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Tara writes…
I’m trying to eat healthier so I can manage my afib better. What is the best diet for atrial fibrillation?
This is a great question – which is why it’s this week’s question and answer!
When it comes to making lifestyle changes to manage afib, eating healthier is probably the most effective thing you can do.
While I’m not a believer that a “perfect diet” alone can cure afib, I do believe it can lessen the overall burden of afib and can possibly even delay its progression.
There are two challenges with following a diet, however. One, there are so many diets and theories that it can be very confusing to determine which one is best for afib. Second, no matter which diet you choose it’s often very difficult to stick to it over the long term!
Let me address these challenges…
There Are So Many Diets to Choose From – Which Diet is Best for Afib?
The diet that has helped many afibbers eliminate or significantly reduce their atrial fibrillation burden is…drum roll, please…The Paleo Diet.
Now before you clear your refrigerator and pantry to make it Paleo friendly or stock up on foods that make up the Paleo diet, there are a few things you should know.
The Paleo diet, in my opinion, is a very restrictive diet and is probably one of the most challenging diets to stick with. I realize the Paleo diehards strongly disagree. But let’s break down the Paleo Diet and you tell me if it’s restrictive or not.
Paleo Diet (aka “Caveman Diet” and “Hunter-Gatherer Diet”)
In a nutshell, the philosophy of the Paleo diet is if a caveman didn’t eat it, neither should you. –NerdFitness.com
That means all grains, dairy, and processed foods are off limits! Pasta, rice, bread, cereal, soda, and candy will have to go too. Instead, you’ll eat meat (grass fed only), fowl, fish, eggs, vegetables, oils (olive, coconut, avocado), fruits (in moderation), nuts (in moderation), and “tubers” (sweet potatoes and yams).
Of course it goes without saying that the die-hard Paleo dieter will eat mostly organic (again, think of the caveman days when there were no pesticides). Because the Paleo diet requires mostly (if not all) organic foods and grass-fed meats, it can be an expensive diet to follow as well.
The good news is, this diet allows you to eat as much as you want whenever you want. There is no calorie counting or portion control, and there are no “eating rules” such as eating small meals every few hours.
What Makes the Paleo Diet so Effective for People with Atrial Fibrillation?
According to an indepth article on afibbers.org titled, “Examining Success of Paleo Diet in Afibbers,” a convincing case is laid out as to why the Paleo diet might be so effective in helping afibbers and it comes down to grain elimination, specifically grains containing gluten.
Side Note: Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. Some people are sensitive to it so it can cause gut irritation, digestive problems, and a host of health problems. Those with celiac disease, a serious genetic autoimmune disease, are especially sensitive to it and have to avoid it entirely.
As the author of the article states, the primary benefit of following the Paleo diet is that you’re almost guaranteed to lose weight (and thus be healthier) by simply reducing carbohydrates.
However, the key element to the success of the Paleo Diet for people with atrial fibrillation might be the elimination of gluten. The author goes into great detail on the effects of gluten and how eliminating it can potentially help with a host of health problems not just atrial fibrillation. The author also references other lesser known diets to consider such as the Rosedale Diet and the Schwarzbein eating plan discussed later in this article.
I strongly encourage you to read that article as there is a lot of information to digest (no pun intended).
Of course there is another obvious reason why the Paleo diet might be one of the best diets for people with atrial fibrillation. The fact that the diet eliminates all processed foods including soda, candy, and cereal (basically eliminating sugar and various chemicals from your diet) almost guarantees you’re going to lose weight and be healthier!
In fact, I would argue that you could just make that one change in your diet – eliminate (or at least severely limit) processed foods, soda, and candy – and you’d be healthier and would likely see a significant reduction in your afib burden.
A good book on the Paleo Diet is the, “Practical Paleo, 2nd Edition: A Customized Approach to Health and a Whole-Foods Lifestyle,” which can be found on Amazon.
If you can muster up the will power and make such dramatic lifestyle changes the Paleo diet requires, you’ll no doubt lose weight, be healthier, and will experience a reduction in your afib burden – if not a total elimination of your afib for a period of time.
