Which diet follows the AHA recommendations for healthy hearts?

November 27, 2025 •

4 min read

The American Heart Association (AHA) has long published scientific-based dietary guidelines to promote cardiovascular wellness and minimize disease risk. Choosing the right eating pattern is a crucial step toward achieving this goal, but with so many popular plans, determining which diet follows the AHA recommendations for healthy hearts can be confusing. This article will clarify the options and provide a detailed comparison.

Quick Summary

Several dietary plans align with AHA guidelines, prioritizing fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins while limiting salt, sugar, and saturated fats. The DASH and Mediterranean diets are top contenders for promoting heart health through their balanced, nutrient-rich approaches. Understanding key principles is essential for long-term cardiovascular well-being.

Key Points

DASH and Mediterranean Diets: The DASH and Mediterranean eating patterns are the top diets that closely follow AHA recommendations for heart health.
Emphasize Whole Foods: All recommended diets prioritize a high intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes, and minimize processed foods.
Choose Healthy Fats: Healthy diets replace saturated and trans fats with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats from sources like olive oil, nuts, and fish.
Reduce Sodium and Sugar: Limiting intake of added sugars and salt is a critical component of AHA-aligned diets to manage blood pressure and overall health.
Flexibility is Key: The AHA promotes healthy eating patterns that are adaptable to personal and cultural preferences, emphasizing long-term adherence over restrictive measures.
Consult a Professional: It is always recommended to consult with a healthcare professional or dietitian to tailor a heart-healthy diet to your specific needs.
Limit Processed Meats and Red Meat: Healthy diets restrict the intake of processed meats and limit consumption of red meat in favor of leaner protein sources.

Understanding the American Heart Association’s Core Recommendations

Before diving into specific diet plans, it's essential to understand the foundation of the American Heart Association’s (AHA) recommendations. The AHA's dietary guidance emphasizes an overall healthy eating pattern rather than focusing on a single food or nutrient. These guidelines are designed to help maintain a healthy body weight and reduce key risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD), such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Key pillars of the AHA's advice include:

Prioritize fruits and vegetables: A wide variety of colorful options should form the cornerstone of your meals.
Choose whole grains: Opt for whole grains over refined grains to maximize fiber intake.
Select healthy protein sources: Focus on plant-based proteins (legumes, nuts), fish and seafood, lean poultry, and fat-free or low-fat dairy. Limit red and processed meats.
Use liquid plant oils: Replace saturated and trans fats (found in tropical oils, butter, and processed foods) with liquid vegetable oils like olive, canola, and sunflower oil.
Minimize processed foods: Choose minimally processed foods to reduce intake of added sugars, salt, and unhealthy fats.
Limit salt and sugar: Reduce consumption of foods and beverages with added sugars and prepare meals with little or no salt.
Moderate alcohol: If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation (up to two drinks per day for men, one for women); if you don't, don't start.

Top Diets That Align with AHA Guidelines

Several well-researched and popular diet plans are closely aligned with the AHA's recommendations. The two most frequently cited are the DASH diet and the Mediterranean diet. A healthy, whole-food-focused plant-based diet also provides significant cardiovascular benefits.

The DASH Diet

The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet was specifically designed to lower blood pressure without medication and is endorsed by the AHA. It is rich in fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy, whole grains, fish, poultry, and nuts. A key feature is its emphasis on limiting sodium intake, a major factor in blood pressure regulation. Adherence to the DASH diet has been shown to reduce blood pressure significantly and improve overall cardiovascular health.

The Mediterranean Diet

Inspired by the traditional eating patterns of countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, this diet is rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and nuts. Extra virgin olive oil is the primary source of fat. It includes moderate amounts of fish and poultry, with red meat and sweets consumed sparingly. The Mediterranean diet's high content of antioxidants, monounsaturated fats, and fiber contributes to reduced inflammation and improved cholesterol levels, making it exceptionally heart-healthy.

