Salamat, I want to take better care of my heart, but I’m not sure what foods I should eat. What does a heart-healthy diet actually look like?

Hi Saïd! Thank you for your interesting question.
A heart-healthy diet is not about giving up all your favorite foods, it’s about building a balanced eating pattern that you can maintain over time.

Try to make vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds regular parts of your meals. Choose healthy sources of protein, such as fish, seafood, beans, lentils, and lean poultry, and use unsaturated fats, such as olive oil, instead of foods high in saturated fats.

It is also helpful to limit salt, added sugars, saturated fats, and highly processed or ultra-processed foods. Choose water as your main drink, and when buying packaged foods, check the nutrition label for sodium, added sugar, and saturated fat.

A simple way to build your plate is to make about half vegetables or salad, one-quarter protein, and one-quarter whole grains or other healthy carbohydrates, while including a small amount of healthy fat.

The goal is not a perfect diet, it is a heart-healthy pattern that you can follow consistently. Small, sustainable changes can make a meaningful difference to cardiovascular health.