{"id":3077,"date":"2022-12-28T03:00:48","date_gmt":"2022-12-27T16:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/2022\/12\/28\/heart-healthy-diet\/"},"modified":"2024-07-02T15:57:16","modified_gmt":"2024-07-02T04:57:16","slug":"heart-healthy-diet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/health-hub\/heart-healthy-diet\/","title":{"rendered":"Heart Healthy Dietary Pattern: Find Heart Healthy Meals for your Diet"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A heart healthy diet consists of eating patterns that promote heart health and healthy eating (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Source: <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.heartfoundation.org.au\/getmedia\/c6836ea5-a5fc-454c-a257-5988ec89f8d1\/Nutrition_Position_Statement_-_HHEP_FINAL-3.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Heart Foundation<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">)<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Heart disease affects millions of Australians and people around the world <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(Sources: <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.gov.au\/topics\/chronic-conditions\/what-were-doing-about-chronic-conditions\/what-were-doing-about-cardiovascular-conditions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bhf.org.uk\/-\/media\/files\/research\/heart-statistics\/bhf-cvd-statistics-global-factsheet.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">British Heart Foundation<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">)<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and a heart healthy eating diet is one way that you can reduce your risk from developing heart disease.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Consuming a variety of heart healthy foods is an important and achievable preventative measure you can take.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this article, we go into how a heart healthy diet works.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Where can I find recipes for a heart healthy diet?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> <em>Life!<\/em><\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> program\u2019s Health Hub, we have a series of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/health-hub\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">recipes<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to help you make a variety of healthy meals for breakfast, lunch, dinner and even snacks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What does a heart healthy diet look like?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Heart healthy diet includes fresh vegetables, fruit and whole-grains, a variety of protein-rich foods, healthy fats, unflavoured dairy products and replacing added salt with herbs and spices.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Plenty of Vegetables, Fruit and Whole Grains<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You should try to eat at least five serves of vegetables and two serves of fruit every day <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(Source: <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.heartfoundation.org.au\/bundles\/healthy-living-and-eating\/fruit-vegetables-and-heart-health\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Heart Foundation<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">)<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Serves of fruit include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1 medium apple, banana, orange or pear\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2 small apricots, plums, kiwi fruit\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1 cup of diced\/canned fruit (no syrup)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00bd cup (125ml) juice (drink only occasionally)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">30g (small handful) of dried fruit (eat only occasionally)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Serves of vegetables include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00bd cup of cooked vegetables\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1 cup of raw or salad vegetables\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00bd cup of sweet corn\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00bd medium potato, sweet potato and other starchy vegetables\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00bd cup of cooked peas, beans or lentils<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whole grains are foods like brown rice, wholemeal pasta, grainy bread and oats. These foods are full of fibre and can help lower your cholesterol. Swapping from refined grains like white bread and white rice to wholegrain versions is a simple change that can improve your diet.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A variety of healthy protein-rich foods<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is recommended to eat a variety of protein rich foods with minimal processing.\u00a0 The best protein rich foods for a heart healthy diet include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Beans<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chickpeas<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lentils<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nuts and Seeds<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fish and Seafood<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eggs and poultry are also protein-rich foods that can be enjoyed as part of a heart-healthy eating pattern.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Red meat is also a good source of protein. However, it is best to limit red meat consumption to 1-3 meals per week, as research shows it is associated with an increased risk of heart disease.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Foods with healthy monounsaturated\/polyunsaturated fats<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The type of fat you eat plays an important role in your heart health. Good fats help improve cholesterol levels by decreasing bad (LDL) cholesterol and increasing good (HDL) cholesterol. Low LDL cholesterol levels can help lower your risk of heart disease and higher levels of HDL can help protect your heart.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Foods that contain healthy monounsaturated fats include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Avocados\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unsalted nuts such as almonds, cashews and peanuts\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Olives\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cooking oils made from plants or seeds, including: olive, canola, peanut, sunflower, soybean, sesame and safflower<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Foods that contain healthy polyunsaturated fats (omega-3 and omega-6) include:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fish\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tahini (sesame seed spread)\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Linseed (flaxseed) and chia seeds\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Soybean, sunflower, safflower, canola oil and margarine spreads made from these oils\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pine nuts, walnuts and brazil nuts<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unflavoured dairy products<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Overall milk, yoghurt and cheese have a \u2018neutral\u2019 effect on your heart health, meaning these foods don\u2019t increase or decrease the risk of heart disease <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(Source: <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.heartfoundation.org.au\/bundles\/healthy-living-and-eating\/dairy-and-heart-health\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Heart Foundation<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">)<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While dairy is not crucial for a heart healthy diet, it is still recommended as a good source of calcium. There are other non-dairy alternatives for calcium, such as:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fish with bones<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Almonds<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tofu<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend eating between 2-4 serves of milk, yoghurt and cheese a day to make sure you get enough calcium <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(Source: <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.heartfoundation.org.au\/bundles\/healthy-living-and-eating\/dairy-and-heart-health\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Heart Foundation<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">)<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Australian Dietary Guidelines outline what a serving of dairy should be <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eatforhealth.gov.au\/food-essentials\/five-food-groups\/milk-yoghurt-cheese-andor-their-alternatives-mostly-reduced-fat\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you are going to incorporate dairy into your heart healthy diet, it is recommended that you stick to unflavoured milk, yoghurt and cheese with reduced fat wherever possible.