Written by Millie Rose
Introduction
February is Heart month. “Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide”, causing “1 in 4 deaths”. Poor cardiovascular health increases the risk of heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, chronic kidney disease, peripheral arterial disease and the onset of vascular dementia (Public Health England, 2019). But how can you reduce the likelihood of this and improve your heart health? This blog aims to guide you on how to eat to reduce your blood pressure and cholesterol, improving your heart health. It will explore key food groups and their impact on heart health and how you can apply this to your lifestyle. Read until the end for myth debunking!
Why is your heart so important?
It is vital to keep your heart healthy because your heart pumps oxygen and nutrients to the organs in your body. A healthy heart is a result of genetics, physical exercise, a healthy diet, blood pressure and cholesterol. Most of which you have control.
High blood pressure can damage blood vessels. The risk can be decreased by having a healthy diet, weight, not smoking, not excessively drinking alcohol and managing stress. Healthy blood pressure will fall between 90/60 and 120/80 mmHg (NHS, 2024). You may be eligible to check your blood pressure at a pharmacy if you do not have a machine at home.
Cholesterol is a measure of fatty substance in your blood. It is increased by regularly eating foods high in fat, a sedentary lifestyle, smoking and drinking alcohol. Having high cholesterol can clog blood vessels, increasing the risk of CVD or strokes (NHS, 2022).
A heart-healthy diet
(British Nutrition Foundation, 2023), made using Canva
How can food improve your heart health?
A healthy diet is essential for a healthy heart. Maintaining a healthy weight, normal blood pressure and normal cholesterol all lower the risk of heart disease by putting less strain on blood vessels and reducing the risk of them getting clogged. (British Heart Foundation, 2019)
Key food groups
Fiber
Fibre, found in starchy carbohydrates, such as fruit, vegetables and pulses, have been found to reduce cholesterol levels, lowering the risk of heart disease. However, we often under consume fibre, so make sure your snacks are rich in fibre as well as your meals! For example, flap jacks, fruit, granola bars, hummus and vegetable sticks are great options. (British Heart Foundation, 2018)
Type of dietary fibre:
| Type of dietary fibre | ||
| Soluble fibre | Resistant starch | |
| Where can it be found? | Grains such as oats, barley and rye Fruits Beans Pulses, including beans, lentils and peas Vegetables | Bananas Grains, including rice, oats and barley Legumes, including beans, peas and lentils When cooked and cooled: Rice Potatoes |
| How does it work? | Dissolves and forms a gel in the gut Keeps the body from absorbing “bad” or LDL cholesterol in other foods, reducing the risk of CVD and strokes (Mayo Clinic, 2022) | It cannot be digested in the small intestine, but it ferments in the large intestine. Allows production of short-chain fatty acids, keeping the gut healthy. Improves insulin sensitivity, reducing blood sugar spikes, decreases the risk of type 2 diabetes and arterial damage, protecting your heart (Corliss, 2021) |
(British Heart Foundation, 2018)
Healthy fats
Additionally, healthy fats are vital for heart health. The British Heart Foundation recommend replacing as many saturated fats with unsaturated fats as possible and avoid trans fats. For example, swapping butter on bread for olive oil or swapping meat for lentils or tofu a few times a week. Trans fats are often found in commercial baked goods, frozen goods and fried foods. Perhaps replace them with a homemade snack, such as my nutty granola yoghurt bowl, dark chocolate & date bars or a piece of fruit with peanut butter. This will help you to reduce your cholesterol, the fatty substance in your blood, however, it is important that every component of a healthy diet is considered too. (British Heart Foundation, 2019)
Fruits and vegetables
A healthy diet incorporates vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Most of which are found in fruit and vegetables.
Antioxidants are chemicals which reduce damage to the body (BDA, 2021). Some antioxidants you will have heard of include selenium, vitamins C and E. However, you may not have heard of some including glutathione, flavonoids and carotenoids. They are found in colorful fruits and vegetables, including broccoli, green peppers and berries.
Whole grains
The British Heart Foundation found that diets containing wholegrains reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. This includes wholewheat, brown rice, barley, rye and oats. Ancient grains include spelt, buckwheat and quinoa. Wholegrain foods include fibre, which can lower cholesterol. They also contain magnesium and potassium which lowers blood pressure. Both of which have been found to improve heart health. (British Heart Foundation, 2024)
Lean proteins
Lean sources of meat are lower in calories as fat has been removed. This allows for better weight management, which lowers blood pressure to a healthy level. Opt for leaner cuts of meat such as chicken or turkey, instead of beef or pork. Include non-meat protein foods such as eggs, tofu and beans too. (British Heart Foundation, 2024) Try my 3 bean chilli recipe
Foods that should be limited
Food high in saturated fats
- Eating a large amount of saturated fat, including red meat, baked goods and fried foods, increases LDL (bad) cholesterol in the blood. This increases the risk of poor heart health (British Heart Foundation, 2019)
- Choose leaner cuts of meat, such as chicken or turkey. Replace some meat for lentils or tofu
- Check packaging for the proportion of saturated to unsaturated fats (see further information on how to read food labels)
Trans fats
- “Trans fat increases your “bad” cholesterol and lowers “good” cholesterol” (Mayo Clinic, 2020)
- WHO advise to “avoid PHO found in fried and baked foods”, PHO stands for partially hydrogenated oil and increases LDL (bad cholesterol), found in the ingredients list
- They also recommend to “reduce the amount of meat and dairy foods” including beef (WHO, 2024).
