Heart Healthy Foods: 40 Picks Backed by Research

By Dr. Sarah Kim · Published October 26, 2026 · 13 min read

Heart healthy foods are the vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, fish and liquid plant oils that large studies link to a lower risk of heart disease. Most share a profile: fiber, unsaturated fat, plant protein and potassium, with little saturated fat, added sugar or salt. Below are 40 of them, grouped by food type, with the research behind each group and the amount that research points to.

No single food protects your heart on its own: the American Heart Association's 2021 dietary guidance puts the overall eating pattern first, so treat this as a shopping list, not a set of superfoods. Our 30-day heart healthy diet plan turns it into weeks of meals.

The Best Foods for Heart Health at a Glance

The food groups with the strongest evidence are fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, fish and olive oil. Here is what the research found, at what amount, and from what kind of study.

Most of these figures come from observational studies, which show associations, not proof. Only the olive oil row comes from a randomized trial that counted heart attacks and strokes; the oat and bean rows come from trials that measured cholesterol.

What Makes a Food Heart Healthy

A heart healthy food helps keep LDL cholesterol, blood pressure and body weight in a good range, usually because it brings fiber, unsaturated fat or potassium in place of something less helpful. The AHA's 2021 guidance builds a heart-healthy pattern from plenty of fruits and vegetables; whole grains; mostly plant protein, plus regular fish, low-fat or fat-free dairy and lean, unprocessed meat if you eat it; liquid plant oils instead of tropical oils and partially hydrogenated fats; and minimally processed food with little added sugar or salt.

Substitution matters as much as addition. In the olive oil and seafood research below, the benefit shows up most clearly when those foods replace butter, margarine or other less healthy foods.

40 Heart Healthy Foods by Food Group

Each group opens with its strongest evidence, then lists the foods, numbered 1 to 40.

Leafy Greens and Other Vegetables

The more vegetables you eat, up to a point, the lower your cardiovascular risk, and leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables (the cabbage family) stand out. A 2017 meta-analysis of 95 studies found that each extra 200 g of fruit and vegetables a day was linked to an 8% lower risk of coronary heart disease and a 16% lower risk of stroke, with benefits up to about 800 g a day. Leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables and salads were among the specific foods linked to lower risk.

Leafy greens and beets are also rich in nitrate, which the body turns into nitric oxide, a compound that relaxes blood vessels. In a 23-year Danish study of 53,150 adults, about 60 mg of vegetable nitrate a day — roughly one cup of leafy greens — was linked to a 15% lower risk of cardiovascular disease.

1. Spinach — a nitrate-rich leafy green that also supplies potassium and folate.
2. Kale — leafy and cruciferous at once.
3. Lettuce and other salad greens — the biggest single source of vegetable nitrate in the Danish study.
4. Beets — the root vegetable best known for nitrate.
5. Broccoli — a cruciferous staple.
6. Cabbage — cheap, long-keeping and cruciferous.
7. Tomatoes — a source of potassium and the red pigment lycopene.

Most vegetables also bring potassium, which helps balance sodium's effect on blood pressure; our potassium-rich foods list ranks the best sources. Potatoes are the exception: in the US study below, they weren't linked to lower mortality.

Fruits and Berries

Whole fruit, especially apples, pears, citrus and berries, is linked to lower cardiovascular risk; fruit juice is not. Apples, pears and citrus were among the specific foods tied to lower risk in the 2017 meta-analysis. A 2021 study of 108,735 US adults followed for up to 30 years found the lowest mortality at about five servings of fruit and vegetables a day, two of fruit and three of vegetables: a 12% lower risk of cardiovascular death than at two servings. More than five added nothing, and juice and potatoes showed no benefit.

Berries get their colour from anthocyanins. In a study of 93,600 women aged 25 to 42, those with the highest anthocyanin intake had a 32% lower risk of heart attack over 18 years. Eating blueberries and strawberries more than three times a week pointed the same way, though that result alone wasn't statistically significant.

8. Blueberries — fresh or frozen, both count.
9. Strawberries — the other berry in the anthocyanin study.
10. Apples — eat the peel too.
11. Pears — grouped with apples in the research.
12. Oranges — choose the whole fruit over juice.
13. Grapefruit — fine for most people, but it interacts with some statins and blood pressure drugs (see below).

