Heart healthy eating patterns are based on a combination of foods, chosen regularly, over time. This optimal combination can be divided into five categories:
- Fruits, vegetables and wholegrains
- A variety of healthy protein sources including fish and seafood, lean meat and poultry, legumes, nuts and seeds
- Reduced fat dairy such as unflavoured milk and yoghurt, and cheese
- Healthy fat choices with nuts, seeds, avocados, olives and their oils for cooking
- Herbs and spices to flavour foods, instead of adding salt
This style of eating is naturally low in saturated and trans fats, salt and added sugar and is rich in wholegrains, fibre, antioxidants and unsaturated fats (omega-3 and omega-6). Eating this way will improve heart health by reducing cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors such as high blood pressure and blood lipids, and decreasing the risk of CVD events and mortality.
Learn more about heart healthy eating principles on the Heart Foundation website.