Look through the images above carefully.
The most consistently related dietary factors contributing to the risk for cardiovascular disease are:
-A low intake of whole grains (which simply equates to a high intake of refined grains in population studies)
-A low intake of nuts and seeds (ie a low intake of whole food sources of polyunsaturated fats)
-A high intake of salt
-A low intake of seafood/omega 3s
-A low intake of fruit and veg
-A low intake of beans/legumes
-A low intake of fiber
WHAT'S THE KEY THING TO MAKE NOTE OF?
There are way more "low ins” than "high ins”.
So, if you are trying to use dietary choices prevent cardiovascular disease (your most potent tool) it appears to be most important that you focus on regularly INCLUDING key food groups, vs EXCLUDING.
In other words:
FILL YOUR PLATE WITH GOOD STUFF.
This naturally helps crowd out the bad stuff but may keep you from feeling it's an all or nothing situation, which can be discouraging, feel overly restrictive, and be unsustainable for many people.
Then, most importantly:
TEST, DON’T GUESS,
to make sure what you are doing is working!
(And if you need help figuring out which tests to do, when to do them, and how to get them done, find me at vital-human.com)