World Heart Day 2025: Harnessing Plant-Based Diets, Indigenous Foods and Lifestyle Medicine to Tackle South Africa’s Heart Disease Crisis
[Cape Town, 29 September 2025]. As South Africa joins the world in marking World Heart Day, health experts are sounding the alarm about the country’s escalating cardiovascular disease (CVD) crisis, and pointing to evidence-based solutions rooted in nutrition, traditional indigenous foods, and a healthy lifestyle.
According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa, an estimated 225 people die every day from heart disease, stroke, or related conditions. CVD is one of the leading causes of death in the country, affecting people across age groups and placing enormous strain on families and the health system.
Yet, researchers and physicians argue that much of this burden is preventable. Mounting evidence shows that a plant-based diet, rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds, and low in saturated fats, sodium, and processed foods, can play a powerful role in both preventing and managing CVD.
Dr Nanine Wyma, Executive Director of the Physicians Association for Nutrition (PAN) South Africa, emphasises the urgent need for change: “Despite overwhelming evidence linking diet to heart disease, nutrition is still not given the attention it deserves in medical education and public healthcare. Too often, treatment focuses on medication, while patients are not adequately informed about the benefits of eating more plant-based foods as part of their care.”
Evidence from South Africa underscores the urgency of this issue. A 2023 study titled The Association between Plant-Based Diets and Dietary Patterns with Cardiometabolic Risk in a Sample of Commercial Taxi Drivers in South Africa (Lopes et al., 2023) found that drivers who adhered to healthier plant-based diets had lower triglyceride levels, a significant risk factor for hardened arteries, heart attacks, and strokes.
The role of indigenous foods World Heart Day also coincides with Heritage Month, highlighting the importance of indigenous African foods in safeguarding health. South Africa is experiencing a nutrition transition, where traditional diets are being replaced with Western-type diets high in processed foods, sugar, and unhealthy fats. This shift, coupled with a decline in indigenous vegetable consumption and the erosion of traditional knowledge, is fuelling the rise of heart disease and other Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs)’
Indigenous crops such as pearl millet and cowpeas have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease (Takaidza, 2023). They are rich in macronutrients, micronutrients, and phytochemicals that protect against conditions like heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and cancer (Mabhaudhi et al., 2017; Shayanowako et al., 2021; Kuo et al., 2021; Shackleton et al., 2009). These foods are not only nutrient-dense and underutilised, but also climate-resilient, representing a viable, affordable solution for both health and food security.
Beyond diet: the role of lifestyle medicine
According to the South African Lifestyle Medicine Association (SALMA), “Lifestyle Medicine is the use of evidence-based lifestyle therapeutic interventions, including a whole-food, plant-predominant eating pattern, regular physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, avoidance of risky substances, and positive social connection, as a primary modality, delivered by clinicians trained and certified in this specialty, to prevent, treat, and often reverse chronic disease” (American College of Lifestyle Medicine definition).
Importantly, SALMA highlights that Lifestyle Medicine recognises the societal and environmental drivers of non-communicable diseases, many of which require systemic and political change. “Lifestyle Medicine is the foundation of conventional medicine and bridges the gap between health promotion and clinical practice. The majority of clinical practice guidelines for non-communicable diseases support Lifestyle Medicine as the first line of treatment. Despite this, very little about the practical implementation of Lifestyle Medicine is taught at medical schools.”
What South Africans should eat for a healthier heart
According to PAN South Africa’s “Heart Disease and Diet” factsheet for patients, developed by registered dietitians, South Africans can take practical steps to protect their hearts:
Maximise whole plant foods: Vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and herbs.-
Choose the right fats: Healthy fats from avocados, nuts, seeds, and omega-3-rich oils (flaxseed, hemp, canola).
Boost antioxidants: Include berries, leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, garlic, oats, green tea, hibiscus tea, beetroot, and dark chocolate.
Go for whole grains: Oats, quinoa, brown rice, and wholegrain breads and pastas to lower cholesterol and blood pressure.
Limit salt: South Africans have one of the highest salt intakes globally. The Heart and Stroke Foundation SA warns that more than 4 out of 5 South Africans consume too much salt daily, much of it hidden in processed foods. Instead, flavour meals with herbs, garlic, ginger, and spices.
Cut processed and animal-based foods: Refined carbs, sugary drinks, and processed meats (bacon, sausages, polony). Limit red meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy.
With urbanisation, rising food prices, and limited access to fresh produce, PAN South Africa stresses that promoting healthy diets and lifestyles requires systemic change. This includes public health education, healthier food environments, investment in indigenous foods, and better nutrition training for healthcare providers.
“Heart disease is not just a personal problem; it’s a public health emergency,” Dr. Wyma added. “If we want to curb the CVD epidemic in South Africa, we need to shift from treating illness to preventing it, with plant-based nutrition, indigenous foods, and lifestyle medicine at the centre of that shift.”
As World Heart Day is observed, PAN South Africa and SALMA are urging the government, health professionals, and communities to work together in promoting plant-based diets, indigenous foods, and lifestyle medicine as cost-effective and sustainable strategies to combat heart disease.
ENDS
About PAN South Africa
Physicians Association for Nutrition (PAN) South Africa, established in 2020, is the national chapter of a global medical non-profit organisation in over 10 countries. We work with health professionals, students and policymakers on the role of plant-forward dietary patterns for chronic disease, climate change and pandemic risk.
PAN South Africa Media Contact
Shaiyah Nosipho Luthuli – Communications Manager
Email: shaiyah.nosipho@pan-sa.org; +27 72 579 5222
