The American Heart Association (AHA) has released a new scientific statement on “Dietary Guidance to Improve Cardiovascular Health”. Published in the journal Circulation, the statement essentially makes 10 recommendations for a heart-friendly diet to improve heart health.¹

1. “Adjust energy intake and expenditure to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight”: The AHA recommends adopting a healthy dietary pattern along with at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity every week to better adjust the energy balance. 
2. “Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, choose a wide variety”: A diet that is rich in fruits and vegetables is associated with reduced risk of heart disease. Whole fruits and vegetables are rich in fiber and so should be eaten whole rather than as juice. Fresh, frozen, canned, and dried fruits and vegetables can be used.
3. “Choose foods made mostly with whole grains rather than refined grains”: Replace refined grains with whole grains as they are a rich source of dietary fiber. Products that contain minimum 51% whole grains are categorised as whole grain.
4. “Choose healthy sources of protein”: Opt for plants (from legumes and nuts) as source of proteins. Additionally, they are a good source of fiber. The common legumes include soybeans, beans, lentils, chickpeas and split peas. Include fish and seafood in diet. Replace full-fat dairy products with low-fat or fat-free dairy products to lower risk of obesity. Those who wish to eat meat or poultry should avoid processed meats as they contain high amounts of salt, saturated fats, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heterocyclic amines. Choose lean cuts instead. 
5. “Use liquid plant oils rather than tropical oils (coconut, palm, and palm kernel), animal fats (e.g., butter and lard) and partially hydrogenated fats”: Nontropical liquid plant oils should be used instead of saturated and trans fats. Soybean, corn, safflower and sunflower oils, flaxseeds are rich sources of polyunsaturated fats (PUFA), while canola and olive oils are rich sources of monounsaturated fats (MUFA).
6. “Choose minimally processed foods instead of ultra-processed foods”: Select unprocessed or minimally processed foods.
7. “Minimize intake of beverages and foods with added sugars”: The guidance recommends minimising added sugars in diet and cautions against using low-energy sweeteners as some trials have shown that they might increase the risk of overweight or obesity.
8. “Choose and prepare foods with little or no salt”: Processed foods, packaged foods contain high amounts of salt and therefore should be avoided. A low salt diet is helpful in conditions like hypertension, chronic kidney disease. The guidance recommends potassium-enriched salts as an alternative for regular salt.
9. “If you do not drink alcohol, do not start; if you choose to drink alcohol, limit intake”: AHA states “those who do drink should consume no more than 1 drink per day and should not drink alcohol in binges”.
10. “Adhere to this guidance regardless of where food is prepared or consumed”: Food-based dietary guidance applies to all foods and beverages, regardless of where prepared, procured, and consumed. Policies should be enacted that encourage healthier default options.

Reference

1. Lichtenstein AH, et al. 2021 dietary guidance to improve cardiovascular health: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2021 Nov 2;CIR0000000000001031. doi: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000001031.