Heart Healthy Eating
Changing your diet is one of the best ways to lower your chances of having a heart attack. Healthy eating will help you lose weight, lower your cholesterol and blood pressure, and reduce your chance of getting diabetes.
Eat more vegetables and fruit
Fruits and vegetables help protect your body from damage (oxidation). They also help prevent cholesterol from hardening in your arteries.
- You should eat 4-5 servings of vegetables and 3-4 servings of fresh fruit each day.
- A serving of a fruit or vegetable is the size of a tennis ball.
- No more than 1 serving of vegetables should be from potatoes.
- At least two-thirds (2/3) of a meal should be from vegetables, fruits, beans, and whole grains.
Eat plenty of fiber
Eating enough fiber is not only important for heart health, but for diabetes and weight control. Fiber helps you digest food, control cholesterol and blood sugar, and feel full longer. Fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains are all high in fiber.
For example:
- 1 medium apple has 4 grams of fiber.
- 1/2 cup cooked broccoli has 3 grams.
- 1 carrot has 3 grams.
- 1/2 cup cooked black beans has 7 grams.
- 1 slice whole wheat bread has 3 grams.
- 1/2 cup cooked oatmeal has 4 grams.
Men need 30-40 grams of fiber a day.
Women need 25-35 grams of fiber a day.
Drink Water
- Drinking water replaces the water lost from breathing, sweating, and daily activities. Water helps digest food and protects kidneys, muscles, and joints. It can also help skin look healthy.
- It is common to confuse hunger and thirst. Drinking water before eating can cut down on the amount of food you eat.
Avoid Bad Fats
A healthy diet means paying attention to the amount and type of fat you eat. Not all types of fats raise your cholesterol, but all of them are high in calories.
♥ Good Fats:
- Monounsaturated fats help regulate blood cholesterol. They can be found in olive and canola oil, nuts, and avocado.
- Omega 3 fatty acids can reduce clotting, inflammation, and triglycerides. They can be found in fish, walnuts, and flaxseeds.
♥ Neutral Fats
Polyunsaturated fats do not increase LDL (bad) cholesterol, but decrease HDL (good) cholesterol. They can be found in corn oil, soybean oil, and sunflower oil.
♥ Bad Fats:
- Saturated fats raise LDL (bad) cholesterol. Examples include butter, ice cream, cheese, meat, eggs, sour cream, and fat in milk.
- Trans fat raises LDL (bad) cholesterol and lowers HDL (good) cholesterol.
Examples include deep-fried food, baked goods, frosting, margarine, non-dairy creamers, microwave popcorn, fish sticks, and chicken nuggets.
Eat Less Sodium
Eating too much salt causes the body to retain water, increasing the amount of fluid in the body. This makes the heart work harder and raises the blood pressure.
You should have less than 2000mg of salt each day. 1 tablespoon of salt has 2325mg of sodium. To help you eat less salt remember the following:
Read the nutrition labels. Pay attention to the amount of sodium per serving and how many servings you eat. A low-salt food has less than 5% of the daily value of salt.
Enjoy a Variety of Foods
Eating a variety of different foods is important in a healthy diet. This will help you get enough vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. Variety also keeps eating interesting and provides enjoyment from new flavors and foods.
Healthy Cooking
Experiment! With most recipes, you can cut sugar and butter by one-third without losing flavor. Also experiment with different herbs and seasonings.
Change the ingredients. Cut the amount of meat a recipe calls for and increase the vegetables. When buying meat, look for lean cuts, or replace some of the meat with beans.
Limit the amount of pre-packaged foods you use when cooking.
Do not overcook vegetables. Many vitamins and nutrients are sensitive to heat and are destroyed when cooked too much.
