The American Heart Association released new dietary guidelines last month. They hadn’t changed since 2021, but they are not radically different.

One point the American Heart Association stresses is to stay away from processed and ultraprocessed foods. Dr. Amit Khera, director of preventive cardiology at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, gives these recommendations.

“Vegetables and fruits are still foundational. Whole grains, minimizing sugars. A couple of things that we're spotlighting in this guidance is ultra processed foods. We do appreciate they're everywhere. Seventy percent of our grocery store foods are ultra processed,” Dr. Khera said.

He also stressed eating protein, and particularly the plant-based sources. A bonus with these foods is that they can stretch a tight budget.

“Beans, peas, lentils, legumes: Those are really cheap. You can get them canned, get them dried. They're probably the cheapest food that we have with lots of fiber and good nutrients and protein. And the other thing is, fruits and vegetables, again, can be expensive, but there's nothing wrong with frozen. They retain most of their nutrients, and they can be easy and convenient and cheap. And so those are ways that we can get really good nutrients on a budget,” said Dr. Khera.

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