Eating for your heart

In 2026 the American College of Cardiology reviewed decades of research on food and heart health. Large studies following hundreds of thousands of people, plus clinical trials, point the same way. People who eat more vegetables, fruit, beans, nuts, whole grains, and plant oils, and less processed meat, sugary drinks, and refined starch, have fewer heart attacks and strokes and live longer.

The same report found that the type of fat, carb, or protein you eat matters more than the amount. A carb from oatmeal acts very differently in your body than a carb from soda.

People who get more of their protein from beans, nuts, soy, and whole grains live longer than people who get it mostly from red and processed meat. Swapping some meat for plant protein lowers that risk.

Meat carries saturated fat that raises LDL ("bad") cholesterol. Processed meat adds a lot of salt and preservatives. Very hot cooking like grilling and frying creates compounds linked to inflammation and cancer. Baking, steaming, and stewing are better choices.

Fats that are solid at room temperature (butter, lard, coconut oil) are high in saturated fat. Fats that are liquid (olive, canola, soybean oil) and the fats in nuts, seeds, and fish are unsaturated.

Swapping saturated fat for unsaturated fat lowers LDL cholesterol and lowers heart disease risk. Swapping butter for white bread or sugar does not help. The replacement matters.

These are factory made foods built with ingredients you would never find in a home kitchen. They are designed to be cheap, shelf stable, and hard to stop eating. Think soda, packaged snacks, candy, hot dogs, instant noodles, and most ready meals.

The strongest harm is from sugary drinks and processed meats. In one study, people ate more calories and gained weight on an ultra processed diet even when the fat, sugar, and fiber were matched.

Not every packaged food is bad. Plain yogurt, whole grain bread, and simple whole grain cereal can be good choices. Read the label for salt and added sugar.

Most salt does not come from the salt shaker. It comes from packaged and restaurant food. The top sources are pizza, bread, deli and processed meats, soup, burgers, tacos and burritos, and salty snacks.

Cutting salt can lower your top blood pressure number by about 6 to 8 points. That is about as much as some blood pressure pills.

A cup of cooked beans or lentils has about 13 to 16 grams. A cup of oatmeal has about 4. A pear or an apple with the skin has 4 to 6. A handful of almonds has about 3. Build meals around beans, whole grains, fruit, and vegetables and you will get there.

Fiber lowers blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol, and helps you feel full. Add it slowly and drink water to avoid bloating.

Yes. If food alone does not get you to 30 grams, psyllium husk is a good add on. It is the fiber in Metamucil and many store brands. It is a thick, gel forming fiber that lowers LDL cholesterol and helps blood sugar and regularity.

How to take it: Start with about 1 teaspoon (3 to 5 grams) once a day stirred into a full glass of water. Drink it right away. Over a few weeks you can work up to 1 to 2 doses a day. Pick an unflavored or sugar free version.

Be careful: Always take it with plenty of water. Take other medicines at least 2 hours before or after, since psyllium can slow how they are absorbed. Do not use it if you have trouble swallowing or a narrowing of the bowel. Ask us if you are unsure.

Psyllium adds to a good diet. It does not replace beans, whole grains, fruit, and vegetables.

Two large clinical trials tested it directly. PREDIMED followed about 7,400 people at high risk who had not had a heart event. CORDIOPREV followed about 1,000 people who already had heart disease. In both, a Mediterranean diet with extra virgin olive oil or nuts led to fewer heart attacks, strokes, and heart deaths than a low fat diet. It also lowered the chance of getting type 2 diabetes.