Eating more healthy plant-based foods like vegetables, fruits, and beans is linked to a lower risk of heart disease—even when you account for common health problems like high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol. This suggests these foods protect your heart in ways that go beyond just fixing those common issues.

Eating mostly plants like vegetables, fruits, beans, and whole grains can help lower bad fats in your blood, which might keep your heart healthier and reduce your risk of heart disease.

Eating mostly plants like vegetables, fruits, and beans might help lower high blood pressure, especially if you're at risk for heart problems — and that could take some pressure off your heart and slow down the hardening of your arteries.

Eating mostly plants like vegetables, fruits, and beans can help people who are at risk for heart disease or already have it lose weight and shrink their waistline, which might make their heart health better.

If you eat a lot of plant-based foods like white bread, soda, fries, and candy, you might be more likely to get heart disease than people who don’t eat as much of these foods—even though they’re still plant-based.

If you eat a lot of plant-based foods like white bread, soda, fries, and candy instead of healthy plants like vegetables and whole grains, you might be more likely to get heart disease—even if you don’t eat any meat. It’s not just about avoiding animal products; what kind of plants you eat matters.