In this generation, the population who are aware of the heart-health benefits while being satisfied with their hunger is surprisingly growing, and it is a better habit than eating regardless of the risks their choice of food can bring. A recent study shows that instead of a strict diet plan, people could get more heart-healthy based on their eating patterns. The research was made possible through the efforts of the American Heart Association and other collaborators. 

New Diet Guide for Heart Adaptive with Onset Eating Pattern

AHA 2021 Food Guide: Diet for a Healthy Heart Could Be Adapted from a Personal Eating Habit
(Photo : Spencer Davis from Pexels)

According to the study, the new approach to a healthy food intake does not mean that people would drop every food they have been familiar with and lose the convenience of eating the conventional choices they pick. Instead, the guide allows a more adaptive method of dietary plan based on the options they currently have, whether it be take-outs or even quick-bite meals. 

AHA's guidance identified 10 specialized aspects that could potentially bring an individual's heart health to the fullest. The statement enumerated factors such as eating whole grains, balanced diet with exercise, eating minimally processed foods instead of ultra-processed choices, adding sugar and alcohol intake, reduction of sodium, and the utility of oils extracted from non-tropical plant variants.

Tufts University's Cardiovascular Nutrition Laboratory expert and author of the study Alice Lichtenstein said in a CNN report that, in today's time, modifications to a diet that will give the healthy heart a sustainable and long-term effect are necessary. Throughout the examination, the experts analyzed 10 features of a diet pattern that are linked to the betterment of a healthy heart. 

The study also considered the other aspects that could make the guidance fit in today's standards. Alongside the diet features, the data for sustainability and societal relations was also considered to make up the right and specialized proper nutrition plan.

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Heart-Healthy Diet in 2021

AHA published their last guidance recommendation 15 years ago in the journal Circulation, titled "Diet and Lifestyle Recommendations Revision 2006." Since then, experts have observed that the collective eating habit of the global population has changed into a more complex routine. 

In the previous years since the initial revision, they have offered a limited option for eating, including dine-ins or take-outs, among the few. These few options from the simpler days seemingly helped people to construct their eating habits, but as the years passed by, the pattern became less consistent. The fade of the habits in recent years was also induced by the pandemic. People tend to give in to their convenience food that could be found in many alternatives such as premade meals, delivery, and uniformed meal kits.

The AHA study simply means that people can still have a healthy heart while adapting to the eating pattern that really works for them. Lichtenstein said that the main goal of the guidance is to assist people in incorporating a better eating habit with the dietary restrictions or cultural adaptations they already have. 

Lichtenstein also emphasized that fad diets for a drastic change are not the best option. Instead, having a sustained effort of modification based on patterns people already have is the greatest way to achieve a healthy heart. 

The study was published in the journal Circulation, titled "2021 Dietary Guidance to Improve Cardiovascular Health: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association."

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