Plant Based Heart Health Plan
A nutrition plan packed with fiber-rich fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains, tofu, and healthy fats.
This program features heart-healthy foods, taking inspiration from recommended cardiovascular eating patterns such as the Portfolio Diet and DASH Diet.
The nutrition plan uses extra virgin olive oil and avocado oil as its main cooking oils. It incorporates fruits, vegetables, whole grains, oats, and legumes daily to provide a high-fiber diet. Each day includes almonds, soy protein, legumes and more than five servings of fruits and vegetables. Sodium is limited to less than 2 grams per day. Creamy Apple Pie Smoothie, Veggie Pita Pizza with Hummus, Crispy Tofu Meal Prep Bowls, Burrito Bowl with Tofu Taco Filling, Blueberry Chia Parfait and many more!
Why it works?
Low Saturated Fat
Replacing saturated fat in the diet with healthy plant-based fats is shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. This program limits saturated fat to less than 15 grams per day, and the sources of this type of fat come from healthier foods like nuts, seeds, and almond butter.
Healthy Fats
This program contains omega-3 fats from walnuts, and monounsaturated fatty acids from olive oil, almonds, and avocado. Almonds and almond butter are included daily in this plan as research shows that eating five servings of nuts a week is associated with a decrease in cholesterol levels and coronary heart disease events.
Fiber
Adequate dietary fiber intake is associated with lower blood pressure and reduced inflammation. This program is rich in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and legumes to provide a daily total fiber amount of up to 55 grams. These foods also contain naturally occurring plant sterols which can help lower cholesterol. Soluble fiber found in foods like oats, chickpeas, bananas, berries, and Brussels sprouts are incorporated into the program and have been shown to improve glycemic control and lower cholesterol levels.
Low Sodium
Guidelines recommend restricting sodium to less than 2,000 milligrams per day to prevent or treat hypertension and reduce the risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease. This program meets the sodium limit with less than 1,800 milligrams per day.
Soy Protein
The Portfolio Diet has shown that including soy protein daily reduces levels of bad cholesterol and improves good cholesterol levels. This program incorporates soy protein from foods like tofu and edamame for at least one meal per day. The other meals and snacks contain high fiber protein sources from black beans, chickpeas, and hummus.