Heart disease is something I’ve experienced on both a professional and deeply personal level. In my first job as a dietitian, I worked in the cardiac intensive care unit of a hospital, where I routinely helped care for patients recovering from heart attacks and cardiac arrest. I saw the toll it took on families—the fear, the uncertainty, the rush to understand what comes next. But nothing prepared me for when it hit home.

Just a year or two into that job, my own dad was diagnosed with heart disease and needed open-heart surgery to restore blood flow to his heart. I had stood beside countless patients and their families, but being on the other side, as a daughter, was terrifying. As I researched recipes that my mom could make at home while he was in recovery, I remember how confusing it was to figure out what foods were actually recommended to prevent another heart issue. The advice we found felt outdated, inconsistent, and at times, contradictory.

For decades, heart health guidance was built on a foundation of low-fat, low-cholesterol messaging, but we now know that picture was incomplete. Newer research shows us that inflammation, ultra-processed foods, and imbalanced blood sugar levels play a far greater role in heart disease than once thought. And while genetics matter, our day-to-day habits, especially what we eat, can be incredibly powerful.

You’ve probably heard the spiel from your healthcare provider about avoiding egg yolks and red meat due to high cholesterol. But news travels slowly, and larger studies are finally highlighting the true cause of heart disease, and I promise it’s not your egg yolks.

It blows my mind that in 2025 healthcare providers are still vilifying dietary cholesterol and full-fat foods while giving their stamp of approval for sugary breakfast cereals, ultra-processed snacks and more. Even today I still hear from people in my community who share the misguided dietary guidelines their doctor gives them.

In fact, the US Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services shocked professionals in the nutrition world when in 2015 they changed their stance on dietary cholesterol as a “nutrient of concern”. In addition to this, there is no longer a recommendation to limit daily fat intake. The previous recommendation to limit fat to 20-35% of calories was likely an attempt to lower total dietary cholesterol intake, which is most commonly found in foods with higher fat content.

Coming from someone who grew up in the 90s where everything was marketed as low-fat, low-calorie, it’s pretty incredible to see public health agencies doing a total 180 less than two decades later.

Unfortunately, as this study highlights, several key resources like the Nutrition Facts Panel overseen by the FDA, the USDA’s Smart Snacks in School standards and the Institute of Medicine’s guidelines have not been updated to reflect the latest research. The result? We’re still seeing an overwhelming amount of misunderstanding about dietary cholesterol and how it impacts (or doesn’t) the development of chronic heart conditions.

Why the change? The long held belief is that saturated fatty acids increase the body’s production of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), commonly referred to as bad cholesterol, which has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease. What the research actually shows is that the size of LDL particles is what really determines the risk factor. Consumption of saturated fatty acids increases the production of large LDL particles, which are less strongly linked to risk of cardiovascular disease.

Foundations of a Heart Healthy Diet

Say it with me, stop fearing high cholesterol foods! In fact, I encourage you to make healthy sources of fat a regular part of your diet. Not only has modern research shown us that there is no evidence linking dietary cholesterol to high levels of serum cholesterol (in your blood), there are actually benefits to consuming fat.

One of the same studies I mentioned above actually found that consuming saturated fatty acids provides protective effects against strokes. The full research paper is a little bit long, but it’s packed with soooo much good information about the myths and facts of dietary fat. Some of my favorite ways to make sure I’m consuming enough healthy fats are:

• Cooking with avocado, olive, coconut oil or ghee 
• Eating wild caught salmon a few times per month
• Choosing grass-fed beef over grain fed
• Snacking on nuts like almonds, cashews and walnuts for healthy fats and an added crunch

As for foods to avoid?

We know that for many reasons, ultra-processed foods and copious amounts of sugar are not good for us. The link that these foods have to developing cardiovascular conditions and chronic heart disease is yet another reason to put down the Pringles and make healthier choices.

This study from just last year determined that higher consumption of ultra-processed foods was associated with an increased risk for developing both cardiovascular disease and chronic heart disease. The largest culprits? Sugary drinks, ultra-processed meat and beverages with artificial sugars. Interestingly enough, the study concludes that the packaging for ultra-processed foods may also play a role in health outcomes like endocrine disorders and metabolic disease, but that’s a topic for another day.

If you need help incorporating more anti-inflammatory foods into your meals, then download a sample menu from my meal plan membership and see how much easier it is to eat healthier when someone else is doing all the planning for you.