AHA Dietary Guidelines for Heart Health 2021

AHA (American Heart Association)  recently released the 

2021 Dietary Guidance to Improve Cardiovascular Health:

A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association

You can read the 1-page  ABSTRACT on the AHA Journals page:  https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001031

While it is primarily meant to protect heart health, it is an excellent diet for everyone to be healthy.

What follows is my notes for myself as a Vegetarian. 

Here is my version of the Guidelines: 

1.  Eat and exercise (work) to maintain a healthy body weight.
2.  Eat lots of vegetables and fruits. More variety/colour, the better.
3.  Eat whole grain foods
4.  Eat healthy proteins (mostly pulses/legumes, low-fat or fat-free dairy products)
5.  Use liquid plant oils rather than tropical oils. My addition: use them sparingly.
6.  Eat minimally processed foods. Avoid ultra-processed foods. My addition: Cook and eat at home. AVOID EATING OUT.
7.  Avoid beverages and foods with added sugar. 
8.  Prepare and cook food with little or no salt. 
9.  Avoid alcohol. 
10.  My addition: Cook at home.  Follow these guidelines wherever and whenever you eat.

Here is a more colourful version: