UW Extension

It is important to pay attention to heart health all year long, and with February being Heart Health Month, now is a good time to establish a healthy eating plan.

The leading cause of death in the United States is heart disease. Following a heart-healthy diet is the best way to care for your heart. These guidelines are not just for those with heart disease or a history in their family, they are for everyone.

The American Heart Association (AHA) encourages the public to make heart-healthy decisions with their diet. The guidelines emphasize dietary patterns, not specific foods or nutrients.

These guidelines don’t focus on what you shouldn’t be eating but what you should eat. This helps people develop an eating plan customized to their preferences and style.

Here are the nine diet and lifestyle recommendations intended to reduce cardiovascular disease risk:

1. Achieve and maintain a healthy body weight. Being obese or overweight causes strain on the heart. However, working toward weight loss with small, consistent dietary changes can majorly impact heart health. Balance the activities you do every day with the amount of calories you eat. Combine a healthy diet with ≥150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week.

You do not usually need to eat as many calories as you age. When choosing nutrient rich foods to meet their nutritional needs, older adults should pay attention that they are not choosing too many calories, although the general dietary guidelines remain the same.

2. Eat plenty of vegetables and fruits: various fruits and veggies provide adequate essential nutrients and phytochemicals. Whole, unprocessed vegetables, fruits and grains are higher in plant sterols and fiber, which are important for gut health and cholesterol management. Deep orange, dark green or yellow fruits and vegetables are especially nutritious. Examples include spinach, carrots, peaches, and berries. Frozen, fresh, canned, and/or dried fruits and vegetables are acceptable.

3. Choose whole-grain foods: select foods as close to their original form for maximum health benefits. Whole-grain foods contain all the essential nutrients and parts of the entire grain seed in their original proportions, including bran, germ, and endosperm. Some examples include brown rice, oats, and whole wheat bread.

4. Select healthy protein sources: the AHA suggests using plant protein sources, like nuts, beans and seeds, rather than processed meats. If meat or poultry are desired, choose lean cuts and avoid processed forms. Add seafood and fish into the diet regularly, along with low-fat or fat-free dairy products. Most Americans get plenty of protein.

5. Use liquid plant oils, like olive oil, rather than tropical oils (coconut, palm and palm kernel), animal fats (butter and lard) and partially hydrogenated fats. Animal fats are solid at room temperature while plant oils are liquid at room temperature. Foods usually containing tropical oils and hydrogenated oils come from packaged and processed foods.

6. Choose minimally processed foods: instead of consuming highly processed foods, the guidelines recommend choosing something healthier. Less processed food will have fewer ingredients listed on the label.

7. Sugar is everywhere, try to minimize beverages and foods with added sugars. Look at the ingredient list on the label. Swap whole fruits and water for cookies and sodas.

8. Purchase and cook with foods with little or no salt: it isn’t easy to find foods without much-added salt unless prepared from scratch. Consumers often think table salt is a problem, but the main culprit is the sodium already there. Salt intake should be to less than 2300 mg daily or 1500 mg for those with higher blood pressure. Focus on foods like vegetables and fruit that are naturally low sodium or sodium-free.

9. Limit intake if you choose to drink alcohol. One drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men is the recommended limit. The AHA does not recommend initiating alcohol use to improve CVD health.

These guidelines can be applied both at home and when eating out. Improving lifestyle and dietary habits is a critical part of any cardiovascular risk reduction strategy. These recommendations from the AHA are just one of several eating plans that help keep your heart healthy. Other heart-healthy eating plans are the DASH diet, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and the Mediterranean diet.

(Source: http://www.heart.org) The University of Wyoming and the United States Department of Agriculture cooperate. The University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution.