Managing Your Atrial Fibrillation: What To Eat (and Avoid)

If you’ve been diagnosed with an irregular heart rhythm, a condition known as atrial fibrillation (AFib), eating heart-healthy foods can help manage your condition. But in some cases, caffeine, alcohol and certain foods can often trigger AFib symptoms, such as heart palpitations or dizziness.

While there’s no specific “AFib diet,” the American Heart Association recommends eating foods low in saturated fats, trans fats, salt and cholesterol.

Registered dietitian Julia Zumpano, RD, LD, shares what foods may help, and which you might want to avoid.

What diets may help with AFib?

Zumpano recommends focusing on eating plant-based foods to manage a racing heartbeat. This means building meals and snacks that are rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, fish, nuts and olive oil.

The Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet are good examples of eating plans based on those foods.

“The DASH and Mediterranean diets have both been clinically studied and proven to support overall heart health, including the management of blood pressure, blood cholesterol, blood sugar, triglycerides and weight management,” says Zumpano.

What foods to eat with AFib

If you have atrial fibrillation, specific nutritious foods that are a great addition to your diet include:

• Fish rich in omega-3s (such as chia seeds, ground flaxseeds and flaxseed oil, walnuts and pumpkin seeds)
• Fruit (like blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and cranberries)
• Vegetables (such as tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, onions, broccoli and cauliflower)
• Whole grains (like oats, barley, quinoa and brown rice)
• Legumes (such as lentils, chickpeas and kidney beans)
• Nuts (like almonds, walnuts and hazelnuts)
• Extra virgin olive oil

“Plant-based foods are rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants. They’re naturally low in saturated fat and void of cholesterol,” explains Zumpano. “Aim to eat a fruit or vegetable from each color of the rainbow every day.”

What foods to avoid with AFib

You may want to consider avoiding or limiting the following:

• Alcohol
• Caffeine (including coffee, tea, energy drinks and soda)
• Red meat (including processed red meat or fatty cuts)
• Processed foods (including lunch meats, fast food and chips)
• High-sodium foods (including fast food, convenience foods, canned foods, snack foods, processed meats and processed cheeses)
• Baked goods (including bread and rolls)
• Sugary foods and drinks

When it comes to AFib and drinking alcohol or treating yourself to a piece of cake, Zumpano says that you don’t necessarily have to cut these items completely out of your life to manage your AFib. You may just need to learn your threshold — how much your body can tolerate before AFib symptoms kick in.

Consider removing certain foods from your diet for a few days as a test. Then, reintroduce small amounts (for example, a half-cup of coffee) to see if your symptoms return. If not, you can slowly add more and monitor how you feel.

“There’s no one-size-fits-all answer on what will work best for you,” she adds. “You’ll just need to experiment a bit.”

How to make small changes

Zumpano suggests some other food-based adjustments that can help manage your AFib symptoms:

• Sub in healthier ingredients. For instance, instead of buying macaroni and cheese in a box or frozen, make your own using whole-grain pasta, low-fat cheese and skim milk.
• Practice portion control. Treat yourself to a doughnut hole rather than a couple of doughnuts. “Portion control gives you the ability to have unacceptable foods in small amounts,” Zumpano says.
• Limit salt. A high-sodium diet can be an AFib trigger — not to mention that it can lead to high blood pressure, which also increases your risk of stroke.
• Focus on hydration. Adequate hydration through non-caffeinated beverages can also aid in the management of AFib. Choose water, herbal teas, 100% fruit and vegetable juices. “Caffeine is a diuretic, which can contribute to inadequate fluid intake,” warns Zumpano. “A general rule of thumb is to drink half of your body weight in water.”

If you have obesity, take a blood thinner or have been diagnosed with diabetes or other health conditions, talk to your healthcare provider about safe ways to modify your diet to help manage your AFib symptoms.

The reason? Even a seemingly “healthy” dietary change could conflict with another treatment. For instance, certain blood thinners like warfarin may be affected by foods with high amounts of vitamin K (think spinach and kale).

“You can help minimize your symptoms by finding your threshold for common triggers like alcohol and caffeine and following a plant-based diet,” reiterates Zumpano. “Consider working with a registered dietitian to come up with an eating plan that’s customized to you.”