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Heart & Health Nutrition

A Recipe For Better Health

Clinicians explain how the food you eat can help your heart and combat chronic conditions such as hypertension and high cholesterol. How does diet affect your heart? Ask a heart transplant doctor. Dr. Amanda Vest, medical director of the Cardiac Transplantation Program at Tufts Medical Center, says some heart transplants may be prevented with lifestyle changes, such as improved diet, more physical activity, stopping smoking and moderate weight loss for those who are overweight.

High cholesterol and high blood pressure encourage inflammation inside the coronary arteries that take blood to the heart muscle,” said Vest, who is also co-director of the nutrition course at Tufts University School of Medicine. “These conditions cause cholesterol to deposit in the artery, creating what is known as a plaque, narrowing the coronary artery and increasing the risk for cardiovascular diseases including a heart attack.”

Roughly 2 out of every 5 adult Americans have high cholesterol, and roughly one-third of those have cholesterol levels so high they are at risk for heart disease — the leading cause of death in the U.S.—according to the Centers for Disease. 

Many clinicians recommend the anti-inflammatory Mediterranean and DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diets for some patients to help roll back artery-hardening processes, improve heart and blood vessel health, and reduce weight, cholesterol and blood pressure. 

Both diets include the following:

  • Lots of fruits and vegetables.
  • Legumes (such as beans and lentils), and seeds and tree nuts like walnuts, almonds and pistachios for snacks and toppings.
  • Healthy fats from foods like olive oil, avocados and fish.
  • Whole grain foods. Vest notes that refined carbohydrates such as bread, pasta, white rice, sweet desserts and sugar-sweetened beverages and many breakfast cereals have been shown to increase the rate of heart disease.
  • A moderate amount of low-fat or non-fat dairy products such as eggs, yogurt and cheese.
  • Cutting out excess sugar. The general rule of thumb is less than 24 grams of sugar for women a day and less than 36 for men.
  • Cutting down on salt. Dowling recommends less than 2,000 milligrams of sodium a day.
  • A healthy dose of exercise.

While most people will benefit from these diets, Vest advises patients to speak with their doctor or a nutritionist about the best dietary recommendations for them.

To access the full article on how diet affects heart health, click here.

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Useful links:

  1. Eating Right for a Healthy Heart Six Steps to Success - Blue Cross and Blue Shield's Federal Employee Program
  2. The American Heart Association Diet and Lifestyle Recommendations | American Heart Association
  3. Healthy Eating Recipes | NHLBI, NIH
  4. Heart-healthy diet: 8 steps to prevent heart disease - Mayo Clinic