Whole Grains

Swapping refined grains for whole grains is one of the best-supported changes you can make. A 2016 BMJ meta-analysis of 45 studies found that each 90 g of whole grains a day, about three servings such as two slices of whole-grain bread and a bowl of whole-grain cereal, was linked to a 19% lower risk of coronary heart disease and a 22% lower risk of cardiovascular disease. Refined grains and white rice showed little association either way.

Oats and barley add a specific mechanism: their soluble fiber, beta-glucan, forms a thick gel in the gut that lowers LDL cholesterol. A meta-analysis of 58 trials found that about 3.5 g of oat beta-glucan a day lowered LDL by 0.19 mmol/L, about 7 mg/dL (our conversion). The FDA allows a heart disease claim on foods that help supply 3 g of beta-glucan a day from whole oats or barley. Our soluble fiber foods guide lists more sources.

14. Oats — plain rolled or steel-cut, not sweetened packets.
15. Barley — pearl or hulled; it stands in for rice.
16. Whole-wheat bread and pasta — with a whole grain as the first ingredient.
17. Quinoa — quick-cooking, for salads and bowls.
18. Brown rice — counts toward your whole grains, which white rice doesn't.

Beans, Lentils and Soy

Legumes lower LDL cholesterol in controlled trials and supply protein without saturated fat. A meta-analysis of 26 randomized trials found that diets with about 130 g of pulses a day, roughly one serving, lowered LDL cholesterol by 0.17 mmol/L, about 7 mg/dL (our conversion), compared with similar diets without them.

For soy, a Harvard analysis of three cohorts with 210,700 US adults found that eating tofu at least once a week was linked to an 18% lower risk of coronary heart disease than eating it less than once a month. Soy milk showed no clear link.

19. Lentils — no soaking needed.
20. Chickpeas — for hummus, curries and salads.
21. Black beans — good in bowls, soups and tacos.
22. Kidney beans — canned is fine; rinse them before use.
23. Tofu — the soy food with the clearer link.
24. Edamame — young soybeans, steamed in the pod.

Nuts and Seeds

A small daily handful of nuts is among the most consistently supported heart-healthy habits, and peanuts count. A 2016 meta-analysis of 20 prospective studies found that each 28 g of nuts a day was linked to a 29% lower risk of coronary heart disease and a 21% lower risk of cardiovascular disease, with similar results for tree nuts and peanuts. In PREDIMED (next group), a Mediterranean diet supplemented with mixed nuts lowered major cardiovascular events by 28% compared with a low-fat control diet.

Seeds bring similar unsaturated fats, and flax and chia supply ALA, the plant form of omega-3.

25. Walnuts — a nut that also supplies ALA omega-3.
26. Almonds — whole, sliced onto oats, or as almond butter.
27. Pistachios — unsalted, as a snack.
28. Peanuts — choose unsalted dry-roasted, or peanut butter made only from peanuts.
29. Ground flaxseed — ground, since whole seeds often pass through undigested.
30. Chia seeds — stirred into yogurt or oats.

Fish and Seafood

One or two seafood meals a week is the target, ideally oily fish rich in the omega-3 fats EPA and DHA. A 2018 AHA science advisory recommends 1 to 2 seafood meals a week to reduce the risk of heart failure, coronary heart disease, ischemic stroke and sudden cardiac death, especially when the fish replaces less healthy foods. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggest at least 8 ounces of seafood a week on a 2,000-calorie diet.

Choose low-mercury fish. The FDA's advice about eating fish lists salmon, sardines, Atlantic mackerel, herring and freshwater trout among its best choices, and king mackerel, swordfish, shark and bigeye tuna among the choices to avoid.

31. Salmon — fresh, frozen or canned; baked or grilled rather than fried.
32. Sardines — canned, cheap and low in mercury.
33. Atlantic mackerel — rich and oily; pick Atlantic, not king mackerel.
34. Trout — a mild, low-mercury option.

Olive Oil, Other Plant Oils and Avocado

Liquid plant oils, extra-virgin olive oil above all, are the heart-healthy replacement for butter, and this group has the best trial evidence. In PREDIMED, 7,447 Spanish adults at high cardiovascular risk followed a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil or mixed nuts, or a low-fat control diet. After a median 4.8 years, the olive oil group had a 31% lower risk of heart attack, stroke or cardiovascular death than the control group. The trial was re-analysed in 2018 after randomization problems at some sites; the result held.

