About heart patient diet

Diet plans for heart patients differ from other diet plans because of the vital foods and minerals that must be consumed to support the heart.

Diet Plans For Heart Patients

For heart patients, a diet change is usually prescribed before medicines.  The National Cholesterol Education Program of the National Institute of Health recommends the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) diet to reduce cholesterol levels, the main culprit causing heart disease. The specific target of any diet plan for heart patients is to reduce intake of saturated fat, which increases cholesterol.

Basically the TLC diet aims to limit the amount of meat and dairy products a patient takes in. Animal fat is replaced by unsaturated fats, contained in olive, canola, or peanut.  If you follow the TLC diet to a tee, you will be consuming less than 200 mg of cholesterol per day. This calorie intake will be just enough to maintain your desired weight and you will avoid gaining weight.

Here is what the TLC diet plan looks like:

Food group	Number of servings	Portion size
Lean meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, and dry peas	No more than 5 ounces total per day	5 ounces maximum per day of lean meat, poultry, or fish Substitute ¼ cup dry beans or peas for 1 ounce of meat.
Eggs	No more than 2 yolks per week	1 whole egg. Egg whites or substitutes are not limited.
Low-fat milk and milk products	2 to 3 per day	1 cup nonfat or 1% milk 1 cup nonfat or low-fat yogurt 1 ounce fat-free or low-fat cheese (3 grams of fat or less per ounce)
Fruits	2 to 4 per day	1 piece fruit, such as apple, orange, or ½ a banana ½ cup canned fruit 1 cup berries or melon ¾ cup fruit juice
Vegetables	3 to 5 per day	1 cup raw leafy greens ½ cup cooked or raw vegetables ¾ cup vegetable juice
Bread, cereals, pasta, rice, other grains	6 to 11 per day	1 slice of bread ½ hot dog or hamburger bun, bagel, or English muffin 1 ounce cold cereal ½ cup cooked pasta, rice, noodles, or other grains
Fat and oils	6 to 8 per day	1 teaspoon monounsaturated oil, such as canola, olive, or peanut 1 teaspoon polyunsaturated oil, such as corn or safflower 1 teaspoon soft margarine (one that does not contain hydrogenated oils) 1 tablespoon salad dressing 1 teaspoon mayonnaise 2 tablespoons nuts or seeds
Sweets/snacks	Within calorie limit	Snacks that are low in fat or made with unsaturated fat.

This chart was adapted from the food guide pyramid.  

Article Summary- This article focuses on the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) diet that is prescribed for heart patients by experts in the field. A basic guide to the TLC diet is outlined, with examples of the food that should be consumed by people suffering heart problems. The main aim of diet plans for heart patients is to reduce cholesterol intake.