Especially considering that heart disease is the number one cause of death in the U.S. , everyone can benefit from eating with cardiovascular health in mind. According to the American Medical Association , one in three deaths caused by heart disease are preventable by having healthy diet and lifestyle habits in place. Additionally, 80% of heart attacks and strokes are preventable by having healthy habits in place.
Maybe you already know that; you just don’t know what eating a heart-healthy diet looks like. Does it mean eating oatmeal and salads on repeat? While certainly those are heart-healthy foods, there is no shortage of flavorful, delicious meals that support cardiovascular health. Here, cardiologist Dr. Tiffany Di Pietro, DO, FACC , shares what an average day of eating looks like for her.
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General Dietary Guidelines a Cardiologist Follows
Dr. Di Pietro says that, she follows the Mediterranean diet . This way of eating prioritizes vegetables, fruit, whole grains, seafood, olive oil, nuts and seeds while minimizing ultra-processed foods high in sodium or sugar and red meat. There is a wealth of scientific research showing that following the Mediterranean diet supports cardiovascular health. In one study, those who adhered to the Mediterranean diet experienced less cardiovascular events (such as heart attacks and strokes) than those who didn’t follow the Mediterranean diet.
“I focus on fresh vegetables, fish and poultry. I eat very little red meat. During the work week, my lunch is vegan. I try to encourage patients to have at least once vegan meal a day also,” Dr. Di Pietro says. Incorporating vegan meals into one’s diet is something else that is scientifically linked to supporting heart health. Studies show that plant-based diets lower all-cause mortality, including deaths related to heart disease. Vegan diets have been shown to improve overall health and lower the risk of heart disease.
Related: 110 Foods You Can Eat on the Mediterranean Diet—From Hummus to Beets to...Octopus? Use This List to Help You Grocery Shop
What an Average Day of Eating Looks Like for a Cardiologist
Breakfast
For breakfast, Dr. Di Pietro says she typically has low-fat Greek yogurt with granola or blueberries. The Greek yogurt has enough protein to be satiating while the granola and blueberries add fiber to the meal. In fact, blueberries are the best berry for heart health because they have a high amount of antioxidants and are linked to lowering the risk of heart disease.
When Dr. Di Pietro isn’t in the mood for Greek yogurt, she says she’ll have a piece of whole grain toast with organic peanut butter and sliced banana. In this breakfast, the peanut butter provides protein and unsaturated fats, which is linked to supporting heart health . The whole grain toast and banana are high in fiber, another nutrient that greatly supports cardiovascular health . Bananas are also high in potassium, which helps reduce the effect of sodium on blood pressure .
“Both of these [breakfast] options fuel me with protein and complex carbs to start my day and have very little ‘bad’ cholesterol or trans fats which helps to protect my heart,” Dr. Di Pietro says.
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Lunch
“My lunch is almost always vegan and is generally a salad filled with produce like fruits and vegetables,” Dr. Di Pietro says. She explains that veganism is linked to lowering cholesterol and inflammation, which is why it’s such a heart-healthy way to eat. “I try to promote a healthy diet to my patients which is also maintainable. For me, I enjoy my lean animal proteins, so having one vegan meal a day is something that I can be consistent about and feel good about,” she says.
This shows that you don’t have to eat vegan all the time for your heart health to benefit; even one vegan meal a day or a few a week can support your heart.
Snack
If Dr. Di Pietro gets hungry between lunch and dinner, she says she snacks on a piece of fruit, such as a banana or apple. It’s a fiber-rich way to satisfy a sweet tooth. Scientific research shows that eating fruit regularly helps lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. This is because fruit is not only high in fiber, but also high in antioxidants, which help prevent or lower chronic inflammation.
Dinner
As for most people, Dr. Di Pietro says that what she has for dinner varies; she doesn’t have one—or even a few—meals on repeat that she cycles through. “Because I eat with my husband and 10-year-old son, we tend to focus on healthy dinners which we can all enjoy. I’m lucky that my son likes fish, so we tend to have either fish or a meal prepared with ground turkey or chicken and some sort of vegetable,” she says.
She says that her meals often contain lots of herbs and spices, which support heart health because they are high in antioxidants and a way to rely less on salt as a way to flavor food. One dish her whole family loves that is full of spices is Moroccan tagine.
“When eating out, my husband and I almost always split a meal. We typically get a salad and a meal that we both split,” Dr. Di Pietro says, adding that swordfish is one of their favorites. “We try to focus on protein for dinner and little to no carbohydrates to keep extra weight off, which keeps our hearts healthy,” she says.
Just like everyone else, sometimes Dr. Di Pietro wants something sweet after dinner. “I do have a sweet tooth, but try and limit my dessert to one night a week and I generally have only a few bites,” she says.
If you want to follow in Dr. Di Pietro’s footsteps and follow a heart-healthy diet, she says it’s important to follow an eating plan that is sustainable for you. It’s one reason why the Mediterranean diet is so popular; it isn’t restrictive at all. “Very restrictive diets generally do not work and become boring after a while. Following a heart-healthy diet plan which you can implement into your everyday life is key.” Dr. Di Pietro says. As her sample day of eating shows, it certainly doesn’t mean your meals will be boring!
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