But what if you’re reading this and you’re saying, “This Paleo diet is crazy. There is no way I can follow that diet!” There are other diets to consider.
Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean Diet is often coined the “heart-healthy” diet so many people with atrial fibrillation tend to think of it first when considering the best diets for afib.
The Mediterranean Diet is comprised primarily of plant-based foods such as vegetables, fruits, healthy whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. And while it is strongly plant-based it is not strictly vegetarian. Fish, shellfish, and some poultry are o.k. but shouldn’t dominate the core plant foods of the diet. Moderate wine drinking is also welcome (although for many afibbers wine is a common trigger). Coffee and tea are also o.k. but again these may be triggers for people with atrial fibrillation.
As you can see, this diet has a little more leeway than the Paleo diet as it allows you to have whole grains and even wine, coffee, and tea in moderation.
For an excellent book on the Mediterranean Diet, get a copy of “The Mediterranean Diet for Beginners” on Amazon.
The Zone Diet
Started by Dr. Barry Sears in the late 1990’s. The Zone diet is based on a set ratio of calories at each meal from carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats. The ratio is 1/3 protein, 2/3 carbs (stresses low sugar fruits and avoiding starchy vegetables such as potatoes and corn), and a “dash” of monounsaturated fats including olive oil, avocado, or almonds.
The idea is when you consume calories in this ratio, your body stays “in the zone,” meaning you have the proper balance of insulin and glucagon levels. As a result, your body does not store excess calories as fat but burns fat for energy instead.
Ultimately the goal with the Zone Diet is to reduce overall inflammation in the body. Reducing inflammation is especially important for people with atrial fibrillation as it is believed that afib is a result of the body being in an “inflamed” state. The theory is if you reduce inflammation in the body you reduce afib burden.
Of all the diets discussed here this is the only diet I tried in earnest but I couldn’t maintain it long-term. I always struggled trying to create meals that had the perfect ratio of carbs, protein, and fat. The diet does have this thing called “Zone Blocks” that makes it easier to follow the diet. How Zone Blocks work is your favorite foods are assigned so many Zone Blocks. For example, 3 whole almonds equals one “Zone Block” of fat. Once you know what your favorite foods are worth in terms of Zone Blocks, you assemble your meals in certain Zone Blocks.
You can get Dr. Sears book, “Enter the Zone: A Dietary Road Map,” on Amazon.
Rosedale Diet
The Rosedale Diet was developed by metabolic specialist, Ron Rosedale, MD. His diet limits starchy, sugary carbs. He claims the body does not need carbs. Insulin is better controlled without them, he argues. To get some insight into the theory behind his diet, read the article he wrote a while back titled, “The Metabolic Effects of Insulin.” You can also find his book, “The Rosedale Diet,” on Amazon.
Schwarzbein Diet
The Schwarzbein Diet was developed by Dr. Diana Schwarzbein. She is board-certified in both Internal Medicine and Endocrinology. This diet allows you to eat as much protein, healthy fats, and non-starchy vegetables you want. She says it’s important to eat enough food so when you reduce your carb consumption, you must increase proteins, fats, and non starchy carbs. Her eating plan does not totally eliminate grains. She allows brown rice, oatmeal, and other grains.
You can get Schwarzbein’s book, “The Schwarzbein Principle,” on Amazon:
What To Do When Diets are Impossible to Follow
Any of the diets discussed here are great for people with atrial fibrillation but let’s face it, following a diet isn’t easy as it requires wholesale changes in our lifestyles. That is why most people fail. They simply can’t make the lifestyle changes that are required for long-term success.
In addition, there isn’t a one-size fits all diet for anyone – including people with afib. We’re all different. Some of us are more carb tolerant than others so the Mediterranean diet might make more sense than the Paleo diet. Some are very sensitive to gluten so avoiding all grains is a must so the Paleo diet makes more sense in that situation. The key for long-term success is to pick one of these diets that most closely matches your lifestyle and personal preferences.
