Dietary awareness
Eating healthily can help diminish your likelihood of developing heart disease. By changing your eating habits you can reduce your cholesterol level and your blood pressure with the added benefit of achieving a healthy body weight.
Eating at least five portions of fruit or vegetables each
day will not only benefit your heart health, but will also improve your general health.
Try to eat one of each
vegetable colour group per
day to include as much variety as possible.
Eat a balanced diet including cereals, grains, seeds, nuts, legumes, fat-free and low-fat dairy products, fish, poultry
and lean meat.
Limit foods high in saturated fat,
trans fat or hydrogenated fat – target foods that include two grams or less saturated fat per tablespoon.
Foods high in omega oils are beneficial to heart health such as oily fish – mackerel, herrings or sardines. These oils are also available as an oil that can be used to make dressings or drizzle over your vegetables.
Reduce sugar intake – sugary drinks and sweets are high in calories and low in nutrition.
Reduce salt intake to less than six grams per day.
Reduce the amount of alcohol to one unit per day for women as alcohol has a high sugar content.
Reduce your daily caffeine intake to one or two cups of coffee or tea per day or try drinking herbal tea which is a much healthier option.
