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Best Diet Plan & Tips For Reversing Coronary Artery Disease

Submitted by Nic on May 6, 2013

Heart disease is the leading cause of snuffed out lives in the US; coronary heart disease, being the most common type of heart disease.

Coronary artery disease or coronary heart disease arises when the blood vessels supplying oxygen and blood to the heart become narrower due to the build up of plaque. Your diet for coronary artery disease will require you to eat foods that help maintain your calorie count. You will also have to increase your intake of foods with high density lipoproteins (HDL, or good cholesterol) as they help in the elimination of bad cholesterol (LDL) from the body. Naturally, foods with low density lipoproteins (LDL) will need to be avoided.

Coronary Artery Disease Diet Plan

You can prepare a coronary artery disease diet plan by consulting your dietician or nutritionist. Adopting a healthy heart diet means you will have to include fruits and vegetables and whole grains into your daily diet plan.

Foods to avoid include

  • High fat foods
  • High sodium foods
  • Red meats
  • Baked food
  • Cheese products
  • Canned or processed foods

Diet Plan for CAD

  • Healthy breakfast options could include oatmeal, a fruit, and a glass of skimmed milk or a cup of low fat yogurt with fruits and fruit juice.
  • Lunch foods could be plain yogurt with vegetables like cauliflower or broccoli along with crackers or a whole wheat sandwich, wrap or pita with tomato, lettuce and cucumber.
  • Dinner options could be a cup of brown rice along with a bowl of veggies and chicken with basil and eggplant or a grilled turkey sandwich or burger with whole grain bread or bun with a salad.
  • Good snack foods are crackers and low fat yogurt.

Best Diet for CAD

The best diet for coronary artery disease includes foods with soluble fibers, good fat, and fish. Foods that contain soluble fiber are helpful in decreasing cholesterol levels and aiding with weight loss, which diminishes the risks of coronary heart disease.

  • Whole grains like barley, brown rice, oatmeal, and whole grain bread are good choices as they are rich in dietary fiber.
  • Vegetables and fruits that contain soluble fiber like broccoli, beans, Brussels sprouts, carrots, lentils, peas, sweet potatoes, grapefruits, lemons, limes, pears, plums, prunes and oranges are recommended.
  • Nuts, avocados and plant-based oils contain healthy fats that are good for the heart.
  • Avoid eating fatty food like red meat, butter, shortening, and margarine.

The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) recommends 1 to 2 helpings of seafood every week to help patients with coronary heart disease as they work as a good low-fat source of protein and contain omega-3 fatty acids that help. Herrings, mackerel and salmon contain good levels of omega-3 fatty acids.

Diet to Reverse Coronary Artery Disease

Developed by Dean Ornish MD, the Dean Ornish program or diet was the first lifestyle and diet program scientifically proved to reverse coronary artery disease. The diet to reverse coronary artery disease requires that you become a vegetarian and preferably eat all foods in their natural form. The program also requires you to eat lots of fruits and vegetables, soy products, egg whites, whole grains, and non-fat dairy products. You need to stay away from refined carbohydrates, dietary fats, refined sugar, and animal products when on this diet. Along with the alteration in your diet, you will also have to make changes to your lifestyle like quitting smoking, engaging in exercises like yoga, adding nutritional supplements to your intake, and practicing techniques to reduce stress.

Tips

There are no particular recipes for coronary heart disease; however, what is important is the manner in which your cook the food and the ingredients used.

Some tips include:

  • Replacing high fat ingredients with low fat ones, e.g., low fat milk instead of regular milk
  • Replace refined products with whole grain items
  • Cooking your food in olive oil as opposed to using butter or margarine
  • Steaming, boiling and baking your food instead frying or grilling it

References

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