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How to Help Promote Heart Health: 16 Tips

By Ethan Boldt

January 31, 2025

Heart health is a major interest in the U.S. for both men and women, including in the month of February that is also called "Heart Health Month." What are the steps you can take in your diet choices, supplement routine, exercise schedule and lifestyle habits that can help promote your heart health?

Thankfully, there are many straightforward things to do that can make a big difference, such as adding a few new foods and supplements, tweaking your exercise routine and perhaps swapping out some bad habits for good ones.

As always, you should consult your healthcare professional prior to beginning any new dietary or lifestyle regimen.

Here are some of the best steps to take to help support your heart health.

1. Eat more plant foods

A plant-based diet with whole, minimally processed foods is associated with supporting heart health. Primary foods include vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes and whole grains.

Following such an eating strategy means more monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats than saturated fats, which are often animal-based foods like butter, beef, processed meats, cheese and ice cream. Excessive saturated fat can negatively impact cholesterol levels.

Plant-based foods are also high in fiber, which can be beneficial for heart health and overall health. A plant-based diet can also help support healthy blood pressure levels and help you maintain a healthy weight, both of which are important for heart health.

Specific point: Even if you don’t go full plant-based, introduce more plant foods into every meal, such as berries at breakfast and veggies surrounding your protein (such as grilled salmon) for dinner. For lunch, consider a largely plant-based salad or soup with leafy greens, nuts, seeds and legumes.

2. Get enough fiber

How much fiber per day do you need? The American Heart Association recommends getting 25–30 grams of fiber per day from food, but most of us fall short.

In one study about the cardiovascular benefits of dietary fiber, regular consumption of dietary fiber was shown to help support heart health through multiple ways, including promoting healthy cholesterol levels, healthy weight management and more.

Important high-fiber foods for supporting heart health include beans, lentils, oats, seeds, apples, pears, peas, squash and sweet potatoes.

Specific point: See our article on how to eat more fiber, including choosing a fiber-rich whole grain bread, adding legumes to salads and cooking with high-fiber vegetables.

3. Consume foods high in omega-3s

Omega-3 fatty acids can help support heart health, by promoting already healthy triglyceride levels and helping to maintain healthy blood pressure levels. Omega-3s also support healthy, normal circulation.

Present in fatty fish like salmon as well as plant-based foods like chia seeds and walnuts, omega-3s should be had a few times a week.

Specific point: The American Heart Association recommends eating two servings of fish per week, in particular fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, tuna and sardines. You also look into an omega-3 supplement.

4. Eat avocados

The avocado is a true superfood for the heart, as this nutrient-dense fruit contains healthy fats, phytonutrients, fiber, potassium, magnesium and folate — all nutrients that can assist heart health.

The avocado also contains oleic acid, an omega-9 fatty acid that has been shown to benefit heart health by supporting healthy, normal levels of blood pressure and cholesterol.

In fact, the Journal of the American Heart Association looked at the relationship between avocado intake and overall cardiovascular health in a study of 110,000 people. Eating avocado twice a week was shown to help promote heart health.

Specific point: Replace half a serving of animal-based fatty foods (like butter, cheese or processed meats) with avocado, such as sliced or mashed avocado in sandwiches or as part of a salad.

5. Use garlic

Garlic helps promote already healthy triglyceride levels while supporting healthy, normal cholesterol levels. For example, in a meta-analysis conducted at the University of Oxford that included 17 trials and 952 subjects found that dried garlic powder preparations helped support healthy, normal triglyceride levels when compared to placebo.

In particular, allicin in garlic has been shown to support already healthy cholesterol levels.

Specific point: Add fresh garlic or garlic paste to your dinner recipes. The added flavor is an extra benefit.

6. Consume less sugar

The American Heart Association recommends that you have only 6 teaspoons of added sugar per day for women and 9 teaspoons per day for men. However, the average adult has about 22 teaspoons of added sugar per day.

Too much sugar can negatively impact heart health, while reducing sugar consumption can help maintain already healthy blood sugar levels in the normal range and a healthy response to inflammation.

Consider following a low-glycemic diet of sorts, with an emphasis on vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, low-fat dairy and whole grains. Also be sure to check food labels for added sugars, of which you want very little.

Specific point: Make healthy swaps for foods and drinks that have added sugar, such as coffee without sugar, sugar-free electrolyte drink, oats instead of cereal, etc.

7. Limit salt

Researchers in the New England Journal of Medicine reported that reducing intake of salt to half a teaspoon a day would help promote heart health.

According to the FDA, more than 70 percent of total sodium intake among Americans is from sodium added during food manufacturing and commercial food preparation. Only 30 percent or less of salt intake is from added table salt or small amounts of salt naturally found in some whole foods (like meat and dairy).

For example, ultra-processed foods that are high in sodium are often multiple-ingredient foods that have been packaged for direct sale to consumers or use in food establishments like restaurants. Sodium is added to packaged and processed foods not only because it enhances the taste, but because it plays a role in food safety and preservation.

Overall, consuming too much salt/sodium is a much more common problem than not consuming enough. Average sodium intake in the U.S. is estimated to be approximately 3,400 milligrams per day. This is considerably more than the amount recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Most authorities advise people 14 years and older to limit their consumption to 2,300 mg/day.

Specific point: Try to steer clear of most processed foods that contain a lot of sodium (see nutrition labels) and don’t add extra salt to your foods. When you do use salt, go with a type of sea salt that includes real benefits.

8. Avoid artificial sweeteners

A 2022 British Medical Journal study that followed 103,388 French adults found that artificial sweetener intake was associated with negative impacts for heart health.