You also don’t have to follow any of these diets to the letter to have success. In fact, you’ll likely have more long-term success if you don’t! What I recommend you do is use the eating strategies in these diets as basic guides and then tailor them to fit your own needs and lifestyle. If you look closely at these diets they have five broad strategies in common including:
- Eliminate/limit simple carbs and instead load up on complex carbs (i.e. whole grains, non-starchy vegetables, low-sugar fruits)
- Eliminate/limit sugar and processed foods
- Eat protein
- Eat healthy fats
- Eliminate/limit alcohol
If your “diet” follows those five broad strategies you’re going to lose weight, be healthier, and you’ll see improvement in your afib burden!
There you go, Tara, that’s my very long-winded answer to your short and simple question. If you have a question you’d like me to answer, please contact me.
Anyone that contacts me with a question will get a personal response from me whether I use your question in a future Q&A session or not so please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Do you follow any of these diets? Are there any other diets you recommend for people with atrial fibrillation? Please share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.
Travis, I hate to break your heart, but all calories are not the same. Please read the book Metabolical by Dr. Robert Lustig and find out why high glycemic index foods make you fat and and why low carb diets are healthy and are our evolutionarily correct diet. You’ll also learn that big Ag, big Pharma and big Medicial are just as unforthcomming, deceitful and malfeasant as big Oil and big Tobacco. Our political system of lobbying and campaign funding, corruption in plain sight, has resulted in neoliberal economic government policies that have reduced the corporate obligations for their corporate charters to one thing, profit. Ethics and morality be damned, they want the money! Conspiracy? Maybe not. But under regulated and under taxed? Definitely.
Dealing with random episodes lasting as much as 8-10 hours, although many much shorter. This was happening many times per week, often multiple times per day. After 6 weeks of this randomness, I finally checked myself in to ER and started the processes of visiting the cardiologist.
At that very time, I stopped the alcohol (excessive red wine) and started a loosely self driven keto type diet – high fat, low carb. I had already stopped processed foods and was essentially paleo already – HOWEVER, the wine had a significant side effect…. I ate crappy foods, sugar, etc. at night because of the drinking…
For the next 3 weeks of no wine, I also increased my water to over 100oz/day and ate pretty much strictly keto. My afib events all but disappeared, with the exception of 2 short duration events within a day or two of starting the change. I also supplement with Concentrace liquid minerals which has I believe 230mg of magnesium, among other minerals.
Guess what, I broke down and started drinking again. Not surprisingly, the afib returned and as recent as Tuesday I had a 7 hr event.
I was just recommended Diltiazem yesterday, but for the moment declined as I’m researching far and wide to discover my options and natural means.
Very thankful someone pointed me to this site. I’ll be reading more here for sure!
Lon:
Thanks for sharing your story! I’ve been hearing from a lot of people lately that a keto diet helps manage afib. And I keep saying I need to look into this diet but dieting is so hard for me. I’m glad it’s working so well for you!
Travis
Diet seems to be exactly what triggers my afib. I have had palpitations my entire life and have two parents who both have had afib. I first noticed afib after I had eaten a large pack of pink mints! The afib went away after an hour or so. A few weeks later I had 4 pieces of supermarket bread followed by afib within an hour. I then thought that perhaps I was sensitive to chemicals/preservatives in our food. My afib always stopped on it’s own or with forceful coughing.
About 3 years ago I had four days of almost continuous afib. Having watched my parents go through the drugs/shocks etc. I thought I would pay more attention to my food. I realized that I had recently eaten an inordinate amount of salami and bacon in the two days before my afib. During these four days of having afib I took a baby aspirin every day (to help prevent a stroke) and took a hard look at my diet. I STOPPED eating ALL processed foods – ate a lot of veggies/fruit and meat and fish. I didn’t eat ANY wheat or anything that wasn’t “pure” food (most supermarket breads have preservatives – homemade bread may be just fine).
I also made sure I was well hydrated and took additional magnesium (500Mg per day of SISU magnesium). My afib stopped by day four and I haven’t had a run of it since then. This week I ran out of magnesium for two days and started having short runs of afib again. I went straight to the store and took 500mg of the magnesium while in the store and haven’t had any further problems.
