Cardiac diet is an essential part of cardiac treatment and cardiac diet is designed to meet individual requirement as per the problem, present life style, as well as about the present health condition by a professional dietician for promoting good cardiac health.

Cardiac diet is generally designed based on some principle facts like low amount of animal protein intake, prefers trans free margarine instead of butter, promotes consumption of fresh vegetables and fruits, lo intake of sodium based foods, adding fish meal almost regular to diet, elimination of tea or coffee consumption as much as possible from diet chart etc. Foods containing plant stanols help to prevent heart disease as well as cardiac problems of body.

Fiber is a cardiac friendly edible ingredient, thus, liberal intake of fibrous foods are must in an ideal cardiac diet. Apart from controlling intensity of appetite and controlling body mass intake of fiber in diet helps to low down cholesterol count in the human body which helps to control the risk factors in a major way for the cardiac patients.

Apart from cardiac benefit, intake of fibrous foods helps to aid in digestion and reduces the problem of constipation and in a passive way decreases the chance of heart risk. Fiber sources of foods are abundant in varieties; some of the popular varieties are legume, whole grains, nuts and seeds and fruits and fresh vegetables.

Men below 50 years of age should take 35-38 grams of fiber and above 50 aged senior citizens should consume 30 grams of fiber every day. Women blow 50 are scheduled to consume 25 grams of fiber, and above 50 are to consume 21 gram of fiber daily basis. Cardiac diet thus should be comprised of high fiber count and low fat content.

The best utility of cardiac diet can be exploited when some associated healthy foods are also to be compared as apart of maintenance of diet. Least intake of loose salt, cooking with heart friendly oils like coconut, olive are the best option to maintain life of the heart, which is the ultimate aim for cardiac diet. Balanced diet, tension free life will surely helps a cardiac patient to live a peaceful and regulated life.

Risk Factors
Risk factors you cannot change:

• Heredity- heart disease tends to run in some families.
• Sex- men have a higher rate of coronary heart disease than women.
• Age- heart disease incidence increases with age.
• Diabetes- although better control can lessen risk.
• Low HDL level in the blood.

Risk factors you can change:

• Smoking
• High blood pressure
• High blood cholesterol
• Obesity
• Lack of exercise.

 The following is the suggested diet for persons suffering from some disorder of the heart:

• Upon arising: Lukewarm water with lemon juice and honey. Breakfast: Fresh fruits such as apples, grapes, pears, "aches, pineapples, oranges, melons, one or two slices of whole meal bread and skimmed milk.
• Mid-morning: Fresh fruit juice or coconut water.
• Lunch: Combination salad of vegetables such as lettuces, cabbage, endive, carrots, cucumber, beetroot, tomato, onion and garlic, one or two slices of whole meal bread or wheat tortilla and curd.
• Mid-afternoon: Fresh fruit juice.
• Dinner: Fresh vegetable juice or soup, two steamed or lightly cooked vegetables, one or two whole wheat wheat tortilla, and a glass of buttermilk.
• The patient should also pay attention to other laws of nature for health building such as taking moderate exercise, getting proper rest and sleep, adopting the right mental altitude and getting fresh air and drinking pure water.

Rules for Eating

• Do not take water with meals, but half an hour before or an hour after a meal.
• Eat slowly, chew your food thoroughly and never eat to full stomach.
• Restrict the intake of salt.
• Take liberally foods rich in vitamin E.

Other Measures

• Apply a hot compress on the left side of the neck for 30 minutes every alternate day and hot packs on the chest over the heart for one minute. Followed by cold pack for Five minutes.
• Practise yogic asanas like Shavasana, Vajrasana and gomekhasana.
• Moderate exercise like walking.
• Massage of the abdomen and upper back muscles once a week.
• Fresh air and right mental attitude

General Guidelines:

• Lower the amount of total fat in your diet by eating fewer high fat foods. High fat foods often contain large amounts of saturated fat (most undesirable fat source).
• Lower the amount of saturated fats while increasing the amount of polyunsaturated fat in the diet.
• Lower cholesterol intake. Eat more fruit and vegetables and less animal products.
• Eat more complex carbohydrates (starch and fiber). Foods high in complex carbohydrates are usually low in fat and contain no cholesterol.
• Lose weight, if overweight, by decreasing the number of calories taken in and increasing the number of calories used.