Best Heart-Healthy Diets
Being overweight is just one factor that puts people at risk for heart disease and stroke. A heart-healthy diet can help you lose weight or lower cholesterol, blood pressure, or triglycerides. According to experts who rated the 29 diets below, the Ornish Diet is the most heart-healthy.
Slim-Fast
Slim-Fast recipes | Slim-Fast reviews
Slim-Fast wasn’t designed as a heart-healthy diet, and while it shouldn’t increase your risk of cardiovascular problems, it’s unlikely to prevent them, either. The diet received lower marks for heart health than for any other measure the experts evaluated.
Zone Diet
Zone Diet recipes | Zone Diet reviews
The Zone Diet received mediocre reviews from experts as a diet for heart health. Still, some research suggests it might help lower LDL cholesterol, which is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
Abs Diet
Abs Diet recipes | Abs Diet reviews
The Abs diet landed in the bottom third on this list, with 2.7 out of 5 stars. Research is lacking, so experts questioned its ability to prevent or manage heart disease. Still, the plan’s emphasis on fruits, veggies, and whole grains is a positive factor.
Medifast
Medifast recipes | Medifast reviews
Although some research suggests Medifast may benefit heart health, experts who rated the diet weren’t overly enthusiastic. Their ratings placed Medifast toward the bottom of this ranking.
Nutrisystem
Nutrisystem recipes | Nutrisystem reviews
The experts gave Nutrisystem some of its lowest scores in judging it as a diet to prevent cardiovascular disease or other heart problems.
Glycemic-Index Diet
Glycemic-Index Diet recipes | Glycemic-Index Diet reviews
In the absence of convincing research on the glycemic-index diet’s purported cardiovascular benefits, experts gave it low scores as a heart-health tool.
Atkins
Atkins recipes | Atkins reviews
The experts were concerned about the diet’s fat-heavy menu and judged it accordingly. Although Atkins scored decently in weight loss, and losing weight can reduce the risk of many heart problems, experts want to see stronger long-term research before accepting the diet’s potential heart benefits.
Paleo Diet
Paleo Diet recipes | Paleo Diet reviews
The Paleo diet is unlikely to help prevent or manage cardiovascular disease, our expert panel concluded. Most panelists, in fact, felt that evidence of any health benefit was lacking.
Dukan Diet
Dukan Diet recipes | Dukan Diet reviews
The Dukan diet came in dead last in the heart-health category, with experts ranking it short of minimally effective. Don’t expect it to have a positive effect. “Long-term research” is needed to suss out any potential benefits, according to one expert.
