A heart-healthy diet is an overall eating pattern, not a single food or supplement. The American Heart Association (AHA) and the federal Dietary Guidelines describe the same core: plenty of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts and seafood, liquid plant oils, minimally processed foods, and limits on added sugars, sodium and saturated fat.
Key Takeaways
- The AHA's 2021 guidance lists 10 features of a heart-healthy pattern and stresses the overall pattern over any single nutrient.
- The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030, set limits of less than 2,300 mg of sodium a day for ages 14 and up and saturated fat at no more than 10% of daily calories.
- DASH and Mediterranean-style eating are two well-studied patterns that fit this guidance.
- In the DASH feeding trial, a pattern rich in fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy lowered blood pressure by 5.5/3.0 mm Hg more than a typical American diet in 8 weeks.
- More than 70% of sodium comes from packaged and prepared foods, so cooking at home and reading labels matter more than the salt shaker.
Evidence grade: Strong. National guidance from the AHA and the Dietary Guidelines is built on large bodies of research, and randomized feeding trials such as DASH and a large Mediterranean diet trial measured effects of whole eating patterns in people.
What Counts as a Heart-Healthy Diet?
A heart-healthy diet is a way of eating you can keep up for years. The AHA's 2021 scientific statement on dietary guidance emphasizes dietary patterns over individual foods or nutrients, and lists 10 features:
- Balance how much you eat with how active you are, to reach and keep a healthy body weight.
- Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, in a wide variety.
- Choose whole grain foods.
- Choose healthy protein sources: mostly plants, regular fish and seafood, low-fat or fat-free dairy, and if you eat meat or poultry, lean and unprocessed cuts.
- Use liquid plant oils rather than tropical oils and partially hydrogenated fats.
- Choose minimally processed foods instead of ultra-processed foods.
- Keep added sugars in drinks and foods to a minimum.
- Choose and prepare foods with little or no salt.
- If you do not drink alcohol, do not start; if you do, limit it.
- Follow this guidance wherever food is prepared or eaten.
What the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines Add
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030, published in January 2026, center on "real food": whole, nutrient-dense protein foods, dairy, vegetables, fruits, healthy fats and whole grains, with a sharp reduction in highly processed foods. Their main numbers for a 2,000-calorie pattern are:
| Food group or limit | Dietary Guidelines 2025-2030 | How it compares with AHA 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| Vegetables and fruits | 3 servings of vegetables and 2 of fruit a day; whole forms first, juice limited | Same direction: plenty and a variety |
| Whole grains | 2-4 servings a day; sharply reduce refined carbohydrates such as white bread and crackers | Same direction: choose whole grains |
| Protein foods | Protein at every meal, about 1.2-1.6 g per kg of body weight a day, from animal and plant sources | AHA leans toward mostly plant proteins and fish |
| Dairy | 3 servings a day; full-fat dairy with no added sugars is included | AHA recommends low-fat or fat-free dairy |
| Fats | Prioritize oils such as olive oil; saturated fat no more than 10% of daily calories | AHA favors liquid plant oils over tropical oils |
| Sodium | Less than 2,300 mg a day for ages 14 and up | AHA: little or no added salt |
| Added sugars | None recommended; no more than 10 g in one meal | AHA: minimize |
| Alcohol | Drink less for better overall health | AHA: do not start; limit if you drink |
The two documents differ most on dairy fat and red meat. Both cap saturated fat, and the Dietary Guidelines themselves note that more high-quality research is needed on which types of dietary fat best support long-term health. For a deeper look at fat types, see our guide to dietary fats.
Two Well-Studied Eating Patterns
DASH
DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) is an eating plan from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). It requires no special foods. It emphasizes vegetables, fruits and whole grains; includes fat-free or low-fat dairy, fish, poultry, beans, nuts and vegetable oils; and limits fatty meats, full-fat dairy, tropical oils, sugary drinks and sweets. At 2,000 calories a day, the targets are:
| Food group | DASH servings at 2,000 calories |
|---|---|
| Grains (mostly whole) | 6-8 a day |
| Vegetables | 4-5 a day |
| Fruit | 4-5 a day |
| Low-fat or fat-free dairy | 2-3 a day |
| Lean meats, poultry and fish | 6 or fewer a day |
| Fats and oils | 2-3 a day |
| Nuts, seeds, dry beans and peas | 4-5 a week |
| Sweets | 5 or fewer a week |
| Sodium | 2,300 mg a day, or 1,500 mg for a lower target |
The original DASH trial fed 459 adults a typical American diet for three weeks, then randomly assigned them for eight weeks to that diet, a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, or a combination diet rich in fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy with less saturated and total fat. Sodium and body weight were held steady. The combination diet lowered systolic and diastolic blood pressure by 5.5 and 3.0 mm Hg more than the typical diet. Our article the DASH diet explained covers meal ideas.
