What is the American Heart Association Diet for High Cholesterol?

October 29, 2025 •

4 min read

According to the American Heart Association (AHA), maintaining a heart-healthy diet is a cornerstone for managing blood cholesterol levels and reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. The American Heart Association diet for high cholesterol is a balanced eating plan that emphasizes whole foods while limiting unhealthy fats, sodium, and added sugars.

Quick Summary

This guide outlines the eating patterns and food groups recommended by the American Heart Association to help lower high cholesterol. It details which foods to prioritize, which to limit, and provides actionable tips for adopting this heart-healthy lifestyle.

Key Points

Focus on Plant-Based Foods: The AHA diet emphasizes a high intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and legumes, which are rich in fiber and nutrients essential for heart health.
Choose Healthy Fats: Replace saturated and trans fats with healthier monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats from sources like olive oil, fatty fish, avocados, and nuts.
Limit Saturated and Trans Fats: The diet requires reducing saturated fat intake to less than 6% of daily calories and eliminating artificial trans fats found in many processed and fried foods.
Reduce Sodium Intake: A key component is to minimize sodium consumption, with an ideal target of less than 1,500 mg per day for most adults, to help manage blood pressure.
Control Added Sugars and Processed Foods: Minimizing added sugars and highly processed foods helps manage weight and overall dietary quality, both of which impact heart health.
Incorporate Regular Physical Activity: The diet is most effective when paired with a physically active lifestyle to help manage weight and further improve cholesterol levels.
Consider Portion Sizes: Balancing calorie intake with energy expenditure is vital for maintaining a healthy weight, which is an integral part of managing cholesterol.

The American Heart Association (AHA) diet for high cholesterol is not a restrictive, single-nutrient focus but a comprehensive, heart-healthy eating pattern designed to support cardiovascular health through balanced nutrition. By focusing on overall dietary patterns rather than just individual nutrients, the AHA provides a sustainable and flexible approach for long-term health benefits. The core of this diet involves emphasizing fruits, vegetables, and whole grains while significantly limiting saturated fat, trans fat, sodium, and added sugars.

Core Components of the AHA Diet

Prioritize Plant-Based Foods

The AHA diet is rich in plant-based foods, which are naturally low in saturated fat and high in fiber. Fiber, especially soluble fiber found in oats, beans, and fruits, plays a crucial role in lowering LDL ("bad") cholesterol by preventing its absorption in the digestive tract.

Fruits and vegetables: A wide and colorful variety should be a staple in every meal and snack. They are packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants essential for heart health. Aim for at least 5 or more servings daily.
Whole grains: Opt for whole grains over refined grains. Examples include oats, brown rice, whole wheat bread, and barley.
Legumes and nuts: Beans, lentils, chickpeas, and a handful of unsalted nuts and seeds provide healthy plant protein, fiber, and unsaturated fats. Walnuts, in particular, are noted for their omega-3 content.

Choose Healthy Fats

The type of fat consumed is critical on the AHA diet. The focus is on replacing unhealthy saturated and trans fats with healthier monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.

Unsaturated oils: Use liquid vegetable oils like olive, canola, sunflower, and safflower oil for cooking instead of solid fats like butter, lard, or shortening.
Fatty fish: The AHA recommends eating at least two servings of fatty fish per week, such as salmon, mackerel, and tuna, which are rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
Nuts and seeds: These provide healthy fats and can be a great snack or addition to meals.

Limit Unhealthy Components

To effectively manage cholesterol, the diet requires strict limits on certain food components.

Saturated fats: Reduce intake of saturated fats found in high-fat dairy products (whole milk, cream, hard cheeses) and fatty or processed meats (sausages, bacon). The AHA suggests keeping saturated fat intake to less than 6% of daily calories.
Trans fats: The AHA advises eliminating artificial trans fats from the diet entirely. These are commonly found in many fried foods, baked goods, and products made with partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
Sodium: Excessive sodium intake contributes to high blood pressure, a risk factor for heart disease. The AHA recommends a daily sodium intake of no more than 2,300 mg, and ideally less than 1,500 mg for most adults.
Added sugars: Sugary drinks and sweets are high in calories and offer little nutritional value. Limiting them is key to maintaining a healthy weight and overall heart health.

