In this weeklong meal plan, we limit sodium while incorporating principles of the DASH diet to help keep your heart healthy. The DASH diet, standing for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, is considered the gold standard for improving heart health and lowering blood pressure.

The meals and snacks in this diet plan feature heart-healthy foods, like fiber-rich fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and healthy fats, like olive oil and avocado. Saturated fat, added sugars and sodium—nutrients that can harm your heart when eaten in large amounts—are kept to a minimum.

Throughout the week, you'll find delicious anti-inflammatory, heart-healthy meals and snacks with daily sodium capped at no more than 1,500 milligrams per day. Plus, each day provides at least 31 grams of fiber, which has many health benefits, particularly for the heart, and helps keep you full between meals to avoid that afternoon energy slump.

Salt and sugar are two ingredients that have stood the test of time to make our food taste delicious. But recently, we've seen the amounts of these ingredients creeping up higher and higher in sneaky places, like flavored yogurts, peanut butter, packaged snacks, sauces and frozen meals.

In this meal plan, we map out a week of meals and snacks that incorporate the principles of the Mediterranean diet. You'll find heart-healthy foods like fish, nuts, seeds, legumes and fruits and vegetables. Plus, we limit the salt to no more than 1,500 milligrams per day.

The Mediterranean diet has long been recognized as one of the healthiest and most delicious ways to eat. The core concept behind this healthy diet is to eat like the people who live in the Mediterranean region by filling your plate with fresh fruits and vegetables, healthy fats, whole grains, legumes, fish and other lean protein.