Heart-healthy eating involves choosing certain foods, such as fruits and vegetables, while limiting others, such as saturated fats and added sugars.

Your doctor may recommend the heart-healthy Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating plan because it has been proven to lower high blood pressure and “bad” LDL cholesterol in the blood. 

Foods to eat

These foods are the foundation of a heart-healthy eating plan.

• Vegetables such as leafy greens (spinach, collard greens, kale, cabbage), broccoli, and carrots
• Fruits such as apples, bananas, oranges, pears, grapes, and prunes
• Whole grains such as plain oatmeal, brown rice, and whole-grain bread or tortillas
• Fat-free or low-fat dairy foods such as milk, cheese, or yogurt
• Protein-rich foods:
  • Fish high in omega-3 fatty acids (salmon, tuna, and trout)
  • Lean meats such as 95% lean ground beef or pork tenderloin or skinless chicken or turkey
  • Eggs
  • Nuts, seeds, and soy products (tofu)
  • Legumes such as kidney beans, lentils, chickpeas, black-eyed peas, and lima beans
• Oils and foods high in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats:
  • Canola, corn, olive, safflower, sesame, sunflower, and soybean oils (not coconut or palm oil)
  • Nuts such as walnuts, almonds, and pine nuts
  • Nut and seed butters
  • Salmon and trout
  • Seeds (sesame, sunflower, pumpkin, or flax)
  • Avocados
  • Tofu

Foods to limit

A heart-healthy eating plan limits sodium (salt), saturated fat, added sugars, and alcohol. Understanding nutrition labels can help you choose healthier foods.

Limit sodium

Adults and children over age 14 should eat less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium a day. Children younger than age 14 may need to eat even less sodium each day based on their sex and age. If you have high blood pressure, you may need to limit sodium even more. Talk to your healthcare provider about the amount of sodium that is right for you or your child.

Try these shopping and cooking tips to help you choose and prepare foods that are lower in sodium:

• Read food labels and choose products that have less sodium for the same serving size.
• Choose low-sodium, reduced-sodium, or no-salt-added products.
• Choose fresh, frozen, or no-salt-added foods instead of pre-seasoned, sauce-marinated, brined, or processed meats, poultry, and vegetables.
• Eat at home more often so you can cook food from scratch, which will allow you to control the amount of sodium in your meals.
• Flavor foods with herbs and spices instead of salt.
• When cooking, limit your use of premade sauces, mixes, and instant products such as rice, noodles, and ready-made pasta.

Limit saturated fats

Saturated or “bad” fats come from animal sources such as butter, cheese, and fatty meats. They should make up less than 10% of your daily calories. Unsaturated fats are also known as “good” fats and are found in vegetable oils and nuts.

Read food labels and choose foods that are lower in saturated fats and higher in unsaturated fats.

• Eat leaner, lower-fat, and skinless meats instead of fatty cuts of meat and chicken with skin.
• Consume lower-fat dairy products instead of whole-milk.
• Use certain vegetable oils (such as olive and canola oil) instead of butter, lard, and coconut and palm oils.

Limit added sugars

You should limit the amount of calories you get each day from added sugars. This will help you choose nutrient-rich foods and stay within your daily calorie limit.

Some foods, such as fruit, contain natural sugars. Added sugars do not occur naturally in foods but instead are used to sweeten foods and drinks. They include brown sugar, corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, glucose, high-fructose corn syrup, raw sugar, and sucrose.

In the United States, sweetened drinks, snacks, and sweets are the major sources of added sugars.

• Sweetened drinks include soft drinks or sodas, fruit drinks, sweetened coffee and tea, energy drinks, alcoholic drinks, and favored waters. Sweetened drinks account for about half of all added sugars consumed.
• Snacks and sweets include grain-based desserts such as cakes, pies, cookies, brownies, doughnuts; dairy desserts such as ice cream, frozen desserts, and pudding; candies; sugars; jams; syrups; and sweet toppings.

Lower how much sugar you eat or drink.

• Choose drinks without added sugar such as water, low-fat or fat-free milk, or 100% vegetable juice.
• Choose unsweetened foods for snacks or dessert.
• Eat sweetened drinks, snacks, and desserts less often and in smaller amounts.

