Nutrition and living with heart disease
Key takeaways
2 min read
- A heart-healthy eating pattern encourages you to eat plenty of vegetables, fruit and wholegrains, a variety of healthy protein sources (e.g. fish and seafood, legumes, nuts and seeds), unflavoured dairy, healthy fats, and herbs and spices to flavour foods instead of salt.
- If you live with heart disease or have high cholesterol, choose reduced fat varieties of unflavoured milk, yoghurt and cheese.
- If you live with heart disease, have high cholesterol or have type 2 diabetes, limit eggs to no more than seven per week.
- Consider including plant sterol-enriched foods (e.g. milk, breakfast cereals) each day. Talk to your doctor or an Accredited Practising Dietitian for personalised advice, including supplementation.
- Reduce alcohol. There is no safe amount of alcohol for heart health. The less you drink the better it is for your heat. For some people, not drinking at all is the safest option.
Heart-healthy eating for people living with heart disease
If you live with heart disease, forming heart-healthy habits can help reduce the risk of future heart problems. Following a heart-healthy eating pattern is a key part of this, along with other things like regular physical activity, not smoking and cutting down on alcohol. Together, these things can help you to:
- lower your chances of having another heart attack
- reduce your cholesterol levels and blood pressure
- feel healthier and have more energy
- reach and stay at a healthy weight
- lower your chances of developing diabetes and (if you have diabetes) help you to manage it.
The Heart Foundation has put together 5 steps for eating a Heart-Healthy Eating Pattern. This way of eating includes a wide variety of foods, is rich in wholegrains, fibre, antioxidants and healthy fats, and is naturally low in unhealthy fats, salt and added sugar.
If you live with heart disease or have risk factors like type 2 diabetes or high cholesterol , follow our heart-healthy eating pattern along with the four extra recommendations outlined below.
1. Choose reduced fat unflavoured dairy products.
For people with high cholesterol or existing heart disease, reduced fat dairy products, including milk, yoghurt and cheese, are recommended. Dairy products contain saturated fats, which are known to increase LDL-cholesterol (‘bad’ cholesterol) levels. Read our Dairy and Heart-healthy Eating position statement.
This recommendation doesn’t include butter, cream, ice-cream and dairy-based desserts. These foods should be limited in a heart-healthy eating pattern. Swap butter for plant-based oils rich in mono-unsaturated fats like olive oil, especially if you have high cholesterol.
2. Eat less than seven eggs per week.
People with type 2 diabetes or those with high cholesterol should eat no more than seven eggs per week. Research shows that eating eggs can raise LDL-cholesterol. In people with type 2 diabetes, eating more than seven eggs has been linked with an increased risk of heart disease. Limiting eggs can help manage cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease, especially for those who are already at higher risk.
3. Include 2-3g of plant sterols a day
Plant sterols are cholesterol-like substances that can lower LDL-cholesterol levels. They are found naturally in foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts and cereals but only in small amounts.
To help meet the recommended 2-3 grams of plant sterols per day, look for foods which have plant sterols added including milk, yoghurt, breakfast cereals, and special varieties of margarine.
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4. Speak with your doctor about including omega-3 supplements
If you have high triglyceride levels (a type of fat in the blood) or heart failure, talk to your doctor about including omega-3 supplements. This is in addition to following a heart-healthy eating pattern.
There is some evidence that omega-3 supplements can be helpful for people with high triglyceride levels and existing heart disease, specifically heart failure. Always speak with your doctor before starting supplements.
It’s also important to consider alcohol intake.
There is no safe amount of alcohol for heart health. The less you choose to drink, the better it is for your heart. For some people, including those with a heart condition, not drinking at all is the safest option.
For personalised advice tailored to your specific health needs, we recommend seeking guidance from and Accredited Practising Dietitian.
Looking for more information on the science behind our recommendations?
We understand there is a lot of nutrition misinformation, and it’s important to find information from credible and trustworthy places. The Heart Foundation’s Heart Healthy Eating Pattern recommendations, and associated resources, are backed by the latest science and made with the unique needs of Australians in mind.
Curious about the evidence that informs our recommendations? Read more about our evidence reviews and position statements.
Healthy eating tools and resources
We're here to help! We have plenty of resources to help you follow a heart-healthy eating pattern.
- Build your skills and confidence in the kitchen with our tips and tools for planning, shopping, and cooking healthy meals!
- Explore our full range of recipes for delicious, budget-friendly and easy to prepare heart-healthy meals you can make at home.
- Discover our collection of free recipe e-books, from ‘Family recipes on a budget’ to '5 Ingredient Recipes' plus many more.
- Get four weeks of easy-to-follow dinner recipes, shopping lists, tips and other helpful information to make healthy eating easy with our free Heart-Healthy Dinner Plan.
Looking for more information? Explore our resources on healthy eating and recent articles.
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Last updated05 December 2024