Cardiac Diet Menu

A cardiac diet menu focuses on eating healthy and nutritious food which helps to lower cholesterol and high blood pressure. As you know, both high levels of cholesterol and high blood pressure together with increased body weight can increase a person's risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Eating a diet that is low in saturated fats and calories will significantly lower cholesterol levels as well as help in reducing body weight. A cardiac diet plan should not be confused with a 3 day cardiac diet menu that was supposedly developed by Birmingham Hospital in Alabama, to make patients lose a lot of weight before a surgery. The 3 day cardiac diet is a very restrictive diet and is mostly undertaken by people who want to lose a lot of weight fast. However such a diet menu is not just designed for weight loss, but for increasing the overall health and fitness level of an individual and to decrease a person's risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Cardiac Diet Menu Plan

One of the best way to cut down your risk of developing heart diseases is to follow a diet that is rich in dietary fibers and essential vitamins and minerals. You need to cut down on the consumption of saturated fat, trans saturated fat and sodium. Reducing consumption of saturated fat and trans saturated fat helps in lowering cholesterol, high blood pressure as well as reducing excess weight. You also need to change you eating and drinking habits and cut back on alcohol, frizzy drinks that has empty calories with no nutritive value and sugar rich candies and pastries. Try to incorporate foods that are contains omega 3 fatty acids and lean sources of protein.

Day of the Week	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner
Sunday	1 cup oatmeal with low fat milk, ½ glass of vegetable juice	Turkey salad with salad leaves, ½ cup Greek yogurt, 1 small bar of dark chocolate	Grilled Salmon with steamed green beans, Mushroom soup
Monday	2 slices of whole wheat toast with peanut butter, ½ glass of orange juice	Tosses green salad with avocado and flaked tuna	Brown rice pilaf with stir fried bell peppers and zucchini
Tuesday	2 pancakes with a drizzle of honey, ½ grapefruit	Turkey Chili, steamed asparagus	Mushroom ragout with garlic bread
Wednesday	1 whole grain bagel, 1 granola bar, ½ glass tomato juice	1 grilled chicken breast, ½ bowl of chickpea salad	Baked fish fillet, roasted baby potatoes, steamed baby carrots
Thursday	Egg white omelet, ½ a grapefruit	Sauteed tilapia with lemon-peppercorn pan sauce	Tofu curry with tomatoes and peas
Friday	1 cup oatmeal with fresh berries, 1 banana	Turkey sandwich, steamed peas	Stir fried noodles with bean sprouts, tofu and bell peppers
Saturday	1 muffin, ½ glass vegetable juice	Pasta salad with bell peppers and chicken	½ bowl of steamed mussels, 2 slices of garlic bread

Consumption of alcohol should be brought down to 1-2 drinks a day while you are following this diet. Packaged foods and fried foods that are high in trans saturated fat should also be strictly avoided. Try to include fiber rich food like whole grains, oats and dried beans in your diet as it helps in lowering cholesterol levels which in turn keeps your heart healthy. Choose cooking methods like grilling, steaming and pan frying instead of deep frying and use olive oil and canola oil for cooking. Changing your diet, exercising and eating healthy will reduce your risks of developing cardiovascular diseases.