Main logo
  • Pay Your Bill
  • COVID-19 Info
Sign in
  • Get Care Now

    Sentara offers convenient options for care depending on your condition.

    • user-doctor-message.svg

      Virtual Care

      Video visits 7 a.m. - 7 p.m.
    • user-doctor-long-hair-48px.svg

      Walk-In Care

      See a Sentara provider today
    • clipboard-medical-48px.svg

      Urgent Care

      Quality care without the wait
    • calendar-days-48px.svg

      New Patient Appointment

      Schedule an appointment with a primary care provider
    • hospital.svg

      Emergency Room

      Call 911 or go to your nearest ER
    Which Should I Choose?
  • Find a Location

    Sentara operates more than 100 sites of care across Virginia and North Carolina. Find locations near you.

    • Hospitals
    • Imaging Centers
    • Senior Care
    • Schools
    • Emergency
    • Outpatient Care
    • Primary Care
    • Therapy & Fitness
    • Home Care
    View Nearby Locations
  • Find a Doctor/Provider

    Find a doctor or other health care provider perfect for your medical needs.

    • Find a Doctor or Provider
    • Schedule an Appointment
    • Primary Care
    • What is an NP or PA?
    • Sentara Medical Group
    Find a Doctor or Provider
    • Sentara Virtual Care

      Quick, easy access to same-day care or physical therapy

    • New patients

      Find a Primary Care Provider

  • Our Services

    Sentara offers a wide range of medical services throughout Virginia and North Carolina.

    • Cancer
    • Emergency
    • Heart & Vascular
    • Home Care
    • Imaging
    • Maternity
    • Neurosciences
    • Orthopedics
    • Therapy
    • Weight Loss Surgery
    View All Services
    Sentara is a Leader in:
    • mammography-universal.jpg

      Mammography

      Schedule your mammogram today

    • heart-ep-lab.jpg

      Heart and Vascular

      Nationally ranked heart care, close to home

  • Community Involvement

    We inspire, empower and support our community.

    • Purpose
    • Focus Areas
    • Community Impact
    • Partners
    • Team Members
    Learn More
    Featured News
    • NewSentaraLogo.png

      Investment in healthcare career programs

      Sentara Healthcare invests nearly $4 million in two new pipeline development programs to support students pursuing healthcare careers

    • Community Care mobile clinic_rect.png

      Sentara Community Care Achievements

      Sentara Community Care achieves measurable results in 2022, plans to expand across the Commonwealth in 2023

  • About Sentara

    Sentara has a long history of innovation, compassion and community benefit.

    • Careers
    • Classes & Events
    • Community Needs
    • Diversity
    • Foundations & Giving
    • Health & Wellness
    • Newsroom
    • Quality & Patient Safety
    More About Sentara
    Featured News & Press
    • Dennis and NORA.png

      Sentara celebrates partnership with the Network of Regional Advocacy (NORA) and its mission to address social determinants of health

    • Summer Trauma Injuries-Rectangle.jpg

      Let's not meet by accident: Sentara trauma team warns of common summer injuries

  1. Home
  2. Medical Services
  3. Sentara Clinical Nutrition
  4. Nutrition Services
  5. Nutrition and Heart and Vascular Health

Nutrition and Heart and Vascular Health

Most of us know what food is considered heart healthy. What's challenging is getting into the habit of eating these options and having the discipline to limit them.

With so much information, figuring out the best ways to eat heart healthy can become overwhelming. However, registered dietitians and other nutrition experts across Sentara are eager to help you sort through the information to devise the best nutrition plans for you and your situation.

How food choices affect our heart

The food we eat directly affects our heart health. With healthy eating, a healthy weight and exercise, you can improve conditions that lead to heart disease, including:

Diabetes - High blood sugar can damage blood vessels and the nerves that control your heart. Limiting sugary foods is crucial to controlling diabetes.

High blood pressure - High blood pressure damages your arteries. Consuming too much sodium leads to water retention. This, in turn, can cause blood pressure to rise because the added water stresses your heart and blood vessels

High cholesterol - If we take in more cholesterol than the body can use, extra cholesterol can build up in the walls of our arteries. In time, this leads to narrowing of the arteries and decreased blood flow to the heart, brain, kidneys and other parts of the body.

Obesity - Excess weight can lead to fatty material building up in your arteries. Obesity is a risk factor for other conditions that, in turn, can damage your heart.

Creating a heart-healthy diet

A "heart-healthy" diet limits food that puts you at risk for heart disease and allows you to eat plenty of the foods that keep your heart healthy. Our registered dietitians will work with you to create a diet that works best for you.

You can schedule a one-on-one counseling session with a registered dietitian. Our goal is to use food as a tool to improve your health and reduce your risk of heart disease. If you've suffered a heart attack, we will help you revamp your diet. In addition, some of our cardiac rehab clinics offer group classes to help you learn what and how to eat after a heart attack.

Heart-healthy diets include:

  • Fruit
  • Healthy protein (primarily plants such as legumes and nuts; lean and unprocessed meat)
  • High-fiber foods
  • Low-fat dairy products
  • Seafood such as salmon and tuna are rich in omega-3 fatty acids
  • Vegetables
  • Whole grains

Ornish Lifestyle Medicine

Sentara offers a unique program, Ornish Lifestyle Medicine, to reverse the progression of heart disease without drugs or surgery. The program at Sentara is the only one in the state of Virginia.

Ornish Lifestyle Medicine focuses on a whole-food, plant-based diet. Other program pillars are stress management, fitness and social support.

Ornish Care Specialists are available at 1-877-888-3091 to answer all of your questions.

About Sentara

  • Community Involvement
  • Newsroom
  • Clinical Quality & Patient Safety
  • Careers
  • Volunteer
  • For Physicians
  • For Employees
  • Contact Us

Patient Quick Links

  • Sign In to MyChart
  • Find a Doctor
  • Get Directions
  • Patient Guide
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Medical Records
  • Medical Services A-Z

Sentara In Your Community

  • Hospitals & Locations
  • Classes, Events & Support Groups
  • ExploreHealth with Sentara
  • Community Health Needs Assessments
  • Make a Gift
getAppleButton.svggetGoogleButton.svg

  • Privacy Policy
  • User Agreement
  • Social Media Policy
  • Notice of Nondiscrimination
  • Compliance Office
  • Financial Assistance
  • Language Assistance
Your community, not-for-profit health partner. Copyright © 2023 Sentara Health.