Nutrition and Heart Disease: Foods to Love and Avoid

Heart disease is impacted by several factors. Some you can’t control, like age or family history, but you do have control over others like lifestyle and diet. 

Aspects of diet that impact heart health:

1. Saturated fats, trans fat, and cholesterol –> linked to heart disease

2. Too much salt –> can raise blood pressure

3. Alcohol –> can raise blood pressure levels and the risk of heart disease

Taking charge of your heart health through your diet doesn’t just have to mean cutting out what you love, though–it can also mean embracing delicious new changes.

Here are some foods you should limit or avoid for heart health, and heart-healthy foods you can turn to instead.

Fruits and veggies

Foods to limit:

• Coconut

• Vegetables with creamy sauces

• Fried or breaded vegetables

• Canned fruit packed in heavy syrup

• Frozen fruit with sugar added

Foods to choose:

• Fresh or frozen vegetables and fruits

• Low-sodium canned vegetables

• Canned fruit packed in juice or water

Grains

Foods to limit:

• White, refined flour

• White bread

• Muffins

• Frozen waffles

• Cornbread

• Doughnuts

• Biscuits

• Quick breads

• Cakes

• Pies

• Egg noodles

• Buttered popcorn

• High-fat snack crackers

Foods to choose:

• Whole-wheat flour

• Whole-grain bread, 

• High-fibre cereal

• Whole grains such as brown rice, barley and buckwheat

• Whole-grain pasta

• Oatmeal

Fats

Foods to limit:

• Butter

• Lard

• Bacon fat

• Gravy

• Cream sauce

• Nondairy creamers

• Hydrogenated margarine and shortening

• Cocoa butter, found in chocolate

Foods to choose:

• Olive oil

• Canola oil

• Vegetable and nut oils

• Margarine, trans fat-free

• Cholesterol-lowering margarine

• Nuts, seeds

• Avocados

Protein 

Foods to limit:

• Full-fat milk and other dairy products

• Organ meats, such as liver

• Fatty and marbled meats

• Spareribs

• Hot dogs and sausages

• Bacon

• Fried or breaded meats

Foods to choose:

• Low-fat dairy products, such as skim or low-fat (1%) milk, yogurt and cheese

• Eggs

• Fish, especially fatty, cold-water fish, such as salmon

• Skinless poultry

• Legumes

• Soybeans and soy products

• Lean ground meats

Now that you know which foods to limit and avoid when trying to prevent heart disease, you can start building your weekly meal plan with that in mind. Check out Easy Platter’s menu builder and take full control over what you are eating.