Eating more whole plants like vegetables, fruits, and whole grains — and less meat and sugary refined foods — matters more for preventing heart disease than just how much fat or carbs you eat.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (3)
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Healthful and Unhealthful Plant-Based Diets and the Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in U.S. Adults.
Eating more whole plants like vegetables, fruits, nuts, and whole grains lowers heart disease risk, while eating lots of refined carbs like white bread or sugary drinks raises it — even if you're eating a 'plant-based' diet. The study shows what you eat matters more than just how much fat or carbs you consume.
Whether you eat low-carb or low-fat, what matters most is if your food comes from plants and whole grains or from meat and processed carbs — plant-based eating lowers heart disease risk no matter which diet you pick.
This study found that men who ate more whole plant foods like vegetables, beans, and whole grains had a lower risk of heart disease, while those who ate more processed plant foods like white rice or sugary snacks had higher risk — showing that what kind of plants you eat matters more than just how much fat or carbs are in your diet.
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