Mediterranean-style eating
Mediterranean-style eating overlaps heavily with the AHA features above, with olive oil and nuts playing a large role. The largest trial, PREDIMED, assigned 7,447 Spanish adults aged 55 to 80 at high cardiovascular risk to a Mediterranean diet with extra-virgin olive oil, a Mediterranean diet with mixed nuts, or advice to reduce dietary fat. Over a median of 4.8 years, major cardiovascular events occurred in 3.8%, 3.4% and 4.4% of the groups. The trial was re-analyzed and republished in 2018 after problems with randomization at some sites were found, and the revised results were similar. Read more in what is the Mediterranean diet.
Foods to Build Your Plate Around
- Vegetables and fruits: fresh, frozen, dried or canned with little or no added sugar all count.
- Whole grains: oats, brown rice, whole-wheat bread and pasta, barley and quinoa in place of refined grains.
- Beans, lentils, nuts and seeds: protein and fiber in one food.
- Fish and seafood: both the AHA and the Dietary Guidelines include omega-3-rich seafood such as salmon, sardines and trout. See our heart-healthy foods list for more examples.
- Liquid plant oils: olive oil and other vegetable oils for cooking and dressings.
What to Limit
- Highly processed foods such as chips, cookies, candy and packaged meals, which are often high in added sugar and sodium.
- Sugar-sweetened drinks such as sodas, fruit drinks and energy drinks.
- Sodium: Americans eat about 3,400 mg a day on average, and the FDA reports that more than 70% of it comes from packaged and prepared foods rather than the salt shaker.
- Saturated fat above 10% of daily calories, and tropical oils and partially hydrogenated fats.
- Alcohol: less is better for overall health.
How to Start: Assess and Adjust
A practical way to start is to write down what you eat and drink for a week, then compare it with the targets above. Then change one thing at a time:
- Add one vegetable or fruit serving to each meal.
- Swap one refined grain a day for a whole grain.
- Replace one meat-based meal a week with beans, lentils or fish.
- Read Nutrition Facts labels. A food with 5% Daily Value or less of sodium per serving is low in sodium; 20% or more is high.
- When eating out, choose nutrient-dense options, ask for your meal to be prepared without added salt, and request sauces and dressings on the side.
Safety and Interactions
A heart-healthy eating pattern is safe for most people, but a few points are worth knowing:
- If you have a chronic health condition, the Dietary Guidelines advise talking with your health care professional about whether you need to adapt the guidelines to your needs.
- If you take prescription medicines, talk to your doctor or pharmacist before making large changes to what you eat.
- Highly active people may need more sodium to replace sweat losses, according to the Dietary Guidelines.
- Both the AHA guidance and the Dietary Guidelines are built around foods, not supplements. Ask your clinician before adding a supplement.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best foods for a heart-healthy diet?
Vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, fish and seafood, and liquid plant oils such as olive oil form the base of both AHA guidance and the Dietary Guidelines, with limits on highly processed foods, added sugars and sodium.
How much sodium should I have each day?
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030, recommend less than 2,300 mg a day for people aged 14 and older. The DASH plan also offers a lower target of 1,500 mg a day.
Is DASH or the Mediterranean diet better for heart health?
Both fit current guidance and both have been tested in randomized trials. DASH has detailed serving targets and was tested on blood pressure; the main Mediterranean diet trial added extra-virgin olive oil or nuts. The better choice is the one you can follow consistently.
How can I tell whether my current diet is heart-healthy?
Keep a food diary for a week and compare it with the targets in this article: servings of vegetables, fruit and whole grains, how often you eat fish and beans, and how much sodium and added sugar you get from packaged foods and drinks.
Can I eat heart-healthy when dining out or traveling?
Yes. Choose baked, broiled, roasted, stir-fried or grilled dishes over deep-fried ones, drink water or unsweetened drinks, and ask for sauces and dressings on the side. The AHA advises following the same guidance wherever food is prepared or eaten.
Sources
- Lichtenstein AH, Appel LJ, Vadiveloo M, et al. 2021 Dietary Guidance to Improve Cardiovascular Health: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2021.
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030. 2026.
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. DASH Eating Plan. National Institutes of Health. 2026.
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Following the DASH Eating Plan. National Institutes of Health. 2026.
- Appel LJ, Moore TJ, Obarzanek E, et al. A clinical trial of the effects of dietary patterns on blood pressure. DASH Collaborative Research Group. New England Journal of Medicine. 1997.
- Estruch R, Ros E, Salas-Salvado J, et al. Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease with a Mediterranean Diet Supplemented with Extra-Virgin Olive Oil or Nuts. New England Journal of Medicine. 2018.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Sodium in Your Diet. FDA. 2024.
Disclosure: OPA Nutrition sells supplements, including products mentioned in this article. This content is for education only and is not medical advice. Statements about dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Talk to your healthcare provider before using any supplement, especially if you take medication or have a medical condition.
Written and reviewed by Michael Gonzales, Founder, OPA Nutrition · Last reviewed: · How OPA researches and writes
