Clinical Nutrition for Heart

UT Southwestern Medical Center’s specialized clinical nutritionists help patients prevent, manage, and treat cardiovascular disease with a proper diet.

Our clinical nutritionists help patients identify areas in which to improve their diets, work with them to develop sustainable dietary plans, and teach them how to choose and prepare more heart-healthy foods.

Clinical Heart and Vascular Center

Leaders in Heart and Vascular Care

Combining attentive, compassionate care with our extensive clinical and research resources, UT Southwestern's cardiology experts and vascular specialists deliver individualized care within pre-eminent health care facilities.

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Eating Well for Good Cardiovascular Health

Clinical nutrition for heart health is about eating a healthy diet with the goal of preventing, managing, or treating heart disease.

UT Southwestern’s clinical nutritionists can help identify areas in which people can improve their diets, work with them to develop realistic plans to put dietary recommendations into action, and teach them how to select and cook more healthy foods.

Eating healthy foods, exercising regularly, and taking medications as prescribed are some of the most effective ways to maintain heart and overall health.

Diets such as the DASH and Mediterranean diets have been found to significantly reduce blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes, and death from heart disease.

The DASH diet emphasizes eating lots of fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy products, and an ounce of lightly salted or unsalted nuts daily. The Mediterranean diet focuses on monounsaturated fats and certain fish.

At UT Southwestern’s Preventive Cardiology Clinic, patients meet at least once with our clinical nutritionists to establish specific dietary recommendations for improving cardiovascular health.

Nutrition for Heart Health: What to Expect

The nutritionist and patient work together to create a workable, realistic plan that takes into consideration food preferences and restrictions. This meeting gives patients an overall goal and clear suggestions for how to achieve that goal.

Patients can contact the nutritionist via MyChart for clarification, questions, helpful information, and heart-healthy recipes.

Support Services

UT Southwestern’s cardiac rehabilitation specialists create customized plans that also integrate exercise and, if necessary, nicotine cessation into patients’ lifestyles to improve their cardiovascular health.

Clinical Trials

As one of the nation’s top academic medical centers, UT Southwestern offers a number of clinical trials aimed at improving the outcomes of patients with cardiovascular disease.

Clinical trials often give patients access to leading-edge treatments that are not yet widely available. Eligible patients who choose to participate in one of UT Southwestern’s clinical trials might receive treatments years before they are available to the public.