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In 2005, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) published the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, in conjunction with releasing an updated food pyramid. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans was published to provide research-based advice on healthy eating and lifestyle patterns that could reduce the risk of various diseases. The guidelines included recommendations for nine categories, including adequate nutrients, weight management, fats, and physical activity. The basic premise is that a healthy diet combined with physical activity can improve the health of Americans and lower their risk of specific diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension and diabetes.
Based on the Dietary Guidelines and additional research, the American Heart Association (AHA) released new guidelines known as the AHA Dietary and Lifestyle Recommendations. The previous AHA guidelines stressed a healthy diet while the new plan encompasses a healthy lifestyle. The revised plan focuses on the need for all Americans to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight through healthy food choices, physical activity and other lifestyle factors.
The AHA plan recommends reduction in saturated and trans fatty acids. Daily intake of saturated fats was reduced from 10 percent to 7 percent, while trans fatty acids was decreased to less than 1 percent of total calories.
These guidelines, which replace the 2000 dietary recommendations, are designed for healthy Americans over two years of age. For higher-risk individuals, such as those with diabetes, cardiovascular disease or lipid disorders, the AHA recommends following the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) diet which is a more individualized approach involving medical nutrition therapy.
To achieve and maintain a heart-healthy eating pattern, the following guidelines are recommended:
- Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables. Choose five or more servings of whole fruits and vegetables – especially dark green, orange or yellow – each day.
- Eat a variety of grain products, especially whole grains, choosing six or more servings per day.
- Include low-fat or fat-free dairy products, fish (at least two servings per week), legumes (beans), poultry with skin removed and lean meats.
- Limit cholesterol-raising fats such as saturated fats and trans fats. Limit full-fat dairy products, high-fat meats, fried foods, products made with partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, tropical oils (e.g., palm kernel oil, palm oil or coconut oil) and egg yolks. Instead, choose fats and oils with two grams or less saturated fat per tablespoon, low-fat or non-fat dairy products, and lean meats. In addition, limit dietary cholesterol intake to less than 300 mg per day.
- Balance the total number of calories you eat with the total energy used each day to maintain a healthy body weight.
- Maintain a level of physical activity that keeps you fit and matches your calorie intake to maintain a healthy body weight. Participate in at least 30 minutes of physical activity on most days. For weight loss, you must participate in physical activity that will expend more calories than you eat.
- Limit intake of foods that are high in calorie content and low in nutrition including foods with a high sugar content such as soft drinks or candy.
- Consume less than 2,400 milligrams of sodium per day. This is about a teaspoon of salt per day. People with high blood pressure (hypertension) should strive for even lower intake. Avoid salty foods and cut back on adding salt to your foods during or after cooking. Check food labels for salt content of packaged foods.
- Limit alcohol intake to no more than one alcoholic drink per day for women and no more than two drinks for men. (One drink = 12 ounces of beer, 4 ounces wine, 1.5 ounce of 80-proof spirits or 1 ounce of 100-proof spirits.)
These guidelines encourage eating a wide variety of foods high in complex carbohydrates from whole grains, fiber and vitamins and minerals. This diet is also low in fat, cholesterol and salt. Eating excessive amounts of foods, especially foods high in saturated fat, sugar and salt, should be avoided. It may be difficult to incorporate these guidelines in every meal of every day. Instead you should consistently follow the guidelines to achieve an overall heart-healthy eating pattern.
It is important to maintain a healthy body weight by balancing calorie intake with calories used. This can be accomplished by participating in monitoring your diet and participating in adequate physical activity on a daily basis. Following a heart-healthy diet and remaining physically active can help reduce heart disease risk as well as other chronic health problems such as type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis (bone loss) and some forms of cancer.
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