The Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 has concluded that inappropriate diet is associated with approximately one-fifth of the total mortality worldwide. It is challenging to study the effects of nutrition on cardiovascular diseases owing to inherent biases and problems involved in confirming the type and proportion of nutrients consumed. Thus, it is difficult to arrive at a solid conclusion regarding what foods are healthy. Furthermore, there are many foods about which there are prevailing controversies, such as saturated fats, wheat products and certain types of cooking oils. The present article attempts to review the abundant data on this subject and suggest recommendations regarding foods that are healthy, unhealthy and still controversial, i.e., those needing further evaluation.