heart muscle itself.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Foods like beets, leafy green vegetables, citrus foods, and nuts and seeds are high in dietary nitrates that your body can convert to nitric oxide. \u201cKeeping your blood vessels healthy is also going to help you defeat infectious diseases,\u201d Dr. Cooke adds.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

8 foods to include in a heart-healthy diet<\/h2>\n

First, consider the foods that you want to eat more of. When you\u2019re selecting recipes, look for recipes that prioritize fruit, vegetables, and lean protein. To boost heart health, add these foods to your diet.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Antioxidant-rich foods<\/span><\/h3>\n

\u201cChoose foods that are rich in antioxidants, as they reduce inflammation in the body and can aid in preventing heart issues,\u201d says <\/span>Bansari Acharya, RDN<\/span><\/a>, a registered dietitian and nutritionist with foodlove.com. \u201cThe best foods with antioxidants include any type of berries, especially blueberries, green leafy vegetables, citrus fruits, and avocados.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/b>What\u2019s the best diet for inflammation?<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

2. Olive oil<\/span><\/h3>\n

Olive oil<\/span><\/a> is an example of monounsaturated fat and has been shown to improve heart health, but experts also note that you\u2019re replacing other, less healthy oils and fats when you use olive oil, which is another benefit.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Low-sodium condiments, soups, and snacks<\/span><\/h3>\n

Opt for low- or reduced-sodium versions of condiments and soup, which often contains more sodium than you might realize. According to the Cleveland Clinic, you can reduce the extra fluid around your heart and <\/span>lungs<\/span><\/a> by minimizing or reducing sodium in your diet. That means your heart doesn\u2019t have to work as hard to pump blood and it reduces your blood pressure.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Quinoa\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Not only is quinoa filling, but <\/span>it contains antioxidants and heart-healthy fats<\/span><\/a> that can also help improve your good cholesterol levels.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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