- The NHS recommend, “If you currently eat more than 90g (cooked weight) of red or processed meat a day, it is recommended that you cut down to 70g.” (NHS, 2024)
- The BDA recommend, “3 portions of dairy foods daily”. This may look like “1 glass of semi-skimmed milk, a 150g pot of plain low-fat yoghurt” and 30g of cheese (Jones, 2019)
Foods high in salt/sodium
- Salt increases blood pressure, increasing the risk of heart disease and strokes (British Heart Foundation, 2019)
- Look at packets and opt for green traffic light symbols (read more on this here)
- Bake your own bread
- Season food with herbs and spices. This will also add more variety into your diet and will provide healthy bacteria for your gut.
- Season food before cooking, the flavor develops while cooking and often needs less salt if added while cooking rather than after
Heart-healthy eating habits
Use food labels
- Check how much of the fat is saturated
- Limit foods that have the red traffic lights for salt, fat and sugar
- Check how much fibre is in your food, it’s recommended to have 30g daily!
- Check portion sizes, particularly fats
Cook foods at home
- Lower in salt, sugar and saturated/trans fat
- You have control over ingredients, add more vegetables and whole grains
- Less additives
- More nutrients retained as food isn’t pasteurised
- You can control portion sizes
Choose heart-healthy snacks
- Low salt
- Low fat
- Healthy fats- replace saturated fat with unsaturated such as avocado and plain nuts
- Including your 5 a day
- Made using wholegrains
- Protein rich
For heart-healthy recipes, see recipes
Misconceptions/myths
“low fat diets are good for you” or “all fats are bad”
While fat is essential in the diet, you should opt for unsaturated fats such as olive oil, avocado, salmon, nuts and seeds over saturated where possible. You should aim to minimize trans fats in the diet as much as possible.
“Coconut oil is a healthier option”
Beware of claims about coconut oil. It is 86% saturated fat, 54% more than butter. There has been speculation about the types of saturated fatty acids being healthier, however, the British Heart Foundation do not currently recognise any research. They still recommend the use of rapeseed oil and olive oil for the majority of your cooking. (British Heart Foundation, 2019)
A good diet alone isn’t enough for a healthy heart- a balanced lifestyle is essential!
Other factors to consider:
- Exercise, the NHS recommends 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity a week (NHS, 2024)
- Stress management e.g. journaling, walking, meditation, exercise, talking to a friend
- Sleep – aim for 7-9 hours per night
- A holistic approach is necessary- diet and lifestyle
Conclusion
Take action: The NHS have an online service for individuals aged 30-95 to work out heart age, this represents how healthy your heart is, taking into consideration weight, height, blood pressure and cholesterol
Think about your regular diet, are you eating foods that are good for your heart?
Your heart has worked hard your whole life to keep you alive- eat well and look after yourself to make sure it can continue! The good news is that you can improve your heart health by making small changes to your diet and lifestyle.
Written by nutrition student Millie Rose
References
BDA (2021). Healthy Eating. [online] www.bda.uk.com. Available at: https://www.bda.uk.com/resource/healthy-eating.html.
British Heart Foundation (2018). Fibre. [online] Bhf.org.uk. Available at: https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/nutrition/fibre.
British Heart Foundation (2019). Healthy eating. [online] Healthy Eating. Available at: https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/support/healthy-living/healthy-eating.
British Heart Foundation (2019). Salt. [online] Bhf.org.uk. Available at: https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/support/healthy-living/healthy-eating/salt.
British Heart Foundation (2019). What does fat do and what is saturated fat? [online] Bhf.org.uk. Available at: https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/nutrition/sugar-salt-and-fat/saturated-fat-animation.
British Nutrition Foundation (2023). A healthy balanced diet | British Nutritional Foundation. [online] British Nutrition Foundation. Available at: https://www.nutrition.org.uk/creating-a-healthy-diet/a-healthy-balanced-diet/.
British Heart Foundation (2024). The best and worst foods for high blood pressure. [online] www.bhf.org.uk. Available at: https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/nutrition/foods-that-lower-blood-pressure.
British Heart Foundation. (2024). Heart Month. [online] Available at: https://www.bhf.org.uk/how-you-can-help/support-our-campaigns/heart-month.
British Heart Foundation (2024). Wholegrain foods. [online] Bhf.org.uk. Available at: https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/nutrition/wholegrain-foods.
Corliss, J. (2021). More clues about the healthiest carb choices. [online] Harvard Health. Available at: https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/more-clues-about-the-healthiest-carb-choices.
Jones, L. (2019). Dairy Benefits. [online] www.bda.uk.com. Available at: https://www.bda.uk.com/resource/dairy-benefits.html.
Mayo Clinic (2022). Dietary Fiber: Essential for a Healthy Diet. [online] Mayo Clinic. Available at: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/fiber/art-20043983.
Mayo Clinic (2020). Trans fat: Double Trouble for Your Heart. [online] Mayo Clinic. Available at: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/trans-fat/art-20046114.
NHS (2024). Meat in your diet. [online] nhs.uk. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/food-types/meat-nutrition/.
NHS (2024). Physical activity guidelines for adults aged 19 to 64. [online] nhs.uk. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/physical-activity-guidelines-for-adults-aged-19-to-64/.
NHS (2022). What Is High cholesterol? – High Cholesterol. [online] NHS. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/high-cholesterol/.
NHS (2024). High blood pressure. [online] nhs.uk. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/high-blood-pressure/.
Public Health England (2019). Health matters: preventing cardiovascular disease. [online] Gov.UK. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-matters-preventing-cardiovascular-disease/health-matters-preventing-cardiovascular-disease.
World Health Organization (2024). Trans fat. [online] www.who.int. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/trans-fat.