Eating a Heart Healthy Diet

Heart disease is the number one killer of both men and women in the United States. If you are worried about heart disease, one of the most important things you can do is to start eating a heart-healthy diet. Changing your diet can help stop or even reverse heart disease.

At first, it may seem like there is a lot to learn. But you don't have to make these changes all at once. Start with small steps. Over time, making a number of small changes can add up to a big difference in your heart health.

To have a heart-healthy diet:

• Eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and other high-fiber foods.
• Choose foods that are low in saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol.
• Limit salt (sodium).
• Eat only as many calories as you need to stay at a healthy weight.

Heart Healthy Foods

A heart-healthy diet focuses on adding more healthy foods to your diet and cutting back on foods that are not so good for you.

Eating foods that contain unhealthy fats can raise the LDL ("bad") cholesterol in your blood. Having a high level of LDL cholesterol increases your chance of having clogged arteries (atherosclerosis), which can lead to coronary artery disease and heart attack.

Trans fat is especially bad. It both raises the level of "bad" cholesterol and lowers the "good" cholesterol in the blood. Try to avoid trans fat as much as possible.

Healthful Recipes to Try

• Pineapple Waldorf Salad
• Asian Cabbage Salad
• Asparagus Salad
• Winter Salad
• Spinach Salad with Oranges and Almonds
• Carrot Soup with Cumin, Cilantro and Red Onion Salsa
• Pumpkin and Apple Soup
• Spinach, Leek and Fennel Soup
• Vegetable Stew
• Vegetarian Squash Chili
• Vegetables with a Touch of Lemon
• Zucchinis with Cherry Tomatoes and Mint
• Baked Winter Squash
• Braised Vegetables
• Brown Rice, Tomatoes and Basil
• Green Beans and Tomatoes
• Greens with Garlic
• Guacamole Two Ways
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts
• Roasted Rosemary Vegetables
• Sauteed Collard Greens
• Stir Fry Vegetables
• Sugar Snap Peas with Toasted Sesame Seeds
• Winter Fruit Salad
• Fruit on a Stick
• Melon Berry Sparkler
• Piña Colada

How a Heart Healthy Diet Impacts Your Health

Making good food choices can have a big impact on your health. Eating a heart-healthy diet can help you to:

• Lower your blood pressure
• Lower your cholesterol
• Reach and stay at a healthy weight
• Control or prevent diabetes
• Improve your overall health

Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Diet

A Heart Healthy Diet is Good for Everyone

A heart-healthy diet is not just for people with existing health problems. It is good for anyone. (But children younger than 2 should drink 2% or whole milk, not 1% or skim milk. At age 2, they can switch to low-fat or nonfat dairy products.) Learning heart-healthy eating habits now can help prevent heart disease in years to come.

You don't have to be perfect, and you don't have to do it all at once. Make one or two changes at a time. As soon as you are used to those, make another one or two changes. Over time, making a number of small changes can add up and make a big difference in your health. Read through some simple changes that you can make today.