Limit alcohol

Talk to your healthcare provider about how much alcohol you drink. They may recommend that you reduce the amount of alcohol you drink or that you stop drinking alcohol. Alcohol can:

• Add calories to your daily diet and possibly cause you to gain weight
• Raise your blood pressure and levels of triglyceride fats in your blood
• Contribute to or worsen heart failure in some people, such as some people who have cardiomyopathy
• Raise your risk of other diseases such as cancer

If you do not drink, you should not start. You should not drink if you are pregnant, are under the age of 21, taking certain medicines, or if you have certain medical conditions, including heart failure.

How much should you eat?

You should eat the right amount of calories for your body, which will vary based on your sex, age, and physical activity level. Remember that some healthy foods, including oils and dairy, can still have a lot of calories. Some fruits can have a lot of natural sugar, especially when they are dried.

You can visit the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ and U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans has information about healthy eating and recommendations for healthy eating patterns.

Eat a variety of vegetables and fruits — including options that are fresh, frozen, canned, or dried.

• Fresh vegetables like tomatoes, cabbage, and carrots
• Leafy greens for salads, like Romaine lettuce, spinach, and kale
• Canned vegetables that are low in sodium
• Frozen vegetables without added butter or sauces, like broccoli or cauliflower
• Fresh fruits like apples, oranges, bananas, pears, and peaches
• Canned, frozen, or dried fruit without added sugars

Farmers markets are great places to buy vegetables and fruits that are in season.

Look for fat-free or low-fat options.

• Fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk
• Fat-free or low-fat plain yogurt
• Fat-free or low-fat cheese or cottage cheese
• Soy milk with added calcium, vitamin A, and vitamin D

For products with more than 1 ingredient, make sure whole wheat or another whole grain is listed first in the ingredient list. Look for products that say 100% whole grain.

• Whole-grain bread, bagels, English muffins, and tortillas
• Whole-grain hot or cold breakfast cereals with no added sugar, like oatmeal or shredded wheat
• Whole grains like brown or wild rice, quinoa, or oats
• Whole-wheat or whole-grain pasta and couscous

Choose a variety of foods with protein.

• Seafood — fish and shellfish
• Poultry — chicken or turkey breast without skin, or lean ground chicken or turkey (at least 93% lean)
• Lean meats — like pork shoulder, beef sirloin, or lean ground beef (at least 93% lean)
• Beans, peas, and lentils — like black beans and garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
• Eggs
• Unsalted nuts, seeds, and nut butters, like almond or peanut butter
• Tofu

Replace saturated fat with healthier unsaturated fats like seafood, nuts, seeds, avocados, and oils. Try these healthy swaps:

• Vegetable oil (canola, corn, olive, peanut, safflower, soybean, or sunflower) instead of butter for cooking
• Low-fat or light mayonnaise instead of full-fat mayo
• Oil-based salad dressings like balsamic vinaigrette or Italian instead of creamy dressings like ranch

Vegetable oils are usually healthy choices — just avoid coconut and palm oils, which are high in saturated fat. And margarine and other soft spreads may have less saturated fat than butter — check the Nutrition Facts label and look for options with less saturated fat.

To build healthy eating habits and stay within calorie needs, individuals over age 2 should choose foods and beverages with little to no added sugars and those under age 2 should avoid them altogether. Added sugars are sugars and syrups that are added to foods or beverages when they are processed or prepared. This does not include sugars found in milk and fruits.

Common Foods Containing Added Sugars

• beverages, such as regular soft drinks, energy or sports drinks, fruit drinks, sweetened coffee and tea
• breakfast cereals and bars
• cakes
• candy
• cookies and brownies
• ice cream and dairy desserts
• pies and cobblers
• sugars, jams, syrups, and sweet toppings
• sweet rolls, pastries, and donuts

Reading the ingredient label on packaged foods can help you identify added sugars.

Names for Added Sugars*

Nine out of 10 Americans eat more sodium (salt) than they need. Eating too much sodium can raise your risk of high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke.

The good news is that cutting down on sodium can help lower your blood pressure and keep your heart healthy.

