One of the best ways to improve heart health is through healthy eating. Here is the best diet for heart health, along with 5 others.
Maintaining a healthy heart is essential, as cardiovascular disease is the main cause of death in the world. To improve heart health, there are plenty of things you can do on your own like exercising and not smoking.
However, one of the best things you can do to strengthen your heart is to eat right. In fact, eating has a big impact on a lot of heart disease risk factors like inflammation, cholesterol, and blood pressure.
Many diets with a focus on consuming healthy fats, fiber, and antioxidants help promote heart health. Conversely, diets high in added sugars and processed foods can increase the risk of heart disease.
To improve heart health through eating, it’s best to avoid the usual fad diets and follow ones with scientific backing. The following are some of the healthiest diets you can follow for your heart health.
1. Mediterranean Diet
According to a review of 11 studies, the Mediterranean diet can reduce the overall risk of heart disease by 40%. The diet emphasizes whole foods like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and fish while limiting added sugars, refined carbs, and more.
2. DASH Diet
The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet was specifically designed to decrease the risk of high blood pressure. Like the Mediterranean diet, it has a focus on whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and more while limiting sodium (salt) intake.
3. Vegan Diet
Both the vegan and vegetarian diets can reduce the risk of heart disease and related mortality through their emphasized foods. While vegan diets exclude all animal byproducts, vegetarian diets may include some such as eggs and dairy.
4. Flexitarian Diet
This particular diet emphasizes plant foods but also includes moderate amounts of fish, meat, dairy, and other animal products. While there is no set rule on how much animal products you should eat, it encourages a focus on plant foods for protein intake.
5. TLC Diet
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) developed the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) diet to reduce the risk of stroke and heart disease. Beyond dietary recommendations, it includes lifestyle recommendations such as getting at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise per day.
6. Low Carb Diets
These diets have a higher protein and/or fat intake than typical Western diets in addition to restricting carb intake. Moreover, they work by targeting certain heart disease risk factors like obesity, cholesterol, and blood pressure.
The Outlook
Deciding which of these is the best diet for heart health depends on various factors. These include effectiveness, scientific research, nutrition quality, and ease of practice (how easy it is to follow and maintain).
For some, following a vegan or vegetarian diet may work best, while the Mediterranean or DASH diet may be better for others. Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide which of these is more sustainable over the long term and works best.
Regardless of which diet you choose, you can always add an extra boost to your heart health through supplements like L-arginine Plus. It works by increasing nitric oxide production, a molecule that improves blood flow and circulation throughout the body.
Try L-arginine Plus alongside one of these diets to promote your heart health effectively and safely.