A heart-healthy diet follows the American Heart Association pattern: plenty of vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and lean protein, with limits on saturated fat, sodium, and added sugar. The goal is to protect your heart and blood vessels. This guide explains how it works and how to run it in Loopa.
This page is general information, not medical advice.
What it is
Heart-healthy eating is a whole-diet pattern rather than a single rule. It favors unsaturated fats over saturated, whole foods over processed, and lean and plant proteins over fatty red meat. It overlaps closely with the Mediterranean diet and DASH diet.
How it works
The pattern targets the things that drive heart disease. Replacing saturated and trans fats with unsaturated fats helps lower LDL cholesterol. Fiber from whole grains, beans, vegetables, and fruit supports healthy cholesterol and weight. Less sodium and added sugar supports healthy blood pressure.[1]
Typical macro split
Balanced, with a focus on fat quality:
- Carbs: 45 to 55% of calories, mostly whole grains, vegetables, and fruit
- Protein: 15 to 20% of calories, from lean and plant sources
- Fat: 25 to 35% of calories, mostly unsaturated, with saturated fat under about 6%
Foods to eat
- Vegetables and fruit
- Whole grains
- Fish, especially oily fish like salmon
- Skinless poultry, beans, and lentils
- Nuts, seeds, and non-tropical vegetable oils
- Low-fat or fat-free dairy
Foods to limit or avoid
- Saturated fat: fatty red meat, butter, full-fat dairy
- Trans fat and partially hydrogenated oils
- Sodium and salty processed food
- Added sugar and sugary drinks
- Fried and ultra-processed food
Who it suits and the benefits
A heart-healthy diet suits anyone who wants to lower their risk of heart disease and stroke. It is often recommended after a heart-health scare or a high-cholesterol result.
- Supports healthy cholesterol
- Supports healthy blood pressure
- Broadly protective for your heart
Cautions and considerations
- If you take a blood thinner, the leafy greens in this pattern are high in vitamin K. Keep intake steady and watch your INR with your clinician.
- If you have heart disease, high cholesterol, or high blood pressure, use this alongside your clinician's advice, not instead of it.
In Loopa
Select Heart-healthy in Settings and Loopa sets a balanced, unsaturated-fat-forward, lower-sodium macro target and points the "what should I eat" suggestions at heart-friendly foods. Log meals with Logging food and review your macros as you go.
See also
- DASH diet
- Low-sodium diet
- Mediterranean diet
- Healthy eating
- Understanding calories
- Diet and exercise
References
- ^ The American Heart Association Diet and Lifestyle Recommendations. American Heart Association. Retrieved 2026-06-30.
