More Dairy May Be Good for Heart Health

Limiting the amount of sodium you eat gets a lot of attention as a way to prevent high blood pressure and heart-related problems. And it makes sense. The typical American diet include piles of French fries, burgers, potato chips, pizza, and many processed foods high in sodium.

But what about the foods you should eat to promote heart health? The next time you take a trip to the grocery store, head over to the dairy section to stock up on milk, yogurt and cheese.

You might think these are foods you should limit or avoid because they’re high in saturated fat. But new research published in The Lancet may change the menu for what a heart-healthy diet looks like.

Researchers followed more than 136,000 people for nine years, and tracked their eating habits. Then they looked at heart health and mortality data, and here’s what they found:

People who eat 2 to 3 servings of full-fat dairy per day live longer, and are significantly less likely to die from heart disease or stroke, than people who eat little to no dairy products.

Some examples of a serving of dairy include a:

• Glass of milk
• Cup of yogurt
• Slice of cheese
• Pat of butter

More dairy, plus a heart-healthy diet

It’s not the first study to show that there’s heart-health benefits to eating dairy. For years, health experts have recommended avoiding or limiting all fats. And so have many fitness-food fad diets. But there’s clearly some health benefits to eating some saturated fat dairy products.

Two to three servings a week of dairy appears to be the ideal amount. Combine some dairy with heart-healthy meals from our Low-Sodium menu like:

• Macaroni and Cheese
• Roast Turkey Breast with Gravy, Sweet Potato Hash, & Green Beans with Cranberries
• Bordelaise Sauce and Beef Strips, or
• Homestyle Meatloaf Slices with Onion Brown Gravy, Mashed Potatoes & Vegetables

You’ll enjoy some delicious food. You’ll feel better. And you’ll be heart-healthier to live longer.