What to eat to prevent heart disease, according to health experts

Heart disease, including heart attacks and strokes, is a growing global burden, accounting for millions of deaths annually. But what if you could prevent it altogether? Though several factors contribute to heart disease, some are still in our control. Lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise play a crucial role in preventing heart disease. Eating the right foods can keep these cardiovascular diseases at bay.

A 2021 study published in Cardiovascular Research, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), looks at how diet plays a role in preventing heart disease. According to the study, plant-based foods should dominate heart-healthy diets. This comprehensive review of research on food and heart disease provides updated evidence on how much, and how often each food can be consumed safely.

Foods should not be termed ‘bad’ and ‘good’
We are living at a time when health-conscious individuals avoid eating certain foods. This starts from salt, and goes on until bread, and flour.

"There is no indication that any food is poison in terms of cardiovascular risk. It's a matter of quantity and frequency of consumption. A mistake we made in the past was to consider one dietary component the enemy and the only thing we had to change. Instead, we need to look at diets as a whole, and if we reduce the amount of one food, it is important to choose a healthy replacement," study author Professor Gabriele Riccardi of the University of Naples Federico II, Italy, said in a statement.

Plant-based diets for the win

The study emphasized that plant-based foods are essentially heart-healthy. Increased intake of plant-based foods, including whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and nuts, is linked with reduced risk of atherosclerosis, which is the plaque buildup in the walls of the arteries. There is consistent evidence that for healthy adults, low consumption of salt and foods of animal origin is beneficial. The same applies to replacing butter and other animal fats with non-tropical vegetable fats such as olive oil.

Go easy on meat
The study also differentiates processed and red meat, both associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. However, moderate intakes (up to three servings of 100 g per week) of poultry are ideal. The experts reveal that consumption of red meat (i.e, beef, pork, lamb) should be limited to two servings of 100 g per week, and processed meat (i.e., bacon, sausages, salami) limited to occasional use.

Add some legumes and fatty fish
The study also recommends legumes (up to four servings of 180 g per week) as a protein replacement for red meat. One can also consume fish in moderation (two to four servings of 150 g per week) to prevent heart disease. Poultry may be a suitable protein alternative to red meat, but in moderate amounts.

Fruits, vegetables, and nuts

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You have to consider bringing a rainbow of fruits and vegetables to your plate. They are linked with a lower risk of atherosclerosis. According to the study, you should increase your daily consumption of fruits and vegetables to as much as 400 g (each). A handful of nuts (around 30 g) per day is recommended.

Dairy products

Recent evidence does not support a requirement to use low-fat, instead of full-fat, dairy products to prevent heart disease, for the healthy population. Instead, having both full-fat and low-fat dairy products, in moderate amounts, is ideal.



What about cheese? "Small quantities of cheese (three servings of 50 g per week) and regular yogurt consumption (200 g per day) are even linked with a protective effect since they are fermented. We now understand that gut bacteria play a major role in influencing cardiovascular risk. Fermented dairy products contain good bacteria, which promote health," Professor Riccardi said.

Low GI cereals
While opting for cereals, high-GI foods raise blood sugar more quickly than low-GI foods. High GI foods, including white bread and white rice, are associated with an elevated atherosclerosis risk. So, consumption should be limited to two servings per week. You can replace them with whole grain foods (i.e., bread, rice, oats, barley) and low GI foods (i.e, pasta, parboiled rice, corn tortilla).

Beverages
Good news for coffee and tea lovers. These two beverages, up to three cups daily, are associated with reduced cardiovascular risk. However, soft drinks, including low-calorie options, are linked with a higher risk. It is ideal to replace them with water.

Chocolate

(Pic courtesy: iStock)

Yes, chocolate is heart-friendly. Evidence suggests that you can eat up to 10 g of dark chocolate per day. “For this amount of consumption, the beneficial effects exceed the risk of weight gain and its related harmful consequences on cardiovascular health,” the doctors reveal.

What really matters
Diet should be sustainable. So going on extreme diets can wear you out. At the end of the day, if the diet is enjoyable, it will motivate you to sustain it for longer periods of time for a healthier lifestyle. “We need to rediscover culinary traditions such as the Mediterranean diet, which has delicious recipes using beans, whole grains, nuts, fruits, and vegetables,” Professor Riccardi noted.

"A strategy based exclusively on guidelines and nutritional education will not be sufficient to change the lifestyle of the population; policy options to be considered should necessarily include initiatives to facilitate production, marketing, availability, and affordability of foods that are not only healthy but also gastronomically appealing,” the authors added.