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A heart-healthy diet can be delicious and varied - rich in fruits and vegetables, high-fiber foods, whole grains, lean meats and dairy products. The American Heart Association says the following can help you eat your way to a healthier heart: 1. Make reading food labels a habit. This is the first and most important recommendation because knowing the ingredients and nutritional values of foods will help you eat more wisely. 2. Cut back on beverages and foods with added sugars. Examples of added sugars are sucrose, glucose, fructose, maltose, dextrose, corn syrups, high-fructose corn syrup, concentrated fruit juice and honey. To manage your sugar intake, choose items that don’t have added sugars in their first four listed ingredients, and drink water frequently. 3. Know and limit your fats. Unsaturated fats don’t raise your cholesterol level as much as saturated and trans fats do, but you should still consume them in limited amounts. Don’t indulge to often in cakes, cookies, crackers, pastries, pies, muffins, doughnuts or French fries, which contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils and are high in trans fat. Use liquid vegetable oils and soft margarines in place of hard margarine or shortening. 4. Choose lean meats and poultry. Most meats have about the same amount of cholesterol, roughly 70 milligrams in each three-ounce cooked serving, which is about the size of a deck of cards. You should eat no more than six ounces of cooked lean meat and poultry. The leanest beef cuts usually include sirloin, chuck, loin and round. Choose “choice” or “select” grades rather than “prime.” Choose white meat most often when eating poultry. Organ meats such as liver, sweetbread, kidneys and brains are very high in cholesterol. Finally, when preparing to cook your meats, remove all visible fat and skin before cooking. Grilling, baking and broiling are the healthiest ways to prepare meats. 5. Eat at least two servings of fish each week. Fish can be fatty or lean, but still low in saturated fat. Recent research advocates that eating oily fish containing omega-3 fatty acids, like salmon, trout and herring, is good for the heart. Like other meats, be sure to prepare your fish baked, broiled, grilled or boiled rather than breaded and fried. 6. Consume plenty of fruits and vegetables. It’s hard to argue with the health benefits of a diet rich in vegetables and fruits: Lower blood pressure; reduced risk of heart disease, stroke and probably some cancers; lower risk of eye and digestive problems; and a mellowing effect on blood sugar that can help keep appetite in check. Most people should aim for at least nine servings or about 4½ cups of vegetables and fruits a day. Eat potatoes and other starchy vegetables in moderation. Go for a variety of kinds and colors of produce to give your body the mix of nutrients it needs. The best selections include dark leafy greens, cooked tomatoes and anything with a rich yellow, orange or red color. Tomatoes and citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons, limes and grapefruit are some of the better choices for health value. 7. Select low-fat dairy products. Replace high-fat dairy items such as butter, cheese, yogurt and whole milk with fat-free, low-fat or reduced-fat dairy products. 8. Cut back on foods high in dietary cholesterol. Try to eat less than 300 mg of cholesterol each day. For instance, whole eggs, which contain about 200 milligrams of cholesterol per yolk can be replaced with egg whites, which are cholesterol-free and good protein sources. In fact, you can substitute two egg whites for each egg yolk in many recipes that call for eggs. 9. Choose and prepare foods with little or no salt. Foods low in salt lower your risk for high blood pressure and may help you better control it. Aim to consume less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day. Some people, including African Americans, middle-aged and older adults and people with high blood pressure, should consume less than 1,500 mg per day. Watch out for frozen entrees and condiments, which are often high in sodium. 10. Eat fiber-rich foods to help lower cholesterol. Fiber is classified as “soluble” or “insoluble.” You can find fiber in whole grains and a variety of beans. When regularly eaten as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, soluble fiber has been shown to help lower blood cholesterol and may also help reduce the risk of diabetes and colorectal cancer. You should eat at least 25 to 30 grams of dietary fiber - in both soluble and insoluble forms - every day. The more calories you require to meet your daily needs, the more dietary fiber you need. Try to eat at least 14 grams of fiber per 1,000 calories you consume. Use these guidelines when dining out, too. Don’t be afraid to ask your waiter how a dish is prepared. When you know the facts, you make better choices. There’s no need to bypass the fast food chains, either. Many of them offer healthy menu choices like substituting fruit for a side item and offering a variety of salads and low-fat options. Changing your diet may seem overwhelming at first. But by taking small, manageable steps now, you’ll reap big benefits in the future. Eat smart for your heart - and for your overall health. MCG Health, Inc. (d/b/a MCGHealth) is a not-for-profit corporation operating the MCGHealth Medical Center, MCGHealth Children’s Medical Center, the Georgia Radiation Therapy Center, and related outpatient facilities and services throughout the state. For more information, please visit mcghealth.org. www.HealthNewsDigest.com Top of Page 
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