Comparing Heart-Healthy Diets
You can choose from several eating plans to
help keep your heart healthy. A heart-healthy eating plan includes vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, poultry, fish, legumes, oils, and nuts. These plans limit
sweets, sugar-sweetened beverages, and red meats. All of the eating plans listed below are good for
the heart. Be sure to talk with your doctor before
you choose an eating plan. If your doctor says
that any of these plans is a good choice for you, you can pick one based on
the kinds of foods you like to eat.
DASH
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What it is
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What to eat
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What to limit or avoid
|
- DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to
Stop Hypertension.
- Involves limiting sodium
- High in potassium, magnesium, and calcium
|
- 3
servings each day of fat-free or low-fat milk and milk
products
- 4 to 5 servings of fruit each day
- 4 to 5
servings of vegetables each day
- No more than 2
servings each day of lean meat, poultry, or fish
- 7 to 8 servings of
whole grains each day
- 4 to 5 servings of legumes, nuts,
and seeds each week
|
- Processed foods (such as snack items,
lunch meats, and canned soups)
- Saturated fat (in meats and dairy
products, especially red meat)
|
Dietary Guidelines for Americans
|
What it is
|
What to eat
|
What to limit or avoid
|
- You can enjoy your food, but you eat less.
- Based on the food groups: fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins, and dairy
- See www.choosemyplate.gov for what is right for you.
|
- Vegetables
- Fruits
- Whole grains
- Fat-free or low-fat dairy products
- Meat, poultry, fish, beans, peas, eggs, soy, nuts, and seeds
|
- Saturated fats, trans fats, sweetened drinks, and sweets
|
Mediterranean-style
|
What it is
|
What to eat
|
What to limit or avoid
|
- It's a style of eating, rather than a
formal diet plan. It refers to foods often eaten in Greece, Italy, France, and
Spain.
- Allows 35% to 40% of daily calories from fat, mainly from
nuts and unsaturated oils such as fish oils, olive oil, and certain nut or seed oils
(canola, soybean, or flaxseed oil)
- High in fiber
- May
include 1 glass each day of red wine for women, up to 2 glasses for men
|
- Fish
- Fruits (including as
dessert)
- Vegetables
- Beans
- High-fiber grains
and breads
- Olive oils
- Foods high in linolenic acid, such as nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds), flaxseeds, flaxseed oil, and canola oil
|
- Red meats, cheeses, and sweets
|
American Heart Association
|
What it is
|
What to eat
|
What to limit or avoid
|
- Includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, and fat-free or low-fat dairy products. It is low in saturated fat.
|
- Fish, at least
2 times a week, especially oily fish like tuna, salmon,
mackerel, lake trout, herring, and sardines
- Variety of dark green,
deep orange, or yellow fruits and vegetables, such as spinach, carrots,
peaches, and berries
- 25 to 30 grams of fiber each day from whole
grains, fruits, vegetables and legumes
- Fat-free,
low-fat, or reduced-fat dairy products
- Liquid vegetable oils and
soft margarines in place of hard margarine or shortening
|
- Processed food (such as lunch meats and baked goods and other snacks made with
partially hydrogenated or saturated fats)
- Little or no added salt. Aim for less than 2,300 mg of
sodium a day. Some people may need to have much less than
that, such as less than 1,500 mg of sodium a day.
|
ByHealthwise Staff
Primary Medical Reviewer Rakesh K. Pai, MD, FACC - Cardiology, Electrophysiology
Martin J. Gabica, MD - Family Medicine
Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer Colleen O'Connor, PhD, RD - Registered Dietitian
Current as ofJanuary 27, 2016
Current as of:
January 27, 2016
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