Heart Healthy Nutrition Program

At NYU Langone’s Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, we know that proper nutrition is critical to maintaining and improving your cardiovascular health. Through our Heart Healthy Nutrition Program, we help you improve your overall wellness.

Each participant receives a customized meal plan to complement their medical treatment and reach their wellness goals. Our program is tailored for people at risk for or who have received a diagnosis of cardiovascular disease or diabetes, or who have excess body weight or obesity. You learn how to make healthy food choices that can help control high cholesterol and high blood pressure, manage metabolic syndrome or diabetes, and help you achieve your weight loss or weight management goals.

First you meet with our registered dietitian to discuss your medical and diet history and your social habits. We then help you find ways to bring a healthier way of eating into your day-to-day life. With your approval, our dietitian talks to your doctor before and after your appointment to ensure the best approach is taken to your cardiovascular health.

With our meal plans, you won’t feel deprived, should not feel hungry, and can eat out or cook at home. We provide meal and snack ideas based on your budget and taste preferences and can provide food coaching to support you as you adopt a new way of eating. Our meal plans incorporate aspects of these heart-healthy diet plans:

• Mediterranean diet, which focuses on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and monounsaturated fats
• Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, also known as DASH, a low-sodium program that emphasizes vegetables, fruit, and low-fat dairy and protein sources
• American Diabetes Association dietary guidelines, which focus on portion control and limiting meat and foods high in starch, such as potatoes and corn
• Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes diet, developed by the National Cholesterol Education Program, which is low in saturated fat and cholesterol

We recommend meeting with the dietitian regularly, so you can receive consistent support and guidance as you adapt to a new way of eating.

A variety of major health insurance plans are accepted. We recommend you contact your health insurance provider to confirm whether nutrition counseling is covered under your plan. If your plan does not cover medical nutrition therapy or if you do not have health insurance, we offer a reduced self-pay rate.

Contact Us

Our registered dietitian, Heather A. Hodson, RDN, helps people make sustainable changes to reduce their risk of heart disease and promote better overall health by taking an approach that is fully centered on the patient. Appointments can be scheduled online or by calling 212-263-4300.