Everyday foods that boost heart health

Man preparing a heart healthy meal

Published May 2026
Expert contributor: Associate Professor Mayooran Namasivayam, Head of the Heart Valve Disease and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute
Words by Sabrina Rogers


One of the most effective ways to reduce your risk of heart disease is through your diet. A few simple, everyday changes can make a real difference for heart health.

With heart disease taking a life every 18 minutes in Australia, making it the second leading cause of death, looking after your heart health has never been more important.

Eating a balanced diet is one of the most powerful ways to protect your heart. Here’s everything you need to know about eating for heart health.

Why eating for heart health matters

“Diet can have direct and indirect influences on heart health,” says Associate Professor Mayooran Namasivayam, Head of the Heart Valve Disease and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute.

“If you eat a lot of foods that are high in saturated fat and cholesterol, you increase your chance of developing plaque, which is fatty build-up in your arteries that puts you at risk of heart disease and stroke,” he explains.

“Eating a calorie-rich diet can also lead you to put on weight, which can increase your risk of other conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and inflammation that also contribute to heart disease.”

Getting enough exercise, managing stress, sleeping well and reducing alcohol intake are also crucial for heart health, too.

What a heart health diet looks like

The Heart Foundation’s five-point heart-healthy eating pattern includes:

1. Plenty of fruits and vegetables

Fruits and vegetables are rich in vitamins, minerals, fibre and antioxidants that keep your heart healthy. Research shows that getting at least five serves of vegetables and two serves of fruit every day can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease by 20%.

It doesn’t matter whether you choose fresh, frozen or canned (opt for juice over syrup), just try to eat a wide variety of different fruit and vegies.

One serving can be:

  • 1 medium apple, banana or orange
  • 2 kiwifruits, plums or apricots
  • 1 small handful of dried fruit (only occasionally)
  • ½ cup of fruit juice (only occasionally)
  • 1 cup of raw or salad vegetables
  • ½ cup of cooked vegetables
  • ½ cup of beans, peas or lentils
  • ½ medium potato or sweet potato.

2. Whole grains

Wholegrain foods provide heart-healthy fibre, vitamins and minerals. Dietary fibre helps to reduce LDL (‘bad’) cholesterol and manage your weight by keeping you fuller for longer. Both of these can lower your risk of heart disease.

Try to include a portion the size of a closed fist of whole grains in every meal. These include:

  • wholegrain bread
  • wholegrain cereals (like Weet-Bix)
  • oats
  • brown rice
  • wholemeal pasta
  • quinoa.

3. Healthy proteins

When it comes to diet and heart health, not all proteins are created equal. Try to prioritise:

  • Plant-based sources of protein: Legumes (beans, lentils and chickpeas), nuts and seeds are rich in fibre, healthy fats and essential nutrients that can reduce your risk of heart disease. One serve of legumes is roughly the size of a closed fist. One serve of nuts and seeds is a small handful.
  • Fish and seafood: They provide omega-3 fatty acids that can protect your heart. Aim to eat a 150g portion of fish or seafood (about the size of your whole hand) two or three times a week.

You can also eat smaller amounts of:

  • Lean poultry: chicken or turkey breast without the skin is a good source of protein and doesn’t have a negative effect on heart health.
  • Eggs: people with high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes or existing heart disease should eat a maximum of seven eggs a week.
  • Lean red meat: choose lean cuts of beef, pork or lamb, and trim off the fat before cooking. Limit red meat to one to three times (or a maximum of 350g) per week.

4. Healthy fats

There are two types of fats that are good for heart health:

  • Monounsaturated fats: found in avocados, olive oil, nuts and seeds.
  • Polyunsaturated fats (omega-3s and omega-6s): found in oily fish (such as salmon), walnuts, flaxseeds, canola oil and sunflower oil.

5. Unflavoured dairy products

Milk, yoghurt and cheese are an important source of protein, vitamins and minerals like calcium. But they also contain saturated fat, which can raise LDL cholesterol levels.

While LDL cholesterol is a risk factor for heart disease, research suggests that milk, yoghurt and cheese don’t increase your overall risk of heart disease if you’re generally healthy. But if you have existing heart disease or high cholesterol, you should stick to reduced-fat dairy because full-fat products could raise your cholesterol levels even more.

Go for unflavoured varieties of milk, cheese and yoghurt, and limit your intake of butter, cream and ice cream.

“Flavoured dairy products tend to have a lot of added sugar,” says Assoc Prof Namasivayam. “So, instead of fruit-flavoured yoghurt, have Greek yoghurt and add fresh fruit.”

Foods to limit or avoid for heart health

It isn’t helpful to see foods as ‘good’ versus ‘bad’, or to follow restrictive diets. Instead, you should limit your intake of the following foods and nutrients because they can increase your risk of heart disease:

  • Saturated fats: these are found in many processed and fast foods, fatty cuts of meat, processed meats like salami and bacon, butter, cream, coconut oil, cakes and pastries.
  • Trans fats: many deep-fried, baked and processed foods contain trans fats.
  • Salt: too much salt can raise blood pressure, which increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. Try to limit your salt intake to 5g a day (which includes the salt in packaged and processed foods).
  • Sugar: eating too much sugar can lead to type 2 diabetes, a major risk factor for heart disease. Limit your intake of sugary drinks, chocolate, lollies and other sweetened foods.
  • Alcohol: no amount of alcohol is safe for heart health, so the less you drink the better.

How to improve heart health: easy swaps and tips

“When you’re on the move a lot, working long hours and doing physical work, it can be tricky to maintain a balanced diet,” says Assoc Prof Namasivayam. “But if you cut back on takeaway and packet foods, it will make a big difference to your heart health.”

He suggests the following swaps for common meals and snacks:

Breakfast

Instead of: a bacon and egg roll
Try: wholegrain toast with peanut butter or an egg and vegie wrap.

Lunch

Instead of: a meat pie or sausage roll
Try: a chicken salad sandwich on brown bread.

Snacks

Instead of: a doughnut, pastry, chocolate bar or chips
Try: hard-boiled eggs, crackers and hummus, nuts and fruit.

Drinks

Instead of: an energy drink
Try: a homemade smoothie.

Dinner

Instead of: a drive-through fast-food meal
Try: cooking at home and filling half of your plate with vegetables, a quarter with whole grains and a quarter with lean protein. Use a healthy cooking oil like olive oil and minimise your use of salt. Flavour your meals with herbs and spices instead.

With RT Health Extras Cover, eligible members can access dietetic services for extra support and guidance. The Heart Foundation also has plenty of delicious heart-healthy recipes, dinner plans and resources, and the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute website offers dietary tips and resources to improve your heart health.

Need a little extra support with your diet?

We want our members to be their healthiest selves. That’s why we’re giving eligible members* access to the evidence-based CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet. Created by Australia’s national science agency, it combines a higher protein, low-GI eating plan with proven weight management tools to help improve habits and create lifelong positive behaviours.


* The CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet is available to RT Health members with hospital cover who:

  • are aged 18 or over
  • have a Body Mass Index of 28 or above
  • have multiple lifestyle risk factors like smoking, physical inactivity and poor nutrition.


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