Foods that are certified as heart healthy have been found to be beneficial for overall cardiovascular health. They contain nutrients and ingredients that can help reduce cholesterol, blood pressure, and other risk factors for heart disease. To receive the certification, a food must meet certain criteria established by the American Heart Association (AHA).
To become heart healthy certified, a food must first meet certain nutritional requirements. It must be low in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium, and calories.
It must also contain at least 10 percent of the daily value of fiber per serving. Additionally, it must contain an abundance of vitamins A or C, calcium or potassium.
Foods that are approved to bear the heart healthy label must also meet specific ingredient requirements. Whole grain ingredients should make up at least 50 percent of the product’s total grain content. If the food contains processed grains such as white flour or white rice, those grains should not make up more than 40 percent of the total grain content.
In order to ensure that a food meets these criteria and qualifies for heart healthy certification, AHA requires manufacturers to submit detailed product information to their review board for review and approval. This includes ingredient lists, nutrition facts labels, preparation instructions, packaging details and other pertinent information.
Once reviewed and approved by AHA’s board of directors, foods may be labeled as heart healthy. This label indicates that the food has been scientifically proven to provide nutritional benefits that reduce risk factors for heart disease.
Conclusion:
In order for a food to become officially certified as heart healthy by the American Heart Association (AHA), it must meet certain nutritional requirements including low levels of saturated fat and cholesterol as well as containing specific vitamins and minerals. In addition to these criteria, products must also contain whole grains making up at least 50% of total grain content and no more than 40% processed grains such as white flour or white rice. Finally manufacturers must submit detailed product information to AHA’s review board for review before it can officially receive its heart healthy certification.