A healthy diet is one of the best weapons for fighting heart disease. When you have heart disease, it means you're at higher risk for a heart attack. Or maybe you've already had one. This means it's important to watch what you eat.
Eating Well with Heart DiseaseA healthy diet is one of the best weapons for fighting heart disease. When you have heart disease, it means you're at higher risk for a heart attack. Or maybe you've already had one. This means it's important to watch what you eat.Heart disease is a serious condition. It's the number-one cause of death of adults in America.A main reason for this is that most Americans eat too many high-fat, high-calorie foods. Eating healthy foods can help prevent heart disease, and keep you healthier if you have heart disease.If you need to make changes in your diet, it may seem tough at first. But small changes can make a big difference in your heart health. So let's get started!First, you'll need to pay attention to 3 things in the foods you eatcholesterol,fats andsodiumGovernment experts say that a person with heart disease should have:as little dietary cholesterol each day as possibleless than 10 percent of calories from saturated fat, andless than 1,500 milligrams of sodium a dayBut how do you know how much cholesterol, saturated fat, or sodium a food has? The Nutrition Facts label is a good place to start.Nutrition Facts labels are on most packaged foods. These labels show how much sodium, cholesterol, fat, dietary fiber, and calories are in each serving. They also tell you what kinds of fats are in the food. And they tell you how many servings of food are in a container.But not every food comes with a Nutrition Facts label. So here are some heart-healthy guidelines to help you make healthy choices throughout your day.[Heart-healthy Guidelines] A healthy diet includes lots of whole fruits and vegetables. Make sure to eat a variety of vegetables, especially dark green, red, and orange ones. They have more of the vitamins and minerals your body needs to function properly.No one vegetable has all the nutrients you need, so fill your plate with color! And try to skip white potatoes -- most other vegetables have more fiber and nutrients.Many fruits and vegetables are naturally low in calories, and can be fat- and cholesterol-free if they're cooked in a healthy way.When it comes to meat, think lean. Lean means lower in fat and cholesterol.Cholesterol is a fat-like substance that's naturally made in your body, and in the bodies of animals. Your body makes all the cholesterol you need. So, if you eat a lot of foods that come from animals, you're getting more cholesterol than you need.White-meat turkey and chicken and many kinds of seafood are lean. Cuts of pork and beef with less fat are also considered lean. But, you don't need to eat meat to get the protein your body needs to be healthy.Plant sources of protein are healthy because they don't have any cholesterol, and also have fiber and nutrients. And most don't have saturated fat. You can build many meals around beans, peas, nuts, and high-protein grains.If you do eat meat, aim to have at least 1 no-meat day each week. And eat seafood at least twice a week. Some fish, like salmon, trout, and herring, contain omega-3 fatty acids.Omega 3 fatty acids are a type of healthy fat called polyunsaturated. This kind of fat may help protect against heart disease.Unhealthy fats include partially hydrogenated fat, saturated fat, and trans fat.Soft or hard margarine or shortening have partially hydrogenated fats. Use oils such as olive, canola, or safflower instead. These are healthy fats.Foods that have saturated fats include cheese, butter, and ice cream, as well as meats such as sausage, bacon, and salami.Trans fats are often found in baked foods, such as cakes, cookies, pastries, muffins, pies, and doughnuts. Try to think of these foods as treats to have once in a while, instead of eating them every week or every day.And finally, keep an eye on your sodium levels. Sodium is found naturally in some foods. But, most of the sodium you eat is added to your food when it is made in a factory or restaurant. So it's easy to get more than you need.In fact, most Americans eat more than 3,400 milligrams of sodium every day. That's quite a bit more than the 1,500 milligrams of sodium in a heart-healthy diet.One of the best ways to control how heart-healthy your meals are is to cook at home. When you cook at home, you get to choose which ingredients go into a meal. And, you can control your portion sizes.You can find heart-healthy cooking tips on websites like the American Heart Association at www.heart.org , and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics at www.eatright.org.Now , it all sounds like a lot, so remember these5 Tips for Eating Well with Heart Disease:Read nutrition labels and choose foods with low levels of cholesterol, unhealthy fats, and sodiumEat a wide variety of whole fruits and many colors of vegetables every dayAvoid foods with saturated fat, trans fat, and hydrogenated fatTry to go without meat 1 day each week, andLearn to cook the heart-healthy way!As you can see, making small changes can have a BIG impact on your heart health -- and now you know how!