In two US cohorts of 92,383 adults followed for 28 years, more than half a tablespoon of olive oil a day was linked to a 19% lower risk of cardiovascular death than rarely or never using it, and replacing 10 g a day of butter, margarine, mayonnaise or dairy fat with olive oil was linked to lower mortality. Olive oil didn't beat other vegetable oils combined, which is why canola is here too. Our Mediterranean diet guide shows how these fats fit the whole pattern.

Avocado brings the same kind of monounsaturated fat in whole-food form. In a 30-year study of 110,487 US adults, eating at least two servings a week (one serving is half an avocado) was linked to a 21% lower risk of coronary heart disease.

35. Extra-virgin olive oil — the everyday oil for dressings and cooking.
36. Canola oil — neutral in flavour, good for baking.
37. Avocado — mashed in place of butter or mayonnaise.

These three, with nuts and seeds, are the most calorie-dense foods on this list, so portions matter if you're also watching your weight. Caloria, the AI calorie tracker, shows the calories and fat in a meal from a single photo, which makes it easy to see what your usual drizzle or handful adds up to.

Tea, Coffee and Cocoa

Tea and coffee are linked with lower cardiovascular risk in large observational studies; the evidence for cocoa is weaker than its reputation. In a study of 100,902 Chinese adults, habitual tea drinkers had a 20% lower risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease over a median of 7.3 years. In the UK Biobank, which followed 449,563 adults for about 12.5 years, 2 to 3 cups of coffee a day, including decaf, was linked to the lowest risk of new cardiovascular disease.

Cocoa is the cautionary tale. In the COSMOS trial, a cocoa flavanol supplement taken by 21,442 older adults for a median 3.6 years didn't significantly reduce total cardiovascular events. It was linked to 27% fewer cardiovascular deaths, but only as a secondary result, and the capsules held 500 mg of flavanols without a chocolate bar's sugar and fat.

38. Green or black tea — unsweetened.
39. Coffee — black or with a splash of milk rather than syrups and cream.
40. Dark chocolate or unsweetened cocoa — a treat that fits, not a heart medicine.

Foods to Limit for Heart Health

The AHA guidance also names what to cut back on; the aim is to make these the exception, not to ban them.

• Processed meat — bacon, sausages and deli meats; choose lean, unprocessed cuts instead.
• Sugary drinks and sweets — keep added sugar to a minimum.
• Butter, coconut oil and palm oil — swap them for liquid plant oils, and avoid partially hydrogenated fats.
• Ultra-processed snacks and ready meals — pick minimally processed versions.
• Salt — choose and prepare food with little or no added salt; our high blood pressure diet covers the limits.
• Alcohol — if you don't drink, don't start; if you do, keep it limited.

Heart Healthy Foods That Interact With Medication

Grapefruit and leafy greens need care if you take certain heart medications.

• Grapefruit and statins. The FDA warns that grapefruit juice can leave too much of some statins in the body, such as simvastatin (Zocor) and atorvastatin (Lipitor), raising the risk of liver and muscle damage. Some blood pressure drugs, including nifedipine, are affected too. Not every drug is, so ask your pharmacist.
• Leafy greens and warfarin. Vitamin K can change how warfarin works. MedlinePlus advises people taking warfarin to eat consistent amounts of vitamin K foods from week to week and to avoid large amounts of leafy greens. You don't have to give up spinach or kale; keep the amount steady. Our vitamin K foods list shows which greens carry the most.

These foods add to heart medication; they don't replace it. Keep taking yours unless your doctor says otherwise.

A Day of Heart Healthy Eating

Build each meal around a plant food and a healthy fat, and add fish twice a week.

That day covers fruit or vegetables at every meal, three whole grains, a legume, nuts and one of the week's seafood meals. To turn the list into a week of shopping, the free meal planner with grocery list builds the list as you plan.

Where to Start: Swap, Don't Add

These foods lower risk most when they replace less healthy ones, consistently, for years. No single item works like a medication, and most of the evidence is observational: people who eat more nuts or whole grains may also exercise more and smoke less, and studies can't fully adjust for that. So start with trades, not additions:

Pick two swaps this week and make them habits before adding more. The pattern you keep for years matters more than any single food on this list.