Diet for Heart Valve Replacement Patients

A healthy diet for heart valve replacement patients is the same as that necessary for any individual suffering from the wide range of other cardiovascular and heart diseases. The focus must be on reducing fat and cholesterol intake while limiting sodium and other products that contribute to high blood pressure. That typically means avoiding processed foods, dairy, red meat and saturated fats while learning how to build a more solid nutritional approach to heart health.

Cholesterol

Cutting out saturated fat and cholesterol is particularly important as those two elements play a large role in the development of atherosclerosis, the condition that clogs the arteries with fatty deposits of cholesterol. This excessive strain on the heart damages an already weakened muscle, limiting the ability of heart valves to regulate blood throughout the heart.

The American Heart Association recommends that saturated fat total less than 7 percent of a daily caloric intake with trans fats combining for less than 1 percent. Stay away from hydrogenated margarine and shortening, bacon, gravy and cream sauces and concentrate on unrefined whole grains with large amounts of cholesterol-reducing fiber. Less than 300 daily mg of cholesterol is suggested.

Protein

Lean meat, poultry, fish and low-fat dairy products are an important part of a recovery-friendly diet for heart valve replacement patients. Fat is concentrated heavily in dairy products like cheese and yogurt, so these should be ignored unless they are of the reduced-fat variety. Substitute 1 percent or fat-free milk for whole (2 percent). Stay away from cold cuts, hot dogs, sausages, egg yolks, organ meats like liver, or any type of processed meat. Meats labeled as "loin" or "round" are usually lower in fat. And, of course, strip off that skin. Baking, broiling or grilling is always a better option than frying.

"Eat moderate amounts of nuts that are rich in monounsaturated fat, like hazelnuts, almonds, pecans, cashews, walnuts, and macadamia nuts," The American Academy of Family Physicians says. "These nuts have been shown to improve cholesterol levels." Omega-3 fatty acids found in oily fish like salmon, trout, and herring also help to maintain heart health if consumed two to three times weekly.

Vegetables

While most vegetables are typically healthy territory for recovering heart patients, some caution is important. Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston recommends avoiding foods high in Vitamin K, a nutrient which increases the possibility of blood clots. Those types of vegetables include broccoli, brussel sprouts, raw green cabbage, collard greens, kale, lettuce and raw spinach.

But, generally speaking, antioxidants in fruit and vegetables provide support against heart disease and are sources of folate, a substance that lowers blood levels of the amino acid homocysteine, which appears to be linked to an increased risk of heart disease.

Beverages

"Some evidence suggests that the antioxidants in tea can help prevent the buildup of fatty deposits in the arteries, and that it may act as an anti-blood clotting agent and improve blood vessel dilation to allow increased blood flow," medical authorities with the State of Victoria in Australia say. They also suggest that strictly regulated intake of alcohol, no more than two drinks per day for males and one for females, helps to minimize the risk of heart disease in men older than 40 and women above 50. Red wine may provide additional antioxidants but, again, alcohol intake must be minimal or any potential benefits will be erased by a jump in blood pressure.