It’s no secret that many Americans have exceptionally poor diets. For years, have we overloaded on sugar, sodium, processed carbohydrates and unhealthy fats while skimping on fruits, vegetables and lean meats. The result was an obesity epidemic, which is only now slowing down. Obesity’s effects on heart healthare devastating: higher blood pressure and levels of “bad” (triglyceride) cholesterol, lower “good” (HDL) cholesterol, poor blood circulation and dramatically increased chances of developing diabetes, sleep apnea, certain cancers and heart disease. Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States.
In response to this health crisis, countless fad diets claiming to easily and quickly solve the obesity problem have sprung up. But how do we cut through the clutter and find the diet that will sustainably boost heart health? Thankfully, U.S. News and World Report recently identified the best diets for those focused on losing weight and improving heart health. Here are the top three dietary strategies to support your cardiovascular system.
1. DASH Diet
U.S. News ranked the DASH Diet as the best diet for heart health and tied for best diet overall. Based on research from the National Institutes of Health, the DASH diet is aimed primarily at lowering blood pressure without medication, making it a particularly good option for people with hypertension. It emphasizes nutrients like fiber, protein, calcium and potassium that help maintain lower blood pressure. According to its website, the DASH diet is “Rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat and nonfat dairy, lean meats, fish, beans, and nuts,” and it limits intake of foods high in sugar or saturated fats like red meat, full-fat dairy, tropical oils and sweets. While it’s based on sound nutritional principles and is balanced with acceptable ranges for protein, carbohydrates, fat and other nutrients, U.S. News experts consider DASH somewhat difficult to follow because of its low-salt restrictions and its lack of structure.
2. Mediterranean diet
U.S. News ranked the Mediterranean diet as second best for heart health and tied for best overall diet. Based on the notion that people living in Mediterranean countries are less susceptible to cancer and heart disease than Americans thanks to the Mediterranean lifestyle of time relaxing with friends and family, consuming lots of fresh produce and nuts, exercising regularly and avoiding red meat, sugar and saturated fats. The Mediterranean diet is primarily plant-based, with a strong focus on vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts and whole grains. It also recommends using herbs and spices to flavor food rather than salt, red wine in moderation, plenty of exercise and fish or poultry at least twice weekly. U.S. News found the Mediterranean diet to be balanced and fairly easy to follow but cautioned that it is not designed to aid short-term weight loss.
3. Ornish Diet
While the Ornish diet ranks as the third best choice for heart health, it finished ninth overall of the 41 diets examined. The goal of the Ornish diet is to “reverse the progression of even severe coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, and high blood pressure as well as to slow, stop, or even reverse the progression of early-stage prostate cancer.” Similar to the other two options, Ornish favors whole foods, plants, plant-based proteins and good fats like those found in fish and nuts. It rejects refined carbs, sugar, sweeteners, white flour and white rice. Moderate sodium intake is acceptable, but caffeine is limited to at most one cup of coffee or two cups of tea per day. While U.S. News found Ornish to be solid nutritionally and particularly strong in promotion of heart health, it warns that the diet is expensive to follow and can be tough to stick with because of its many particular dietary stipulations.
Whatever path you choose, we wish you luck on your dietary journal to cardiovascular well-being!
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