Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean diet is rich in heart-healthy fiber and nutrients, including omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants. The diet consists of fruits, vegetables, and unsaturated "good" fats, particularly olive oil. Olive oil has been associated with lower blood pressure, a lower risk for heart disease, and other benefits for people with type 2 diabetes.
There are several variations to the Mediterranean diet but general recommendations include:
- Limit red meats
- Drink one or two glasses of wine each day if alcohol is enjoyable and there are no reasons to restrict its use
- Limit dairy products
- Eat moderate amounts of fish and poultry. Fish is the diet's main protein source. Some studies suggest that fish is the primary heart-protective ingredient in this diet.
Low Carbohydrate Diets
Diets that restrict carbohydrate intake include the Atkins diet, South Beach, The Zone, and others. A 2006 review of low-carbohydrate diets found that they did help weight loss in the short term. However, while these diets appeared to lower triglyceride and raise HDL (“good”) cholesterol levels, they also raised overall and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels. There is not yet enough evidence to indicate whether the good heart effects of these diets outweigh the bad effects. At this time, experts do not recommend low-carbohydrate diets for heart disease prevention or for people with type 2 diabetes.
Low-fat Diets
Dietary guidelines recommend keeping total fat intake to 25 – 35% of total daily calories, with saturated fat less than 7% of calories. Low-fat diets generally restrict fat intake to 20% or less of total daily calories. The Ornish program, which is recommended for some heart disease patients, limits fats even more drastically. It aims at reducing saturated fats as much as possible, restricting total fat to 10%, and increasing carbohydrates to 75% of calories.
In 2006, the largest study to date on low-fat diets found that they did not help prevent heart disease or cancer. Women in the study reduced their fat consumption to 24 – 29% of total daily calories. Some critics say that the study did not do enough to distinguish between good types of fats (monounsaturated and omega-3 polyunsaturated) and bad fats (saturated and trans fats
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