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Using herbs as an alternative to salt<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.heartfoundation.org.au\/Bundles\/Healthy-Living-and-Eating\/healthy-eating\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Heart Foundation<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> also recommends that you use herbs to flavour your food instead of salt. This is because eating too much salt <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">can lead t<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">o high blood pressure, which is a risk factor for heart disease.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On average, Australians are eating nearly double the recommended amount of salt (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Source: <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.heartfoundation.org.au\/Bundles\/Healthy-Living-and-Eating\/healthy-eating\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Heart Foundation<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">)<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Most of the salt you eat is found in processed and packaged foods such as canned foods, deli meats (like ham and salami) and baked goods. That\u2019s why it is important to avoid processed foods and refrain from using salt to flavour your foods.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How can the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>Life!<\/em><\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> program help me achieve a heart healthy diet?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Part of taking on a heart healthy diet is finding out the kind of heart healthy diet that your body needs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>Life!<\/em> <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">program helps you through every stage of a heart healthy diet; from finding out your heart health with a 2-minute <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/#health-check\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">health check<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, to working with you to build a heart healthy diet plan, to supporting you as you incorporate that diet into your lifestyle.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>Life!<\/em><\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is a free healthy lifestyle program that helps you improve your eating habits, increase your physical activity and manage stress. You can choose from a group course or the Telephone Health Coaching service.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our experienced health professionals will help you make small changes to your lifestyle so that you can achieve your health goals and reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>Life!<\/em> <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is funded by the Victorian government and managed by Diabetes Victoria. You can check your eligibility for the program <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/learn-about-life\/#am-i-eligible\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"button teal\" href=\"#health-check\">Take the health check<\/a><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sources<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au\/health\/conditionsandtreatments\/heart-disease-and-food\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au\/health\/conditionsandtreatments\/heart-disease-and-food<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/health-hub\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/health-hub\/<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.gov.au\/topics\/chronic-conditions\/what-were-doing-about-chronic-conditions\/what-were-doing-about-cardiovascular-conditions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.health.gov.au\/topics\/chronic-conditions\/what-were-doing-about-chronic-conditions\/what-were-doing-about-cardiovascular-conditions<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bhf.org.uk\/-\/media\/files\/research\/heart-statistics\/bhf-cvd-statistics-global-factsheet.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.bhf.org.uk\/-\/media\/files\/research\/heart-statistics\/bhf-cvd-statistics-global-factsheet.pdf<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.heartfoundation.org.au\/bundles\/healthy-living-and-eating\/healthy-eating\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.heartfoundation.org.au\/bundles\/healthy-living-and-eating\/healthy-eating<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.heartfoundation.org.au\/bundles\/healthy-living-and-eating\/dairy-and-heart-health\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.heartfoundation.org.au\/bundles\/healthy-living-and-eating\/dairy-and-heart-health<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.heartfoundation.org.au\/bundles\/healthy-living-and-eating\/fats-oils-and-heart-health\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.heartfoundation.org.au\/bundles\/healthy-living-and-eating\/fats-oils-and-heart-health<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.heartfoundation.org.au\/bundles\/healthy-living-and-eating\/fruit-vegetables-and-heart-health\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.heartfoundation.org.au\/bundles\/healthy-living-and-eating\/fruit-vegetables-and-heart-health<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.heartfoundation.org.au\/getmedia\/bf3cede3-4db7-4f05-ab56-cf830d3019b4\/210312-Heart-healthy-eating-pattern-A4_1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.heartfoundation.org.au\/getmedia\/bf3cede3-4db7-4f05-ab56-cf830d3019b4\/210312-Heart-healthy-eating-pattern-A4_1.pdf<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Reviewers<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/elleni-kaias\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Elleni Kaias<\/a>, Accredited Practicing Dietitian | Primary Care Engagement Lead<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/kristie-cocotis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kristie Cocotis<\/a>, Head of Prevention and Health Promotion<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/sarah-dub%C3%A9-57861660\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sarah <\/a><span class=\"TextRun SCXW248055663 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-AU\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW248055663 BCX0\">Dub\u00e9, Strategy and Engagement Lead<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/au.linkedin.com\/in\/ria-cheripuram\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ria Cheripuram<\/a>, Digital Communications Officer<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/au.linkedin.com\/in\/tegankohlman\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tegan Kohlman<\/a>, Communications and Social Marketing Officer<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A heart healthy diet consists of eating patterns that promote heart health and healthy eating (Source: Heart Foundation). Heart disease affects millions of Australians and people around the world (Sources: Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care, British Heart Foundation), and a heart healthy eating diet is one way that you can reduce your risk from developing heart disease&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":3078,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3077","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3077","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3077"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3077\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4072,"href":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3077\/revisions\/4072"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3078"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3077"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3077"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3077"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}