How to Eat to Reverse Heart Disease

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death in the U.S. (accounting for more than 40 percent of all deaths) and worldwide. Heart disease includes coronary artery disease, heart rhythm problems (arrhythmia), and congenital heart defects. Whether your heart disease is mild or severe, eating right is an essential component of preventing, treating and possibly reversing heart disease. Maintaining a heart-healthy diet reduces harmful lipids like LDL (low-density lipoprotein) and triglycerides, increases healthy HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol, and keeps blood pressure and weight at acceptable levels.

Things You'll Need

• Vegetables
• Fruit
• Legumes
• Wheat
• Oats
• Rye
• Barley
• Brown rice
• Buckwheat
• Bulgur
• Millet
• Quinoa
• Oily fish
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Sunflower oil
• Safflower oil
• Corn oil
• Soybean oil

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Instructions

Instructions

• 1

  Include a variety of vegetables, fruits and legumes in your diet. All fruits, vegetables and legumes do the heart well because they are good sources of fiber. Deeply colored vegetables (like spinach and carrots) and fruits (like peaches and berries) prevent and reverse heart disease better than other foods. Color signifies a greater content of phytochemicals, states the American Dietetic Association, which are important because they neutralize or even reverse the damage caused by free radicals. Free radicals contribute to heart disease and many other diseases.

• 2

  Go with whole grains, including whole wheat, oats, rye, barley, brown rice, buckwheat, bulghur, millet, and quinoa. Whole grains contribute to low blood pressure and a healthy heart because they are rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals, such as thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin E, magnesium, phosphorus, selenium, zinc and iron. The American Heart Association states that at least half of your daily servings should come from whole grains.

• 3

  Eat at least 8 ounces of oily fish (such as salmon, mackerel, or sardines) per week. These types of fish contain omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which reduce the risk of death from coronary artery disease.

• 4

  Get at least 5 percent of daily calories from omega-6 fatty acids. These are found in nuts, seeds and vegetable oils such as sunflower, safflower, corn, and soybean oil. According to an advisory published by the American Heart Association, observational studies found that people who ate foods with the most omega-6 fatty acids often had the least heart disease and that patients with heart disease had lower levels of omega-6 in their blood.

• 5

  Limit fats, cholesterol, sugar and salt. Your daily calories should include no more than 7 percent of saturated fats (which are mainly found in animal products). Trans fats (found in hydrogenated fats, commercially baked products, and many fast foods) should make up less than 1 percent of your daily calories. Eat no more than 300 mg of cholesterol (from eggs, dairy products, meat, poultry, fish and shellfish) per day. Use little or no salt in your cooking. Salt increases blood pressure and raises the risk of heart disease. Reduce or eliminate added sugars (corn syrups, sucrose, glucose, fructose, maltrose, dextrose and honey).