Healthy Diet Guide

On November 2, the American Heart Association (AHA) published its Dietary Guidelines for Improving Cardiovascular Health in 2021, a scientific consensus that suggests a low-quality diet is strongly associated with high morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease. The consensus focuses on the importance of individual dietary patterns far more than the role of individual nutrients. Also, nutritional status early in life has a tremendous impact on future health. In this dietary guideline, the AHA focuses on heart-healthy dietary patterns and food components, but it is still challenging for people with cardiovascular disease and those at high risk to consistently follow this dietary pattern.

1. Adjusting energy intake and expenditure to maintain a healthy weight
Maintaining a healthy weight throughout the life course plays an important role in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. A healthy dietary pattern, combined with a minimum of 150 min of moderate intensity physical activity per week, helps to optimize energy balance. However, daily energy requirements as well as caloric balance vary from person to person and are influenced by multiple factors such as age, level of physical activity, gender, and body size. As adults age, their energy needs decrease by 70-100 calories per decade.
In addition, quantity causes quality change. Even for healthy foods, excessive intake can cause weight gain and certain harm to the human body. Therefore, following a healthy diet for a long time and maintaining a balance between energy “income and expenditure” can help patients control their weight and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

2. Eat a wide variety of vegetables and fruits
A large body of research data confirms that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables (with the exception of white potatoes) is cardioprotective and effective in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Dark-colored fruits and vegetables, such as peaches and green leafy spinach, tend to be more nutrient dense than light-colored fruits and vegetables. Compared with juice/juicing, eating fruits and vegetables directly can consume more dietary fiber, so try to choose to eat fruits directly instead of drinking juice. At the same time, different fruits and vegetables have different nutrient and phytochemical contents and different nutritional values, so it is important to choose fruits and vegetables in a variety of ways in your daily diet to increase the richness of your diet and balance your diet.

3. Prefer whole grain foods and products
Whole grain foods are products that contain 51% or more whole grains. These foods are rich in starchy endosperm, bran and germ, and are a high quality source of dietary fiber. There is evidence from clinical trials that regular intake of whole grains and their products is effective in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, such as coronary heart disease, stroke, and metabolic syndrome, compared to people who eat less whole grains. Whole grains have a beneficial effect on bowel movements and intestinal flora, and