Healthy Diet Guidelines from American Heart Association (AHA)

The American Heart Association (AHA) publishes dietary guidelines for general heart health. These guidelines are similar to the therapeutic lifestyle changes (TLC) diet from the U.S. National Cholesterol Education Panel (NCEP).
The AHA dietary guidelines recommend that you:

Eat the appropriate number of calories to maintain a proper body weight. Adjust diet to consume fewer calories than your body burns if weight loss is needed.
Eat a variety of five or more fruit and vegetable servings. Dark green, deep orange, or yellow fruits and vegetables are especially nutritious.
Eat a variety of six or more grain products. Whole-grain foods and enriched starches (such as cereal) should be included to provide necessary fiber and nutrients.
Limit saturated fat and cholesterol intake. Many foods high in saturated fat are also high in cholesterol. Saturated fat should not exceed 10% of total calories; daily cholesterol should not exceed 300 mg. People with elevated low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or "bad") cholesterol levels or existing cardiovascular disease should not get more than 7% of their total calories from saturated fat and should only consume 200 mg per day or less of cholesterol.
The fats in fish, vegetables, legumes, and nuts are mostly unsaturated.
Eating fruits and low-fat dairy products also helps to keep saturated fat levels low.
Limit trans fat as much as possible. Trans fat raises the levels of LDL ("bad”) cholesterol and also lowers high-density lipoprotein (HDL, or "good") cholesterol in the blood. Trans fat is found in many processed foods made with shortening or with partially hydrogenated or hydrogenated vegetable oils.
Limit sodium intake to less than 2,300 mg of sodium per day.
Limit alcohol intake to 2 drinks per day for men and 1 drink per day for women.
Special considerations include the following:

Older people. With increasing age, caloric needs generally decrease. Although the general AHA guidelines remain the same, people of advanced age should be careful to choose foods rich in nutrients and grains to meet their nutritional needs without excess calories.
Children. Obesity rates are increasing rapidly in children. Although more research is needed on specific dietary guidelines for children, overweight children have an increased risk for diabetes, which is a risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD). Food choices and caloric intake should be closely monitored.
People with diabetes. People with diabetes have an increased risk for CAD and other heart problems. People with diabetes should follow the same dietary guidelines as those for people with elevated LDL cholesterol and/or triglyceride levels and low HDL cholesterol levels—no more than 200 mg per day of cholesterol and 7% or less of calories from saturated fatsIn addition, people with diabetes should increase dietary fiber.
People with heart failure. Limiting sodium intake is very important for people with heart failure. Other recommendations may include water restriction (in later stages of the disease) and weight loss for people with right-sided heart failure and/or certain breathing problems.
People with kidney disease. Cardiovascular disease can develop in people who lose normal function of their kidneys. Diets for progressive kidney failure usually are low in protein and salt but high in calories. When a person with kidney disease is being treated with dialysis, a high-protein, low-cholesterol diet is suggested.