So what seems to work for me is :
1. NO processed foods
2. magnesium supplements
3. hydration
4. Wheat free diet
Katja:
Thanks for sharing your experience! Your success doesn’t surprise me. I’ve heard from many afibbers who have been able to keep their afib at bay or even totally eliminate it for a period of time by doing exactly what you’re doing! I hope your protocol continues to be successful for you for many years to come!
God Bless.
Travis
I agree completely with your diet. It’s basically the same diet I’m on. I, also, have to stay away from soy products, corn and cabbage! It helps keep afib more manageable.
Meat and fish are not pure foods. The “early cavemen” contrary to Paleo eaters and the Keto diet, were vegans. It is scientifically proven by their rounded teeth (meat eating creatures all had sharp teeth for tearing apart meat) and the extra long intestines for taking nutrients out of plants.
Most of the common health diseases in the U.S (Heart Disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, inflammatory joint pain and many more) are caused by the
the consumption of meat, poultry, fish, dairy products and oils and now show through scientific studies, can be reversed by eliminating these products.
Diets like the Paleo diet and Keto diet show promise by people losing weight and having good lab results, however, eventually the liver and pancreas fills up with fat and a person’s endothelial cells (lining of your arteries) become further destroyed, letting dangerous plaque to form.
A whole-food Plant-based diet will not only lower a person’s weight and blood pressure in a very short time (like a couple of weeks!), feeling good will have a calming effect that may decrease Abib. It also has been proven to reverse all the diseases mentioned above.
And yes, I recently started the whole-food plant based diet and lost 40 lbs. since October, My doctor decreased my blood pressure meds because they have become too strong (eventually I may be off the meds). And my AFib has decreased to a steady 80. I hope to lose about 40 more lbs., to get to my ideal weight and have my vitals return to normal, including my AFib.
Travis,
There are new scientific studies that say consuming too much sugar, especially for older people (like me!), can cause a person to develop afib.
Who knows, maybe afib is increasing just like diabetes and pre-diabetes because of the food industry sneaking sugar into everything! It would be interesting to see if afib has increased from years ago. Maybe high sugar consumption could be the culprit. It is hard to do a long term study on this as test subjects cannot be isolated for years and over the years they do not always follow the diet plans exactly as they are supposed to.
I have had afib in the past when under stress and when consuming caffeine. This past November I started doing the “Pegan Diet” (it is similar to the Paleo Diet but with no dairy or grains). I eliminated all forms of glucose except low-glycemic vegetables. I do eat meat (mostly turkey and chicken), eggs, and fish. No pre-packaged meals. I did this to lose weight and have lost 30 lbs since November and I don’t feel hungry between meals (sugar cravings disappeared) like I use to. The added advantage was that I have not had any afib episodes since I made the change to the Pegan Diet, even during unavoidable stressful situations!
I kept wondering, “Since the new diet is changing my body metabolically (my cardiologist is amazed with my new bloodwork results!) maybe this new diet has a positive effect on my afib.”
I did some research online about sugar intake and how it effects afib and found a scientific study titled: “Prevalence of abnormal glucose metabolism in atrial fibrillation: A case control study in 75-year old subjects”. Here is the website: https://cardiab.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1475-2840-7-28
David:
Thanks for sharing this info. Great stuff! That’s an interesting study you linked to. I’ve often wondered if sugar played a role in afib. I’m a major sugar junkie. I jokingly tell my family I’m on the hummingbird diet. I need sugar constantly:) You wouldn’t believe how much sugar I consume. I know it’s not healthy but I’m totally addicted to it.
Travis
Listen, I AM AFIB FREE NOW! I was in AFIB every other day lasting 8 to ten hours a day. I TOOK DILTIAZEM when needed for them. Was on Pradaxa and getting ready for ablation. Nothing helped or stopped them. I found my key and believe this needs to be shared.
I am now med-free and only take a low dose aspirin daily with no AFIB in weeks. I am on the keto diet, which is delicious and I have cut out all sugars and ALL sodium and anything that has it. I eat fresh meats, veggies, nuts and after I cut out salt I have been AFIB free! Please experiment for a few days eating unprocessed foods with zero sodium, you will be amazed! You can use seasoning with NO SODIUM.
