Heart health is shaped by a long list of everyday choices — what you eat, how much you move, whether you smoke, and genetics you can’t control. Diet is one of the most consistently evidence-backed levers: certain foods, compounds and eating patterns are repeatedly linked to healthier cholesterol, blood pressure and inflammation markers across large studies. This hub gathers the foods, key compounds and lab markers most relevant to cardiovascular health from across the encyclopedia, along with any recipes built around them.
Foods that support Heart Health
Almonds
Sardines
Black Beans
Peanut Butter
Lentils
Kidney Beans
Pinto Beans
Pistachios
Tempeh
Salmon (Atlantic)
Rainbow Trout
Sunflower Seeds
Key compounds linked to Heart Health
Biomarkers worth tracking
Recipes to try
Common questions
What’s the single most important dietary change for heart health? There isn’t one silver bullet, but replacing saturated and trans fats with unsaturated fats (olive oil, nuts, oily fish) and increasing fibre intake are two of the most consistently supported changes across large studies and dietary guidelines.
Which lab markers matter most for heart health? LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure are the traditional core panel; ApoB and hs-CRP are increasingly used alongside them for a fuller picture of cardiovascular risk. See the biomarkers listed above for what each measures.
Written by the Nutrition Encyclopedia data team
Last updated 1 July 2026
How we source & verify data · Medical disclaimer
Nutrition values are approximations compiled from public food-composition databases (USDA FoodData Central) and are provided for educational purposes only — not medical advice.