Plant A Diet

Plant-based diets can help reduce your risk of heart disease.

- Dr Satija

It’s clear that following a plant-based diet is associated with a lower risk of heart disease. But do all plant-based diets have the same effect? And do you really have to cut out all meat for your heart’s sake?

“For heart health protection, your diet needs to focus on the quality of plant foods, and it’s possible to benefit by reducing your consumption of animal foods without completely eliminating them from your diet,” says Dr Ambika Satija of the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health.

Make Good Choices

There are many types of plant-based diets, but they all emphasize on certain foods associated with heart benefits, such as whole grain, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and healthy oils like olive oil. The diets that have been most studied for their impact on heart health include the Mediterranean diet, the DASH diet, and the MIND diet. These diets are rich in fibre, vitamins, and minerals that help lower blood pressure and LDL (bad) cholesterol, reduce the risk of diabetes, and help maintain a healthy weight, all of which can lower your risk of heart disease.

Yet, the types of plant foods and their sources are also important. For example, white rice and white bread are plant based foods, so you would think they’re good to eat. But they are highly processed, and so are depleted of many heart-healthy nutrients and have a high glycemic index, which means they can make blood sugar levels spike and increase hunger, leading to overeating.