Eating a Balanced Diet Supports Your Heart Health - New American Heart Association Dietary Guidelines

2/1/2022

Hattiesburg, MS – The new updated dietary guidelines from the American Heart Association focus more on your overall eating habits rather than a list of foods to avoid. Taking in sufficient nutrients will support your heart health and general well-being over your lifetime. Research on dietary patterns has found 14% to 28% lower cardiovascular disease mortality among U.S. adults with high compared with low adherence to high-quality dietary patterns.

Filling your diet with whole, unprocessed foods brings the most benefit – fruits and vegetables, fish and seafood, low or non-fat dairy, nuts and seeds, lean meat and poultry. Minimize your intake of salt and added sugars, especially those frequently found in processed foods. Too much salt can increase blood pressure and too much sugar can lead to excess weight.

Robert Watson, D.O., a family medicine physician with Merit Health Medical Group, appreciates the message of balance in the new AHA guidelines.

“Maintaining a healthy weight through a balanced diet and healthy exercise has a big impact on your heart health. Indulging in a dessert or packaged food is fine on occasion, the important thing is making these only an occasional, small part of what you eat overall,” says Watson.

Beginning with our mother’s diet before we’re born, the food and drinks we take in from infancy through adulthood build an impact on our health over time. Helping your child develop healthy eating habits early gives them a strong foundation. Prevention of pediatric obesity is key to preserving and prolonging ideal cardiovascular health.

Focus on making every calorie you take in bring value. Adjust how much you consume based on your level of activity, reduce portions and calories if you are less active.

Simple changes can add up. Eat a piece of fresh fruit rather than drinking packaged, processed juice with added sugars. Buy bread or pasta made with whole grains rather than refined grains. If you regularly eat pasta, eat a smaller amount and add another vegetable to your plate. When you eat crackers, choose low-salt versions made from nuts, rice or whole grains.

“Poor diet quality can increase your chances for cardiovascular disease and overall health,” says Watson. “Especially as we continue to fight the COVID pandemic, it is important to make healthy choices in what you eat so that you can improve and maintain your overall health. Make it a habit to take in nutritious foods at every meal, whether at home or dining out.”

To find a physician or learn more about healthy choices for you, visit WesleyPrimaryCare.com or call 1-844-MS-MERIT.

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