Follow this 7-day carbohydrate diet plan for heart health and snacks curated by a nutritionist. Most Americans eat more sugar, saturated fats and sodium than the 2020-2025 Americans (DGAS) and the American Heart Association nutrition guidelines. They are usually lacking in fiber. This type of dietary pattern can increase the risk of health problems such as heart disease and diabetes. So you can curate this meal plan to add sugar to add more fiber and richness, satisfying your needs and supporting a healthier mind.
Whether you want to actively prevent health issues or manage existing issues like rising cholesterol or high blood pressure, this diet plan is for you!
This meal plan is great for you
Heart disease is the main cause of death in the United States. A healthy diet is one way to help prevent heart disease and risk factors for heart disease, such as high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes. This diet plan is consistent with the American Heart Association’s Heart Healthy Diet Recommendations. It focuses on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and healthy fats. Furthermore, sodium and saturated fats are limited. Meets the American Heart Association’s recommendation to limit sodium intake to 1,500 milligrams per day. Additionally, we capped saturated fat at 14 grams per day. DGAS recommendations. The only exception is when heart-healthy fatty fish are on the menu.
Americans eat an average of 17 teaspoons of sugar per day. That’s five teaspoons more than the dietary guidelines recommend, and almost ten more than the American Heart Association recommends for a 2,000-calorie diet. There is no added sugar in this meal plan. Instead, you get sweetness from the natural sugars of fruits and dairy products. This is beneficial for heart health, metabolic health, and more.
This 1,800-calorie diet plan has been changed to 1,500 and 2,000 calories to support people with different calorie needs. Previously, I had included a 1,200-calorie diet plan and revision, but I no longer did that. The 2020-2025 dietary guidelines for Americans suggest that limiting calories to 1,200 per day is too low for most people to meet their nutritional needs, and is even unsustainable for long-term health and well-being.
Day 1
Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Tricia Manzanero, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle
Breakfast (349 calories)
Morning snacks (199 calories)
- ¼ cup cup unsalted dry roasted mixed nuts
Lunch (503 calories)
Afternoon snacks (181 calories)
- 1 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
- 1 cup fresh strawberry
Dinner (447 calories)
Evening snacks (133 calories)
Daily Total: 1812 calories, 67 g fat, 97 g protein, 224 g carbohydrates, 36 g fiber, 1331 mg sodium, 14 g saturated fat
To bring 1,500 calories: Omit morning and evening snacks.
To bring 2,000 calories: Add 2 tablespoons of chia seeds to your breakfast smoothie, and 2 tablespoons of chopped walnuts to your afternoon snack.
Day 2
Robbie Rozano
Breakfast (352 calories)
Morning snacks (181 calories)
- 1 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
- 1 cup fresh strawberry
Lunch (432 calories)
Afternoon snacks (201 calories)
- ¼ cup hummus
- 1 cup fresh carrot
Dinner (503 calories)
Evening Snacks (133 calories)
Daily Total: 1802 calories, 64 g fat, 96 g protein, 232 g carbohydrates, 44 g fiber, 1408 mg sodium, 10 g saturated fat
To bring 1,500 calories: Omit morning and evening snacks.
To bring 2,000 calories: Add ¼ cup of unsalted mixed nuts to your morning or evening snacks.
Day 3
Breakfast (352 calories)
Morning snacks (199 calories)
- ¼ cup cup unsalted dry roasted mixed nuts
- Two Pit Mejor Dates
Lunch (411 calories)
Afternoon snacks (201 calories)
- ¼ cup hummus
- 1 cup fresh carrot
Dinner (406 calories)
Evening Snacks (208 calories)
Daily Total: 1781 calories, 85 g fat, 96 g protein, 180 g carbohydrates, 37 g fiber, 1392 mg sodium, 18 g saturated fat
To bring 1,500 calories: Eliminate evening snacks and chia seeds from breakfast.
To bring 2,000 calories: Add 1 tablespoon of chia seeds to your breakfast, and two Mejor dates to your morning snack.
Day 4
Heami Lee, Food Stylist: Emily Nabor Hall, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely
Breakfast (349 calories)
Morning snacks (202 calories)
- 1 cup plain fat greek yogurt
- Two Clementines
- 2 tablespoons of walnuts
Lunch (432 calories)
Afternoon snacks (122 calories)
Dinner (496 calories)
Evening Snacks (208 calories)
Daily Total: 1806 calories, 59 g fat, 98 g protein, 247 g carbohydrates, 36 g fiber, 1189 mg sodium, 13 g saturated fat
To bring 1,500 calories:Omit evening snacks and clementines from lunch or morning snacks.
