Put Your Heart into Your Diet

Earlier this month, the American Heart Association (AHA) encouraged all Americans to eat a more heart-healthy diet. In particular, the AHA is concerned about portion sizes, sugar consumption, and excess calories.

For an AHA-approved diet, try these tips:

• Opt for whole-grain and fat-free or low-fat dairy products when you can.
• Brighten up your diet with lots of fruits and vegetables. Fruits and veggies have many important nutrients but also are high in fiber, which means you will feel fuller faster and may lose weight.
• If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation. This means one drink a day for women and two for men.
• Go fish at least twice a week. Fish high in omega-3 fatty acids—including salmon, trout, and herring—offer the best heart protection.
• Select lean meats and poultry without skin if you eat meat.
• Read food labels carefully. Product claims can sometimes be misleading. For instance, a product marked low-fat may have more sugar or sodium than its counterpart. Also, avoid foods that have partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
• When eating at a restaurant, don’t be shy about asking for nutritional information or special preparation options.
• Watch your cholesterol and sodium intake. A good goal for cholesterol is less than 300 milligrams a day. A high-sodium diet is a big contributor to high blood pressure so limit your daily sodium intake to at least 2,300 milligrams. If you already have heart disease, high cholesterol, or high blood pressure, you may need to eat even less. Check with your doctor to see what’s right for you.