UC San Diego Health nutrition expert offers tips on how to eat well to support a healthy heart. Photo credit: Getty Images
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and while underlying genetic factors can contribute to cardiovascular disease, many of the risk factors — such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and obesity — are often related to lifestyle.
Developing healthy habits, like getting enough exercise, and maintaining a healthy diet that's low in sodium and added sugars can help keep you and your heart healthy.
While it's relatively easy to choose which exercise is right for you — even a 30-minute walk can make a big difference — figuring out how and what to eat is trickier. In the age of social media, the choices can be particularly fraught as users are faced with a flood of unfounded health claims or advice on how to eat well that is often overly simplified and potentially dangerous.
To help cut through the nutrition noise, we've asked Mallory Callaway, a registered dietitian at UC San Diego Health, some commonly asked questions about how to eat right for a healthy heart.
How does eating well support our heart health?
Eating well is an incredible tool for keeping our hearts healthy as what we eat influences our blood pressure, glucose control, inflammation, cholesterol levels, and even sleep.
Changing eating habits is often challenging. Are there small changes that can make a big difference?
The concepts of eating more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats for good heart health are not new to most people. Of course, knowledge doesn't always change eating patterns, and what I see my patients struggling with most is finding ways to remain consistent in their choice towards healthier eating habits. Being resolute in eating habit changes can easily be derailed by simple things, like taking a vacation, getting sick or even having a home renovation. For this reason, the small changes that can make a big difference are those that can be implemented with consistency alongside these curve balls.
Assisting patients in discovering what they can implement with consistency is a main focus for registered dietitians. Eating habit changes are not one size fits all; instead, it's finding two to three small things that a person can be consistent with that make the biggest impact. It may be that always having an apple on top of your desk for that 2 p.m. "munchie craving" makes a big difference, or setting an alarm at 6:00 p.m. for a post dinner walk to help break the "grab the ice cream for dessert" habit is most impactful.
Regardless of what it is, we are what we repeatedly do.
Protein is the buzz word of the day. How important is protein and can too much be bad for your heart?
Protein is a vital macro nutrient and we are learning more and more about how much our bodies need to not only survive but thrive. That said, foods don't often come as "just protein" and it's easy to forget that many animal proteins also contain high amounts of saturated fats. For many people, it is this type of fat in excess that is a driver for heart disease. When choosing foods that are rich in protein it is important to look for "lean" — meaning lower in fat, such as lean turkey.
Since plant proteins are inherently low or void of saturated fats, I often encourage my clients to think about adding more plant proteins to supplement the animal proteins that they are already accustomed to having. This could be changing a chili recipe to include mostly beans with smaller amounts of lean turkey for flavor, or using blended white beans to make a dish creamy instead of heavy cream or cheese. Additionally, replacing that nighttime dessert habit with a chocolate silken tofu is an enjoyable swap. There are really so many options when it comes to adjusting protein at meals to include plant and animal sources so that saturated fat content is decreased.
Callaway suggests swaps — like quinoa for white rice — for more nutritious heart-healthy meals. Photo credit: Getty Images
How do processed foods and sodium impact heart health?
Processed foods are also certainly a buzz word at the moment. While some processed foods certainly have their place, it is important to realize that many processed foods have high amounts of added sodium, saturated fats, and/or sugars for flavor and shelf stability. Consuming these foods on a regular basis can drive the risk for heart disease up simply because of the proportion of these added ingredients.
Many processed foods are also often lower in added fiber, which we know is vital in reducing heart disease risk. A registered dietitian is uniquely equipped to assist people with understanding the differences in the plethora of processed foods and how to strategically incorporate them into their diets.
Is the Mediterranean Diet still the gold standard for health?
The Mediterranean Diet is often sought after for its heart healthy benefits, for good reason. It's full of produce, high in fiber, rich in healthy fats, and lean proteins. However, it's not simply the diet that makes this way of eating correlate with better cardiovascular health. In Mediterranean locations their entire lifestyle facilitates better heart health outcomes. That's is largely why the UC San Diego Health cardiac rehab program teaches change around all lifestyle habits — from exercise, to mindfulness and meditation, along with diet.
That said, we really do see a correlation with diets high in plants and vegetables and a reduction, even reversal, in heart disease and stroke risk, especially in those who have already had a heart attack or stroke. In an animal diet-forward society like ours, I think reframing how we think about the plants on our plate is really beneficial. I like to help my patients understand that when plants are growing in their natural environments, they employ tools for their survival. For example, a compound called allicin found in onions and garlic helps the plant fight off microbes and deters herbivores from eating them. When we eat these plants, we then also reap the benefits of this compound as both an antioxidant, which works to reduce disease by decreasing inflammation, and as a tool to aid in decreasing blood pressure.
Furthermore, the parts of the plants that we don't use directly for nutrients, such as fiber, help to reduce our heart disease risk but decreasing cholesterol risk and feeding the good bacteria in our colon.
Simply put, more plants in your diet means better heart health.
How does UC San Diego Health support patients with heart conditions with nutrition questions?
UC San Diego Health has a number of avenues for heart patients to ask nutrition questions. On the outpatient side, there is a pool of registered dietitians who can accept referrals for patients wanting to ask questions related to heart healthy diets in a one-on-one setting.
There's also a general healthy eating lecture series on several nutrition topics that is taught in a group setting virtually. It covers many topics that are directly associated with a heart healthy diet.
Lastly, we have a cardiac rehab program, which is reserved for our UC San Diego Health patients who have experienced a heart event. This program provides a space for monitored exercise, as well as nutrition workshops and heart healthy cooking demonstrations.
Step Family Cardiac Rehabilitation and Wellness Center
If you have heart disease or have experienced a cardiac event or surgery, the cardiac rehabilitation and wellness program can help you change your lifestyle and provide you with the tools to stay on your new path, including how to shop for and cook heart-healthy meals and how to make heart-healthy choices when dining out.
