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Are there eating plans that can help me choose foods that are good for my heart? There are four eating plans that can help you choose heart healthy foods:
The MyPyramid eating plan is based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans . It was developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to help people lower their risk of serious diseases linked to diet, including heart disease. DASH was developed by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) to help people with hypertension lower their blood pressure. But it can also be used to help prevent heart disease. The Heart Healthy Diet was developed by NHLBI to help people keep their blood levels of total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (or "bad" cholesterol) low. The TLC diet was developed by NHLBI to help people with unhealthy blood cholesterol levels.
These eating plans have interactive websites to help you choose foods that meet their guidelines. You type in your age, sex, height, weight, and activity level. Based on this information the websites give you tips on what types of foods to eat and how much of each type.
How do these eating plans work? The four eating plans are similar. They are all designed to help you eat foods that are good for your heart and avoid foods that are bad for your heart. Below is a table comparing the main guidelines of the four eating plans:
Heart-healthy eating plans: How they compare % of the day's total calories from saturated fat % of the day's total calories from fat amount of trans fat milligrams (mg) of dietary cholesterol per day milligrams (mg) of dietary sodium per day
MyPyramid less than 10% 20-35% as low as possible less than 300 mg less than 2300 mg*
DASH** 5% 22% as low as possible 136 mg less than 2300 mg*
Heart Healthy Diet 8-10% 30% or less as low as possible less than 300 mg less than 2400 mg
TLC Diet
less than 7% 25-35% or less as low as possible less than 200 mg less than 2400 mg *2300 milligrams of sodium in table salt is about 1 tsp of salt. People with hypertension should eat no more than 1500 mg of sodium a day (about 2/3 teaspoon of salt). African Americans and middle-aged and older adults should also eat no more than 1500 mg of sodium per day. The reason is that these groups have a high risk of developing hypertension.
**These DASH guidelines are for someone eating 2000 calories each day.
Notice that all four eating plans limit the amount of sodium you should eat each day to about 1 tsp of salt (2/3 tsp for people with hypertension or at risk for hypertension). Most of the salt we eat each day actually comes from processed foods rather than salt that we add to foods that we cook. Make sure to check the sodium content on the Nutrition Facts label when buying food. The sodium content in similar foods can vary a lot. For instance, the sodium content in regular tomato soup may be 700 mg per cup in one brand and 1100 mg per cup in another brand. Choosing the brands with lower sodium content can be one way to lower the amount of sodium you eat.
Another way to limit sodium is to use spices other than salt. There are plenty of salt-free spice combinations that you can find in your grocery store. It may take awhile for you to get used to the taste. But give it time. After awhile, you may like them better than salt.
Besides limiting the amount of sodium you eat, it is also a good idea to eat foods rich in potassium (puh-TASS-e-uhm). A potassium-rich diet blunts the harmful effects of sodium on blood pressure. Aim to eat 4700 mg of potassium a day. Foods rich in potassium include fruits and vegetables, especially:
- Tomatoes and tomato products
- Orange juice and grapefruit juice
- Raisins, dates, prunes
- White potatoes and sweet potatoes
- Lettuce
- Papayas
Check out the potassium list (PDF, 124 KB) in the Nutrient List section of the USDA National Nutrient Database for more foods rich in potassium.
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