Healthy Plant-Based Diets

A healthy plant-based diet focuses predominantly on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and legumes. While it eliminates or drastically reduces animal products, it mirrors the AHA’s emphasis on whole, unprocessed foods. Studies have shown significant reductions in CVD risk among those who adhere to a healthy plant-based eating pattern. It’s important to note the distinction between a healthy plant-based diet and an “unhealthy” one, which might be high in refined grains, sugary drinks, and processed snacks. For those following a vegan or vegetarian diet, care must be taken to ensure adequate intake of certain nutrients like B12, vitamin D, and zinc.

Comparison Table: DASH vs. Mediterranean Diets


Feature	DASH Diet	Mediterranean Diet
Primary Focus	Lowering blood pressure, particularly through reduced sodium intake.	Reducing overall cardiovascular risk through a broad, anti-inflammatory pattern.
Key Food Groups	High in fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy, whole grains, nuts, and lean proteins.	High in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, and olive oil.
Primary Fat Source	Liquid plant oils. Emphasizes low-fat dairy.	Extra virgin olive oil is the main fat source.
Sodium Control	Explicitly limits sodium intake (either 2,300mg or 1,500mg/day versions).	Naturally low in sodium due to minimal processed food consumption.
Dairy	Encourages low-fat or fat-free dairy products.	Typically includes low to moderate amounts of dairy.
Red Meat	Limited to small, lean portions.	Limited and consumed sparingly.
Alcohol	If consumed, in moderation.	Traditionally includes moderate red wine with meals.
Strength of Evidence	Highly researched and effective, especially for hypertension.	Groundbreaking studies, like PREDIMED, have demonstrated strong benefits for primary CVD prevention.

Making the Right Choice for You

Choosing the best heart-healthy diet depends on personal preferences and specific health goals. For individuals needing to actively manage high blood pressure, the structured, sodium-controlled approach of the DASH diet can be particularly effective. For those seeking a flexible and delicious eating pattern rich in healthy fats and anti-inflammatory compounds, the Mediterranean diet is an excellent option. A healthy plant-based diet also offers powerful protection by eliminating sources of unhealthy saturated fats and cholesterol. The most important takeaway is that all these successful heart-healthy diets prioritize a wide variety of whole, unprocessed foods while minimizing salt, sugar, and unhealthy fats—precisely what the AHA recommends.

Disclaimer: Always consult a healthcare professional or registered dietitian before starting a new diet or making significant changes to your eating habits, especially if you have pre-existing health conditions. This article provides general information and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.

Frequently Asked Questions

An AHA-recommended diet emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy proteins (mostly plant-based, fish, and lean poultry), and liquid plant oils. It minimizes processed foods, added sugars, and salt.

Both the Mediterranean and DASH diets are highly effective and align with AHA recommendations. The 'better' choice often depends on individual needs. The DASH diet is specifically known for its effectiveness in lowering blood pressure, while the Mediterranean diet is praised for its rich, anti-inflammatory fat sources like olive oil.

Yes, a well-planned, healthy plant-based diet is a recommended eating pattern by the AHA and is associated with lower cardiovascular risk. The key is to focus on whole, unprocessed plant foods rather than relying on refined carbs or unhealthy packaged vegetarian options.

Processed and red meats are often high in saturated fat and sodium, which can negatively impact blood pressure and cholesterol levels. The AHA encourages choosing healthier protein sources, such as plant-based options, fish, and lean poultry, to reduce these risks.

The AHA recommends using liquid plant oils rich in unsaturated fats, such as olive, canola, soybean, and sunflower oils. These should be used in place of tropical oils like coconut or palm oil, as well as solid animal fats like butter.

While popular, the AHA notes that diets like keto and paleo do not strongly align with their recommendations. The high saturated fat content of some versions of the keto diet, for example, can lead to increased LDL ('bad') cholesterol.

To reduce sodium, the AHA recommends choosing or preparing foods with little or no salt. This includes minimizing consumption of ultra-processed and packaged foods, reading nutrition labels, and flavoring your food with herbs and spices instead of salt.

Yes, frozen and canned fruits and vegetables can be just as nutritious as fresh, as long as you choose options without added salt, sugars, or heavy syrups. Rinsing canned vegetables can also help reduce their sodium content.