AHA Scientific Position
The American Heart Association’s diet and lifestyle recommendations emphasize a healthy lifestyle that reduces the risk for cardiovascular disease. We recommend a diet that is rich in fruit, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, high-fiber whole grains, lean meat, poultry and fish. In addition to consuming an overall healthy diet, one should aim for a healthy body weight.

AHA recommendation to cut intake of added sugars
A new (August 2009) statement published in Circulation:  Journal of the American Heart Association gives consumers more detailed guidance by recommending an upper limit on added-sugars intake. Added sugars are sugars and syrups added to foods during processing or preparation as well as sugars and syrups that are added at the table.

Added Sugars Statement highlights

• An upper limit for added sugars should be no more than half your discretionary calories.
• Most American women should consume no more than 100 calories of added sugars per day; most men, no more than 150 calories. That’s about 6 teaspoons of added sugars a day for women and 9 for men. The 2001-2004 NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) database showed the average intake of added sugars for all Americans was 22.2 teaspoons per day or about 355 calories.
• Added sugars and solid fats in food, as well as alcoholic beverages are categorized as “discretionary calories” and should be eaten sparingly.
• Soft drinks and other sugar-sweetened beverages are the No. 1 source of added sugars in the American diet. A 12-ounce can of regular soda contains about 130 calories and 8 teaspoons of sugar.

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Tips for a balanced diet

Eat a diet rich in vegetables and fruits.
Most vegetables and fruits are rich in nutrients, low in calories and high in fiber—so diets high in vegetables and fruits meet vitamin, mineral and fiber needs without adding a lot of calories. We’re still learning whether it is the vegetables and fruits or the foods that you avoid by eating vegetables and fruits that reduce cardiovascular risk. Either way, diets rich in vegetables and fruits lower blood pressure and improve other cardiovascular disease risk factors.

Eat a variety of whole (fresh, frozen or canned) vegetables and fruits. Eat more deeply colored vegetables and fruits like spinach, carrots, peaches and berries because they usually contain higher amounts of vitamins and minerals than others such as potatoes and corn. Choose whole fruits over juice most often because whole fruits contain more fiber and may fill you up more than juice.

Choose whole-grain, high fiber foods.
At least half of your grain intake should come from whole-grain foods, which contain fiber and other beneficial nutrients. Dietary fiber can make you feel full, which may help you eat fewer calories. Other types of fiber found in whole-grain foods may reduce your LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels and has been associated with a decreased risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

Get the right amount of fruits, vegetables and whole-grains.
A person who needs 2,000 calories each day to maintain a healthy body weight could eat 6 to 8 servings of grains (at least half of the servings should be whole-grain foods) and 8 to 10 servings total of vegetables and fruits (about ½ cup counts as a serving). You should increase or decrease how much you eat based on the individual number of total calories you need.