Nutrition
Eating Healthy for a Healthy Heart
Eating Healthy for a Healthy HeartWhen you have heart disease the foods you choose to eat can make a big difference in managing your heart disease.Living heart healthy means choosing healthy eating. Making healthy food choices can help to manage and controldiabetes, cholesterol, and blood pressure; and can help you lose weight.To make healthy food choices, keep these nutritional guidelines in mind: choose healthy carbohydrates, limit addedsugars, choose fats wisely, limit your sodium and control your portion sizes.When choosing healthy carbohydrates, choose whole grain foods like cereal, whole wheat pasta, and brown rice.Gradually add more fruits and vegetables to your diet.At the same time, cut back on added sugar in snacks like cookies, chips, ice cream, and sugary drinks like soda.Check the food label for how much added sugars are in packaged foods. Most people are surprised at just how muchsugar is in there.Eat less saturated fats and avoid trans fats. These are found in fried foods, fatty meats, whole fat dairy products andbaked goods and can further clog your arteries. Instead choose unsaturated fats called monounsaturated andpolyunsaturated fats. These can be found in olive oil, avocados, fish, and nuts. Unsaturated fats are good for you andcan help lower cholesterol.And take advantage of the low-fat, or reduced fat foods out there. When making healthy choices always look at thefood label for sugar and sodium amounts. And pick the one that works best for you. Making these healthy fatchoices can help lower your total cholesterol and help you lose weight, making your heart’s job a lot easier.To lower your blood pressure, your healthcare provider may recommend reducing the amount of salt or sodium youeat. Foods high in sodium include: canned soups, processed meats, frozen meals and many restaurant foods.Everyone should not go over 2300 mg of sodium a day. If you have high blood pressure, a 1500 mg limit is best. TheDASH diet, which stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, can help you make healthy food choices thatalso limit your amount of sodium.Check out the DASH diet plan at www.nhlbi.nih.gov for tips to help you reach your blood pressure goal.Another way to make your food choices healthy is to control your portion sizes.“It was really surprising looking at the labels to see number one, what is considered a portion size, and I think alot of people would be shocked.” – Mike, PatientPage 1 of 2This program is for informational purposes only. Publisher disclaims all guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness,or suitability of this video for medical decision making. For all health related issues please contact your healthcare provider.HCHA10130B EN EatingHealthyForAHealthyHeart.pdf© The Wellness NetworkEating Healthy for a Healthy HeartTo do this, measure your foods. A food scale and measuring cups can help you size up your portions until youbecome familiar with the right portion sizes for you. Another tool that can help you when making healthy foodchoices is the Nutrition Facts food label located on all pre-packages products.“I look at the percent of fat that's in there. I look at the salt intake in there, and that has helped a lot really. Ipick out foods that are low in fat, low in salt content.” – Kersey, PatientThe food label has a lot of information including serving size and the amount of calories per serving; types of fat;and carbohydrate, which includes fiber, and total sugar and the amount of sugar added to the food duringprocessing, as well as the percent of nutrients. Once you get the hang of reading it, it’s easy to use andunderstand.Ask your healthcare provider to refer you to a registered dietitian who can help you choose foods with the mostheart-healthy benefits. A dietitian can help you understand how much you should be eating and give you morehealthy eating tips to protect your heart.Page 2 of 2This program is for informational purposes only. Publisher disclaims all guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness,or suitability of this video for medical decision making. For all health related issues please contact your healthcare provider.HCHA10130B EN EatingHealthyForAHealthyHeart.pdf© The Wellness Network
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