Cutting carbohydrates may mean missing out on important nutrients that support heart health.
Reviewed by Dietitian Lisa Valente, M.S., RD
Key Points
- Low-carb diets may sound healthy, but choosing the right carbs can benefit your heart health.
- Dietitians recommend fiber-rich carbs, including berries, oats, legumes and sweet potatoes.
- Be mindful of portions and pair carbs with protein and healthy fats for heart health.
If you’ve been diagnosed with heart disease, cutting back on carbohydrates might seem like an obvious place to start. Years of trending low-carb diets and conflicting headlines have led many people to believe that the healthiest choice, particularly for those managing a heart condition, is to limit carbohydrates as much as possible. But reducing them too significantly can have unintended consequences for your health. Very low-carb eating patterns often come up short on fiber, the very nutrient most closely tied to a lower risk of heart disease.
In reality, carbohydrates are some of the most heart-protective foods you can eat. “Carbohydrates that contain fiber and antioxidants support heart health by helping to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol, balance blood sugar, manage weight and reduce inflammation,” says registered dietitian Sheri Gaw, RDN, CDCES. We asked three registered dietitians who specialize in heart health which carbs they recommend most—and the easiest ways to get more of them on your plate.
1. Oats
Starting your day with a bowl of oatmeal is one of the easiest ways to support heart health. Their heart-protective benefit comes from beta-glucan, a type of soluble fiber. “Oats are particularly effective at lowering LDL cholesterol because their soluble fiber binds cholesterol in the digestive tract and helps remove it from the body,” says registered dietitian Lisa Young, Ph.D., RDN. That slow-digesting fiber also supports steady blood sugar and lasting energy.
Cook rolled or steel-cut oats in low-fat milk for extra protein, then top with berries and a spoonful of nut butter. Oats work beyond breakfast, too—blend them into pancakes or use them in place of breadcrumbs in meatballs.
2. Legumes
While legumes may not be the first food group you think of when you think of carbs, they do contain some. Beans, lentils and chickpeas are an inexpensive source of both plant protein and soluble fiber. Eating legumes regularly is linked to a lower risk of heart disease. “Swapping animal protein for plant protein from lentils, garbanzo beans or tofu helps to reduce saturated fat intake and increase soluble fiber, which reduces plaque formation in blood vessels,” says Gaw.
Replacing some of the meat in your meals with legumes means less saturated fat and more of the fiber that helps keep cholesterol in check. Legumes also supply potassium and magnesium, two minerals that help keep blood pressure in a healthy range.
Toss lentils or chickpeas into salads and soups, add black beans to tacos or blend them into dips. Dietitian Devan Herring, M.S., RDN, CSOWM, CHCsuggests pairing them with a vitamin C source, like a squeeze of lemon or some chopped bell pepper, to help your body absorb the plant-based iron they provide.
3. Berries
Sweet, colorful and low in sugar relative to their fiber, berries are a simple addition for heart health. Their deep red and blue hues come from anthocyanins, a class of antioxidant pigments.
“Antioxidants in berries help combat oxidative stress and reduce chronic inflammation, both of which are closely linked to cardiovascular disease progression,” says Herring. Berries help reduce the low-grade inflammation that can affect blood vessels over time, and diets rich in these compounds are associated with a lower risk of heart disease.
Berries need almost no prep—add them to oatmeal or yogurt, blend them into a smoothie or eat them by the handful. Frozen berries are just as nutritious as fresh and make a budget-friendly choice year-round.
4. Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes can replace more-refined carbohydrates and offer fiber along with potassium, an essential mineral most people don’t get enough of.
“Potassium helps regulate blood pressure by balancing sodium levels in the body. The fiber also supports healthy cholesterol levels,” says Young. Potassium and sodium work as a pair, so getting enough potassium helps offset the blood-pressure effect of a diet high in salt. Sweet potatoes’ orange flesh is also rich in beta-carotene, an antioxidant that supports vascular health.
Roast or bake them whole, mash them or cut them into wedges and throw them in the air fryer.
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5. Whole Grains
Oats aren’t the only whole grain worth keeping on hand. Because grains like quinoa, farro, brown rice and barley are less processed than white rice or refined flour, they hold onto the fiber, magnesium and B vitamins that refining strips away.
“Regular consumption of whole grains is consistently associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and can help to promote a healthy weight,” says Herring. Gaw credits a handful of nutrients—soluble fiber, which helps remove LDL cholesterol, along with magnesium and folate, which support healthy blood vessels.
Use them as a base for grain bowls, swap brown rice or quinoa in for white rice, or stir cooked barley into soups and stews.
Other Tips for a Healthy Heart
Which carbs you choose is only part of the picture—how you eat them matters, too. Here are the simple habits dietitians recommend for getting the most out of the carbohydrates on your plate:
- Be mindful of portions. Young suggests filling about a quarter of your plate with whole grains or starchy vegetables, half with nonstarchy vegetables and the rest with lean protein.
- Pair carbs with protein or a healthy fat. Combining carbohydrates with a protein source or a heart-healthy fat like avocado, nuts or olive oil slows digestion and helps blunt sharp rises in blood sugar. Think apple slices with almond butter, or whole-grain crackers with hummus.
- Eat your fruit instead of drinking it. “Whole fruits deliver fiber, vitamins and antioxidants in a way that juice simply cannot replicate,” says Herring. Juicing removes much of the fruit’s fiber and concentrates its natural sugars, which can cause spikes in blood sugar that the whole fruit would not.
- Try cooking, cooling and then reheating your starches. When foods like potatoes, rice and pasta are cooked, chilled and reheated, some of their starch converts to resistant starch, a form that’s gentler on blood sugar and feeds the beneficial bacteria in your gut. As Gaw explains, this allows the starch to bypass digestion in the small intestine and ferment in the large intestine instead.
Our Expert Take
If you have heart disease, there’s no need to remove carbohydrates from the menu. In fact, nutrition experts say that cutting carbs could cause you to miss out on heart-healthy nutrients. Whole grains, legumes, fruit and starchy vegetables like sweet potatoes supply fiber and nutrients that help keep cholesterol and blood pressure in check.
Supporting heart health doesn’t have to be complicated. Dietitians recommend choosing less-processed options most of the time, watching portion sizes and adding protein or a healthy fat to your meals. No rigid diets or overhauls needed—just habits you can stick with over time.
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