In fact, the findings from this large scale study suggested a potential direct association between higher artificial sweetener consumption (especially aspartame, acesulfame potassium, and sucralose) and some negative impacts.

Specific point: Avoid artificial sweeteners and instead go with stevia, maple syrup or dates as natural sweeteners.

9. Consider these supplements for supporting heart health

Certain supplements can also help promote overall heart health when used as part of a heart-healthy diet and lifestyle, including regular exercise:

• Fiber supplement: Ancient Nutrition’s Organic Fiber contains konjac and acacia fiber, along with probiotics.

• Niacin (vitamin B3): Ancient Nutrition's Vitamin B Complex includes niacin among several other B vitamins.

• Vitamin D: Consider Ancient Nutrients Vitamin D, which is expertly formulated with real food sources and optimized for absorption.

• Omega-3 fatty acids: Omega-3s Whole Body delivers omega 3s, 6s and 9s from both wild ocean and plant-based sources.

• Probiotics: Ancient Nutrition's SBO Probiotics bring together probiotics, digestion-specific superfoods, prebiotics and postbiotics for powerful gut benefits.

• Organs blend: Ancient Nutrition's Organs Blend contains organs from grass-fed cows and wild lamb. It offers support for heart, liver and kidney health.

• Red yeast rice: Contains natural compounds that can help balance LDL and HDL cholesterol.

• Plant sterols and stanols: These compounds help support healthy cholesterol levels.

• Citrus bergamot: Extracted from a type of orange, citrus bergamot is known for its ability to promote healthy cholesterol and triglyceride levels already in the normal range.

• Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10): This antioxidant supports heart health by helping maintain healthy cholesterol levels already in the normal range.

• Berberine: A natural compound found in plants, berberine has been shown to help maintain triglyceride and cholesterol levels already in the normal range.

Specific point: Consult your healthcare professional before starting any supplements.

10. Maintain or get to a healthy weight

Being fit and at a healthy weight usually means good things for your heart. A Journal of the American College of Cardiology study linked a healthy weight with more optimal blood pressure and blood lipid levels.

Exercising more, cutting back on calories and losing weight, when necessary, can help promote healthy, normal triglyceride levels. Also incorporate foods that support healthy, normal cholesterol levels, such as fermented foods, vegetables, nuts, seeds, garlic and sweet potatoes.

Specific point: Read what a fat loss day looks like, in terms of what you can do at different times of the day to help you lose body fat and get to a healthier weight over time.

11. Exercise regularly

Any kind of exercise can assist heart health, but aerobic exercise in particular. It helps improve circulation, which directly supports healthy blood pressure levels and a healthy heart rate.

In addition, “cardio” improves your cardiovascular fitness, of course, so your heart pumps more efficiently.

While more studies need to be conducted, a small study published in the Medicine and Science in Exercise and Sports Journal evaluated 11 healthy women who underwent a single workout. It involved a brisk walk at 60 percent of peak oxygen consumption for about two hours.

The results revealed positive triglyceride impacts after the exercise trial compared with the control trial that involved no exercise.

Specific point: Try to do some form of aerobic exercise at least 30 minutes a day and five days a week. Walk briskly, run, swim, take a spin class, play a sport, etc.

12: Not being sedentary

Sedentary jobs and lifestyles are now the norm. In fact, according to the American Heart Association, sedentary jobs have increased 83 percent since 1950, with physically active jobs now making up only about 20 percent of the U.S. workforce.

Meanwhile, an Annals of Internal Medicine study found that even after adjusting for physical activity, being sedentary for long periods was associated with more negative health impacts, including heart health. In other words, even if you’re getting in that hour workout, it’s also important what you do the rest of your waking hours.

In particular, being sedentary can slow blood flow and negatively impact the blood vessels. It can also lower the body’s normal production of lipoprotein lipase, an enzyme that breaks down fat in the blood.

Specific point: Learn how to introduce more movement through the day, such as taking short breaks every 30 minutes to stand up and move around. Take phone calls while moving. Take the stairs instead of elevators. Consider a stand-up desk.

13. No alcohol

Say it ain’t so, but it’s so. Excessive alcohol intake is associated with negative triglycerides and heart health impacts. And while moderate to low intake may help lower triglycerides and increase HDL (“good”) cholesterol in some cases and people, if you already have high levels, you can benefit from stopping alcohol consumption.

Specific point: Start making mocktails. If you’re going to drink, stick to one glass but not every night; and make it red wine, which has antioxidants that may help the heart.

14. Don’t smoke or vape

Smoking is a major risk factor for heart problems in women and men. According to research published in The American Journal of Medicine, smoking has been associated with a 70 percent excess rate of death from heart problems.

Specific point: If you smoke or vape, find ways to quit as soon as you can.

15. Managing stress

Chronic stress raises your cortisol in the body. So-called psychosocial stressors are considered independent risk factors for negatively impacting heart health, particularly for women.

Specific point: It’s important to practice daily healthy behaviors that can help reduce stress naturally, such as mindfulness and meditation, yoga, spending time outdoors, cooking, spending time with loved ones and seeking support.

16. Get adequate sleep

Sleep plays an important role in your heart health, as not getting enough proper rest can negatively impact heart health.

A study from the University of South Florida with 6,820 adults found that sleep regularity, alertness during waking hours, timing of sleep, sleep efficiency and sleep duration all impacted heart health. Each additional sleep problem was associated with an increase in potentially negative heart health.

Specific point: A 2023 study published in the European Heart Journal that involved 88,000 volunteers found that those who fell asleep between 10 and 11 p.m. and got adequate sleep had the lowest risk of negative heart and circulatory impacts.