KC Sanders, Stroke Survivor

Eating a heart-healthy diet is one component in your plan to manage your blood pressure and reducing your risk of heart attack, heart disease and stroke.

The D.A.S.H. (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) eating plan has all the components of a heart-healthy diet. It's delicious and varied — rich in vegetables and fruits, with whole grains, high-fiber foods, lean meats and poultry, and fish at least twice a week, and fat-free or 1 percent fat dairy products. Download a PDF of the complete D.A.S.H. eating plan. This link is provided for convenience only, and is not an endorsement or assurance of the entity or any product or service.

Limit salt and sodium in your diet
Aim to eat less than 2,300 mg of salt per day. Some people — African Americans, middle-aged and older adults, and people with high blood pressure — need less than 1,500 mg per day.

Certain salt substitutes contain a large amount of potassium and very little sodium. They’re not expensive and may be used freely by most people, except those who have kidney disease. Check with your doctor before choosing a salt substitute.

These foods are relatively high in potassium and low in sodium.  Foods marked with an asterisk are especially helpful.

Fruits
Apple
Apple juice
Apricot
Avocado* (helpful but also high in monounsaturated fatty acids)
Banana*
Cantaloupe*
Date
Grapefruit
Grapefruit juice*
Honeydew melon*
Nectarine*
Orange juice
Prune*
Prune juice*
Raisin*
Watermelon

Vegetables
Asparagus
Beans, white or green
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage (cooked)
Cauliflower (cooked)
Corn on the cob
Eggplant (cooked)
Lima beans (fresh and cooked)
Peas, green (fresh and cooked)
Peppers
Potatoes* (baked or boiled)
Radishes
Squash, summer and winter (cooked)

Foods to limit or avoid
Frozen or canned foods high in sodium (check labels)
Salted or preserved meats
Salted snack foods

Read labels for a healthy heart
Make reading food labels a habit. They’ll help you choose foods more wisely. Many foods have high levels of saturated fat or hydrogenated fat that can raise your cholesterol. Some may be high in sodium, which can increase blood pressure in some people. Also, watch for these key terms, and know what they mean.

• "Free" has the least amount of a nutrient.
• "Very Low" and "Low" have a little more nutrient value.
• "Reduced" or "Less" always means the food has 25 percent less of that nutrient than the reference (or standard) version of the food.

The American Heart Association established its Food Certification Program to provide consumers a quick, easy way to identify heart-healthy foods that can be part of a healthy eating plan. Products certified by the American Heart Association contain the heart-check mark and state that the product "Meets American Heart Association criteria for saturated fat and cholesterol for healthy people over age 2." While shopping, look for foods with this symbol on their label. These foods are approved to be part of a healthy diet. Create your own grocery list and download it to your PDA.

This content is reviewed regularly. Last updated 04/07/09.