Use these tips to help lower the amount of sodium in your diet. Try making just 1 or 2 changes at a time.

Know your sodium limit.

Ask your doctor how much sodium is okay for you. The general guidance is:

• Adults and teens age 14 and older need to limit their sodium intake to no more than 2,300 mg (milligrams) a day
• Children ages 9 to 14 need no more than 1,800 mg of sodium a day
• Children ages 4 to 8 need no more than 1,500 mg of sodium a day
• Children ages 1 to 3 need no more than 1,200 mg of sodium a day

Shop for lower-sodium foods.

Most of the sodium we eat doesn’t come from our salt shakers. Sodium is in almost all the processed and prepared foods we buy — even foods that don’t taste salty, like bread or tortillas.

When you’re shopping, limit these foods that are high in sodium or look for low-sodium versions:

• Processed meats, like deli meats (including turkey), sausages, and pepperoni
• Sauces, dressings, and condiments
• Instant flavored foods, like flavored rice and noodles

Check the label.

Use the Nutrition Facts label to check the amount of sodium in foods and compare different options.

• Try to choose products with 5% Daily Value (DV) or less — 20% DV or more is high
• Look for foods labeled “low sodium” or “no salt added” — but keep in mind that some lower-sodium foods don’t have those labels, so you’ll need to check the Nutrition Facts label to be sure

Make healthy shifts.

Swap out foods that are higher in sodium for healthier options. You can:

• Snack on unsalted nuts instead of salted pretzels or chips
• Try cooking fresh or frozen chicken, lean meats, or seafood instead of buying deli meats or sausages
• Go for fresh vegetables, frozen vegetables without sauce, or canned vegetables with lower sodium

Cook more at home.

Making your own meals is a great way to eat less sodium, because you’re in control of what goes into your food. Try these tips when you cook:

• If you use canned foods, rinse them before eating or cooking with them to wash away some of the salt
• Use condiments and spreads that are unsalted or lower in sodium — and if you use regular spreads, use less
• Don’t add salt to the water when you cook pasta or rice
• Try different herbs and spices to flavor your food, like ginger or garlic, instead of salt
• Take the salt shaker off your table

Get less salt when you eat out.

Try these tips when you eat out or get takeout:

• Ask if there are any lower-sodium dishes on the menu
• When you order, ask them not to add salt to your food
• Get dressings and sauces on the side so you can add only as much as you need

Add more potassium to your diet.

Replace high-sodium foods with high-potassium foods. Eating foods with potassium can help lower your blood pressure.

Good sources of potassium include:

• Potatoes
• Cantaloupe
• Bananas
• Beans
• Milk
• Yogurt

When it comes to your heart, what you eat matters. Follow these tips for heart-healthy eating:

• Eat less saturated fat. Cut back on fatty meats and high-fat dairy products. Limit foods like pizza, burgers, and creamy sauces or gravy.
• Cut down on sodium (salt). Read the Nutrition Facts label and choose foods that are lower in sodium. Look for foods labeled “low sodium” or “no salt added” — like some canned soups, canned vegetables, packaged meals, and snack foods.
• Get more fiber. Eat vegetables, fruits, beans, and whole grains to add fiber to your diet.

Take this list with you the next time you go food shopping.

A healthy diet that is low in sodium and saturated fat is key to heart disease prevention. Try the highly rated Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating plan.

It recommends:

• Eating vegetables, fruits, and whole grains
• Eating fish, poultry, beans, nuts, vegetable oils, and fat-free or low-fat dairy products
• Limiting foods that are high in saturated fat and sodium
• Limiting sugar and other sweeteners.

Learn more about the DASH eating plan.

Sticking to your healthy eating goals is easier when you enlist the help of a friend or family member to keep you motivated.

Going out to eat or ordering takeout? Here’s some tips:

• Nix the all-you-can-eat meals, where people tend to overeat.
• Split a meal with a friend or family member.
• If you get fast food, ask for a salad instead of fries, and don’t get the “deluxe” sandwich.
• Bring a salad or veggie side dish to your next potluck, so you’ll have something healthy to fill up on.

Studies suggest that we tend to eat like our friends and family. Your healthy choices may inspire those around you.