Healthy Eating for Heart Health

Healthy Eating for a Happy Heart

Stress is a part of life, but how you respond to it can make a big difference to your heart health. Choosing heart-healthy foods can help. When stress levels rise, many people eat more, often choosing comfort foods that are not healthy. This can be bad for your body, especially your heart. So, it’s wise to eat more nourishing foods, which can improve heart health and help with weight management.

If you’re unsure where to begin, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) offers valuable resources.

“We have many recipes for healthy and delicious dishes, plus an award-winning eating plan called Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, or DASH for short,” said Charlotte Pratt, Ph.D., M.S., R.D., a nutrition expert at NHLBI. For years, the DASH eating plan has been ranked among the U.S. News & World Reports’ best diets for healthy living and heart health. Its success lies in “eating nutrient-dense foods and meals that are lower in sodium and saturated fat, rich in fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy, and legumes,” said Pratt.

NHLBI has developed recipes that support the DASH plan, featuring healthy versions of comfort foods like oven-baked french fries, chicken chili stew, and sweet potato custard. These recipes are easy to prepare and family-friendly, including traditional dishes from African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Vietnamese, Hispanic/Latino, and Filipino cuisines. You can find these recipes, along with tips on safe cooking, kitchen stocking, and food shopping at healthyeating.nhlbi.nih.gov.

“The DASH eating plan is scientifically proven to lower your blood pressure and cholesterol levels,” said Pratt. Additionally, NHLBI research indicates that combining DASH with increased physical activity and calorie monitoring can aid in weight loss.

Healthy Eating for Heart Health

DASH does not require special foods and helps you set daily and weekly nutritional goals using these guidelines:

Eat vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.
Include fat-free or low-fat dairy products, fish, poultry, beans, nuts, and vegetable oils.
Limit foods high in saturated fat, like fatty meats, full-fat dairy products, and tropical oils like coconut, palm kernel, and palm oils.
Limit sugar-sweetened beverages and desserts.

To make DASH a sustainable lifestyle choice, consider these tips:

Change gradually. Add one more serving of vegetables each day. Read nutrition labels to select foods with the lowest saturated fat, sodium, or added sugar.
Vary protein sources. Try a mix of lean meats, remove the skin from chicken, eat fish once or twice a week, and have two or more meatless meals each week.
Choose healthy, tasty snacks. Opt for fruit, unsalted snacks like rice cakes, fat-free or low-fat yogurt, or raw vegetables with a low-fat dip.
Find substitutes. Use whole-wheat bread or brown rice instead of white bread or white rice. If you’re allergic to nuts, try beans or seeds like flax or sunflower seeds.
Follow the U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommendations.

Try this Recipe for Heart Healthy French Fries

Delicious Oven-Baked French Fries

Baking instead of frying these potatoes reduces the fat while keeping them crispy.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes

Makes 5 servings. Serving size: 1 cup.

Ingredients

4 large potatoes (2 lbs.) (regular or sweet potatoes)
8 C ice water
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder

¼ tsp salt
1 tsp white pepper
¼ tsp allspice
1 tsp hot pepper flakes 1 Tbsp vegetable oil

Directions

Scrub potatoes and cut them into long ½-inch strips. Place the strips in the ice water, cover and chill for 1 hour or longer.
Remove potato strips and dry them thoroughly. Preheat oven to 475°F.
Place garlic powder, onion powder, salt, white pepper, allspice and pepper flakes in a plastic bag. Toss the potato strips in the spice mixture.
Put the potato strips in a shallow baking pan and brush them with oil.
Cover the baking pan with aluminum foil and bake at 475°F for 15 minutes.
Remove the foil and continue baking, uncovered, for an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Turn fries occasionally to brown on all sides.

Learn More and Get Help

Combining healthy eating with other self-care activities can help reduce stress and protect your heart. Key activities include moving more throughout the day, getting 7 to 9 hours of sleep, and practicing relaxation techniques like meditation or yoga. If you smoke, consider quitting, and build a strong social support system to stay motivated. Learn more about DASH, heart health, and additional resources at www.nhlbi.nih.gov.

Talk to a member of your care team for more information.