Marla:
As I replied to the same comments you made on another post, thanks for sharing your experience! I appreciate it. However, I want to caution anyone else reading this that we are all different so what works for Marla may not work for you. In other words, for some of us simply reducing sodium may not make a difference at all. In fact I think there is more going on with Marla’s success. I doubt it’s just the reduction of sodium that is helping. Her overall change in diet is what’s working right now.
As I outlined in this blog post, the key to any diet for atrial fibrillation is to reduce sugar, sodium, and processed foods. Then strive to eat meat protein and vegetables. If you just make these “basic” diet changes you’ll likely experience a reduction in your afib burden! This is what Marla has done and she’s living proof it helps!
Travis
@Marla- how do you handle eating out? There appears to be sodium in everything…for example, I was surprised how much sodium is in bread…I’m trying to cut out all bread, sugars, etc, but it’s so hard when you are out and about…and need a quick bite.
Thanks,
James
James:
I can’t speak for Marla but I wouldn’t get too hung up on cutting sodium and sugar entirely. You are right, sodium is everywhere (and so is sugar)! They are nearly impossible to avoid. The goal should be to simply reduce your sodium and sugar consumption and moderate your diet overall. I’m not a fan of “extreme dieting” (i.e. NO sugar, NO salt, etc.). It’s just not practical or realistic to follow.
Travis
Thanks Travis! Good point and great feedback.
Best,
James
Travis,
I do not think NO sugar, NO salt is “extreme dieting.” The food industry would like you to thinks so. The Keto diet (meats, poultry and low-glycemic vegetables) has proven that humans can live healthy without sugar. And the same with adding salt to your meals. You would be surprised how food will taste better after your taste buds are no longer saturated with salt. There is salt in small amounts in unprocessed foods and that is all you need in a diet.
Sugar is addictive and the food industry has known this for years and puts it in all our foods to increase sales. That’s why you see candy bars at the check outs! A mouse study was done where they gave mice sugar and then cocaine. Then they put the cocaine and sugar next to each other in the mice cage. The mice preferred the sugar over the cocaine.
Another revealing study was a test to see what parts of the human brain lights up (stimulation) with sugar and cocaine. Scientists found that the same parts lighted up, proving sugar is addictive.
If you want to lose weight which will help lower your BP, remember that sugar makes your body produce large amounts of insulin. A lot of people do not know that when insulin is in your bloodstream, your body stops burning fat. Fasting, sleeping (no food in stomach) and Keto (no sugar) are ways of burning fat.
James is right-on about his Keto diet to control his A-Fib. We and now our children at younger ages are becoming obese because of traditional foods with the added sugar and salt we eat at restaurants and make at home.
It is like the movie, “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” but instead of aliens it’s the food industry with their sugar and salt to keep us addicted to continue making large profits. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) board is made up of food industry CEOs, so no change coming from them. We have to change, make special requests at restaurants, buy healthy foods, in order to stay healthy. Change will only come from the informed consumer’s healthy choices.
David:
I agree with much of what you are saying but I’m not big into conspiracy. I don’t think the food industry is making foods to make us addicts. I think they’re just making foods that people like and people like salt and sugar! Let’s face it, the stuff tastes good!
I also disagree with any kind of “extreme dieting” – the keto diet being one of them. If you want to do it and it works for you, great. But for most people adhering to these types of diets is unrealistic and in my opinion not healthy. I’m really big on moderation. I think you can eat and drink ANYTHING in MODERATION and lose weight and be perfectly healthy. I encourage you to read my article on how to lose weight eating anything you want:
https://www.livingwithatrialfibrillation.com/3426/how-to-lose-weight-easily/
And just recently a study came out that showed a potential increase risk of afib for those following the keto diet. You can read about it here:
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/low-carb-may-bring-on-a-fib
I haven’t looked into the details of that study but it goes to show that any diet that restricts certain types of foods probably isn’t the best option. Again, if it works for you, great. But for the vast majority of people, I tell them to eat and drink what they want in moderation. It’s all about portion control and total calories.
Travis
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