Six Key Food Groups that Are Healthy for Your Heart
Researchers investigated the impact of different food groups on cardiovascular health. They found that diets rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, whole-fat dairy, and fish were linked to lower cardiovascular risk. Further studies are needed to understand how much each component contributes to overall risk reduction. Unhealthy diets are a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). In particular, higher amounts of processed meats, refined grains, and sugar-sweetened beverages are known to increase cardiovascular risk. Concurrently, diets such as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, Mediterranean and Healthy Eating Index (HEI) are linked to lower CVD risk. These diets all include increased consumption of: Fruit Vegetables Legumes Nuts Fish However, recent studies, have shown that some foods—such as whole-fat dairy—previously thought to increase CVD risk may have neutral or beneficial effects. However, many of these new findings have yet to be incor...