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Heart-Healthy Food Swaps

Nutrition plays a vital role in helping prevent and manage diseases—including heart disease. Cooper Clinic Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Cynthanne Duryea, RDN, LD , shares heart-healthy food swaps to consider when trying to lower cholesterol and prevent cardiovascular disease.
Heart-Healthy Food Swaps

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Trying to make healthy food choices when your goal is to lower cholesterol or manage heart disease can seem overwhelming. But making conscious choices when choosing the foods we eat is key to preventing and managing cardiovascular disease. Eating patterns such as the Mediterranean Diet or the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) Diet—which are heavily plant-based—are ideal approaches due to their anti-inflammatory properties.

Eat more heart-wise foods

Eating heart-healthy foods doesn’t have to be complicated. Following the corner stones of heart-healthy nutrition can make a big impact:

  • Eat less saturated fats and avoid trans fat. The American Heart Association recommends limiting saturated fat to 5-6% of calorie intake (approximately 13 grams per 2,000 calories/day and 10 grams per 1,500 calories/day).
  • Add more healthy fats to your diet—monosaturated and polyunsaturated, fish and omega-3.
  • Eat more soluble fiber such as oats/oat bran, beans, peas, potatoes with skin, apples, oranges and berries including a wide variety of colorful fruits and vegetables. Psyllium seed husk-based fiber supplements are also beneficial.
  • Limit beverages and foods high in sugar—100 calories per day for women and 150 calories per day for men.
The chart below can provide additional recommendations for a heart-healthy diet.

Choose More:

Choose Less:

Colorful fruits & vegetables (5+ a day) Desserts, sweets & pastries
Greens, raw or steamed Fried foods
Beans (at least 3-4 times/week) Convenience foods
Whole grains (3+ per day) Refined grains
Fat-free milk and yogurt Whole milk
Oats and oat bran (3 grams of soluble oat fiber/day) Low-fiber cereal (2 grams)
Nuts, seeds (1 oz. or ¼ cup) or nut butters (2 Tbsp.) High-fat snack foods
Fish (2 times/week) Frankfurters
Lean meat, fish & poultry (4-6 oz./day) High-fat meats
Lean beef (12 oz. or less/week) High-fat beef
Canadian bacon & low-fat deli meat Bacon, sausage & high-fat deli meats
Water and decaffeinated tea Alcohol & sweetened beverages
Low-fat frozen yogurt, sorbet Ice cream
Egg whites or egg substitutes Egg yolks
Smart Balance® Buttery Spread Butter
Low-fat or nonfat cheese Full-fat cheese
Olive, avocado or canola oil Coconut or palm kernel oil
Light sour cream Sour cream
Fat-free half-and-half Half-and-half
Tomato sauces Cream sauces
Oil & vinegar dressings Creamy dressings
Clear broth soups Cream-based soups
Light mayonnaise Regular mayonnaise
Hummus, salsa & guacamole Cheese/cream-based dips

Anti-inflammatory foods

Eating patterns such as the ones mentioned above are not only heart healthy, they also have anti-inflammatory effects. Although the American Heart Association states inflammation is not proven to cause cardiovascular disease, inflammation is common in heart disease and those who have had strokes and it is thought to contribute to fatty build up in the arteries.

Below are examples of anti-inflammatory foods to include in your diet and foods to limit.

Include plenty of these anti-inflammatory foods in your diet:

Limit these foods that may cause inflammation:

  • Olive oil
  • Green leafy vegetables (kale, spinach, broccoli, etc.)
  • Nuts such as almonds and walnuts
  • Fatty fish such as salmon, herring, trout, sea bass, halibut, sardines, shrimp and tuna
  • Fruits such as berries, cherries and pineapple
  • Refined carbohydrates such as white bread, pastries and desserts
  • Fried foods
  • Soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages
  • Red meat (high-fat cuts) and processed meat (hot dogs, sausages, bacon)
  • Margarine, shortening and lard

Taking a preventive approach to heart disease by making healthy nutrition choices can help you live a better quality and quantity of life. Working with a registered dietitian nutritionist can help you create an eating plan right for you and make healthy food swaps to lower cholesterol and manage heart disease.
To schedule a one-on-one consultation with a Cooper Clinic Registered Dietitian Nutritionist or learn more about Cooper Clinic Nutrition, visit cooperclinicnutrition.com or call 972.560.2655 .
Article provided by Cynthanne Duryea, RDN, LD , and Cooper Clinic Nutrition.