A new review study reports on what foods, how much and how often should be eaten to avoid heart problems.
A new review study analysed the results of research evaluating the association between individual foods or food groups and CHD/CVD incidence and/or mortality, published up to 31 August 2020. Based on their analysis, the authors make clear recommendations on which food groups you should eat more often, and which you are better off reducing in your diet, if you want to have a healthy heart.
“There is no indication that any food is poison in terms of cardiovascular risk. It’s a matter of quantity and frequency of consumption,” said study author Professor Gabriele Riccardi of the University of Naples Federico II, Italy in a press release. “A mistake we made in the past was to consider one dietary component the enemy and the only thing we had to change. Instead, we need to look at diets as a whole and if we reduce the amount of one food, it is important to choose a healthy replacement,” she added.
Overall, healthy adults should lower their consumption of salt and animal-based foods, and should favour plant-based foods, such whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes and nuts – these are linked to reduced risk of atherosclerosis. Likewise, the study recommends replacing butter with non-tropical vegetable fats such as olive oil.
How much to eat?
According to this new review, here are the key guidelines to follow:
- Poultry – three servings of 100g per week.
- Red meat (beef, pork and lamb) – two servings of 100g per week.
- Processed meat (i.e. bacon, sausages, salami) should only be eaten occasionally.
- Legumes – four servings of 180g per week.
- Fish – two to four servings of 150g per week.
- Nuts – 30g per day.
- Chocolate – 10g per day.
- Coffee and tea – three cups daily.
For fruits and vegetables, the authors say that daily consumption should be increased to as much as 400g of each.
“Small quantities of cheese (three servings of 50 g per week) and regular yogurt consumption (200 g per day) are even linked with a protective effect due to the fact that they are fermented,” said Professor Riccardi. “We now understand that gut bacteria play a major role in influencing cardiovascular risk. Fermented dairy products contain good bacteria which promote health,” she added.
The authors also recommend the use of whole grain foods and low GI foods, such as pasta and parboiled rice. White bread and white rice are high glycaemic index foods, and are associated with elevated atherosclerosis risk.
“A strategy based exclusively on guidelines and nutritional education will not be sufficient to change the lifestyle of the population; policy options to be considered should necessarily include initiatives to facilitate production, marketing, availability and affordability of foods that are not only healthy but also gastronomically appealing,” the authors conclude.