Comparison Table: AHA Diet vs. Mediterranean Diet

While both the AHA diet and the Mediterranean diet promote similar heart-healthy principles, there are some subtle differences in emphasis.


Feature	American Heart Association (AHA) Diet	Mediterranean Diet
Core Focus	Broad guidelines emphasizing overall healthy dietary patterns to control cholesterol and blood pressure.	Traditional dietary pattern of countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea.
Emphasis on Fats	Strong focus on replacing saturated and trans fats with unsaturated fats. Recommends limiting saturated fat to under 6% of daily calories.	High emphasis on monounsaturated fats, primarily from olive oil. Fats are not heavily restricted as long as they are healthy types.
Daily Food Groups	Specific recommendations for servings of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins.	Emphasizes plant-based foods, healthy fats, and fish as primary protein sources, with a more flexible approach to portion sizes.
Dairy	Favors low-fat or fat-free dairy products.	Includes dairy, often fermented like yogurt and cheese, typically in moderate amounts.
Red Meat	Recommends limiting red and processed meats.	Includes red meat sparingly or in small portions, sometimes 1-3 times a week.
Alcohol	Limits alcohol to a maximum of one drink per day for women and two for men, if consumed at all.	Often includes moderate consumption of red wine with meals.

Practical Steps to Adopt the AHA Diet

Implementing the AHA diet involves mindful eating and meal planning. Here are some actionable steps:

Read labels: Check food labels for saturated fat, trans fat, and sodium content. Look for 'partially hydrogenated oils' in the ingredient list, an indicator of trans fat.
Choose lean protein: Select lean cuts of meat, skinless poultry, and fish. Trim all visible fat before cooking. Consider increasing plant-based proteins like lentils and beans.
Cook heart-healthy: Use cooking methods like baking, broiling, and grilling rather than frying. Use healthy oils like olive oil instead of butter or coconut oil.
Increase fiber intake: Add fiber-rich foods such as oats for breakfast, beans in salads or soups, and a variety of vegetables with every meal.
Control portions: Balancing calorie intake with physical activity is crucial for maintaining a healthy weight, which in turn helps manage cholesterol.

Conclusion

Adopting the American Heart Association diet for high cholesterol is a proactive and effective way to improve cardiovascular health. By shifting dietary focus from unhealthy fats, processed foods, and added sugars towards a nutrient-dense pattern rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins, individuals can make significant strides in lowering their cholesterol levels. This dietary pattern, supported by a healthy, active lifestyle, provides a comprehensive strategy for long-term heart disease prevention and overall well-being. Individuals with high cholesterol should consult their healthcare provider or a registered dietitian for personalized advice. For further reading, consult the AHA's official guidelines for more detail on their dietary recommendations: https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/nutrition-basics/aha-diet-and-lifestyle-recommendations.

Frequently Asked Questions

The AHA diet helps lower cholesterol by reducing the intake of saturated and trans fats, which are the main culprits for raising LDL ('bad') cholesterol. It increases consumption of fiber, especially soluble fiber from whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, which helps block cholesterol absorption in the gut.

On the AHA diet, you should limit or avoid high-fat dairy products, fatty and processed meats, fried foods, baked goods containing partially hydrogenated oils, tropical oils (like palm and coconut oil), and foods with excessive added sugars or sodium.

The American Heart Association recommends eating at least two servings of fatty fish, such as salmon, mackerel, and trout, per week. These fish are excellent sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which benefit heart health.

The AHA diet is not strictly a low-fat diet but rather a 'healthy-fat' diet. It focuses on replacing unhealthy saturated and trans fats with beneficial unsaturated fats from sources like vegetable oils, nuts, and fish, while limiting total fat intake to a moderate level.

For most healthy people, the AHA says it's fine to eat an egg a day. However, if you have high cholesterol, it is generally recommended to be mindful of your overall dietary cholesterol intake. How eggs are prepared (e.g., scrambled with butter vs. boiled) is also important.

The AHA recommends limiting daily sodium intake to no more than 2,300 mg, and suggests an ideal limit of 1,500 mg, especially for those at risk for or with high blood pressure.

Both diets are highly effective for heart health and share many similarities, like emphasizing plant-based foods and healthy fats. A key difference is the Mediterranean diet's stronger emphasis on olive oil as a primary fat source, whereas the AHA diet sets a more conservative target for total fat intake.