To bring 2,000 calories: Add 1 tablespoon of chia seeds to your morning smoothie and 2 tablespoons of chopped walnuts to your morning snack.
Day 5
Breakfast (349 calories)
Morning snacks (268 calories)
- ¼ cup cup sertet, dry dry roasted mixed nut
- Two Clementines
Lunch (467 calories)
Afternoon snacks (122 calories)
Dinner (433 calories)
Evening snacks (133 calories)
Daily Total: 1773 calories, 61 g fat, 86 g protein, 241 g carbohydrates, 34 g fiber, 987 mg sodium, 14 g saturated fat
To bring 1,500 calories: Omit morning snacks.
To bring 2,000 calories: Add 2 tablespoons of chia seeds to your morning smoothie and 1 cup of plain, non-fat Greek yogurt to your evening snack.
Day 6
Breakfast (352 calories)
Morning snacks (202 calories)
- 1 cup plain fat greek yogurt
- Two Clementines
Lunch (469 calories)
Afternoon snacks (201 calories)
- ¼ cup hummus
- 1 cup fresh carrot
Dinner (485 calories)
Evening Snacks (99 calories)
Daily Total: 1808 calories, 60 g fat, 103 g protein, 227 g carbohydrates, 41 g fiber, 1461 mg sodium, 11 g saturated fat
To bring 1,500 calories: Omit morning and evening snacks.
To bring 2,000 calories: Add 2 tablespoons of chopped walnuts to the morning snack, and 2 mejoule dates to the evening snack.
Day 7
Ali Redmond
Breakfast (382 calories)
Morning snacks (199 calories)
- ¼ cup cup sertet, dry dry roasted mixed nut
Lunch (472 calories)
Afternoon snacks (199 calories)
- ½ cup plain fat Greek yogurt
- Two Pit Mejor Dates
Dinner (419 calories)
Evening Snacks (99 calories)
Daily Total: 1769 calories, 61 g fat, 69 g protein, 253 g carbohydrates, 46 g fiber, 1139 mg sodium, 10 g saturated fat
To bring 1,500 calories: Omit morning and evening snacks.
To bring 2,000 calories: Add one medium banana to your morning snack and 2 servings of lemon palm popcorn for an evening snack.
Note: Use sugary muesli for breakfast.
How to prepare meals
FAQ
-
If there’s something I don’t like, is it okay to mix and match the food?If you have a meal you don’t like, feel free to replace it with another one in this plan. You can also browse our wide range of mentally healthy recipes, or sugar recipes added for another option. For reference, we aimed to achieve 1,800 calories, at least 30 grams of fiber daily, and chose to saturate less than 14 grams (unless there are no heart-healthy fatty fish on the menu) and less than 1,500 milligrams of sodium.
-
Can I eat the same breakfast or lunch every day?If that’s easier for your routine, feel free to eat the same breakfast and lunch every day. Each breakfast is around 350 calories, but lunch options range from around 410 to 500 calories. These ranges are pretty similar, so swap should work for most people. If you are closely monitoring other nutrients such as sodium and saturated fats, it is recommended to adjust your diet and snacks accordingly.
-
Why is there no change of 1,200 calories?The meal plan no longer offers changes to 1,200 calories days. The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggest that limiting calories to 1,200 per day is too low to meet their nutritional needs for most people, and even unsustainable for long-term health and well-being.
Added sugar and heart health
On average, Americans consume 17 glasses of sugar every day. For a 2,000-calorie diet, it’s 5 teaspoons more than DGA I recommend it. The American Heart Association has a but extend of 7.5 cups per day for a 2,000-calorie diet. But why is the added sugar worth limiting?
Adding too much sugar is linked to many health issues. Journal’s 2023 study BMJ We found that eating too much sugar in addition drinks, especially when you eat too much sugar, increases your risk of health problems such as type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, high blood pressure, tooth decay, and premature birth death for all reasons. This does not necessarily mean that adding sugar directly causes all of these health issues, but there is a clear link. Therefore, for your overall health, it is important to minimize additional sugar by prioritizing whole foods and checking nutrition facts to choose foods with little or no sugar.
How to create a meal plan
Registered dietitians create thoughtfully Eatingwell’s The food is planned to be easy to understand and tasty. Each meal plan meets specific parameters depending on the targeted health and/or lifestyle goals and analyzes accuracy using the nutritional database, ESHA food processor. Nutrition needs vary from person to person, so it is best to use these plans as inspiration and adjust them appropriately.
