How to Eat a Heart Patient Diet
Here, an exercise physiologist explains what a heart patient should eat and how much. Learn what foods a heart patient can enjoy and keep in their diets and which ones to limit. Figuring out what you can and can't have can be confusing and depressing but it doesn't have to be. Find out more here about what makes a healthy diet for a heart patient.
- Difficulty:
- Moderately Easy
Instructions
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Eat lots of vitamin C. When you have heart disease and get the flu, you have a higher risk of having a heart attack. Vitamin C can help your body's immune system fight the flu and prevent complications for a heart patient through diet. Don't just eat oranges and lemons. Green leafy vegetables are a rich source of vitamin C, too.
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Control your blood sugar. Whether you already have diabetes or you simply have high blood sugar, it's important to keep these levels in check. Eat small meals all day long this way: breakfast + snack + lunch + snack + dinner + snack. Skip white sugars and flours. Go for grains with "whole wheat flour" as the first ingredient on the label to keep your blood sugar under control.
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Lower your cholesterol through diet, exercise, and drugs if prescribed by your doctor. The FDA has labeled foods with more than 6 grams of soy protein per serving as a good way to reduce cholesterol by up to 10%. If you don't like tofu, no problem. There are ways to eat soy in foods you already enjoy without tasting it. Try cereals fortified with soy, soy protein isolate (powder in a can), and miso stirred into your soups and sauces. A heart patient diet doesn't have to be a miserable one.
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Cut total fat and eat more good fats. As a heart patient, your diet should have no more than 30% of the calories coming from fat. No more than 10% should come from saturated fat. You'll need to skip fats that are solid at room temperature or ones that come from animal products. If you can't go for fat free at first, try reduced fat and work your way down until you're used to the taste.
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Tips & Warnings
A registered dietitian can tell you how many calories to eat and how to plan your meals, shopping, and cooking to eat a healthy diet for a heart patient. They can also address any other medical concerns you have by modifying your diet accordingly.
These recommendations are general and shouldn't be substituted for the advice of your doctor.
