How to Eat to Avoid Heart Disease

Improving your eating habits, thereby lowering your cholesterol level, is one of the best ways to avoid heart disease. Look for foods that are low in fat and salt, and choose a variety of foods from every food group. These guidelines follow the recommendations of the American Heart Association.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Groceries
• Vegetarian Cookbook
• beans
• eggs
• fresh fruits
• high-fiber cereal
• fruit juice
• nonfat or low-fat milk
• pasta
• peas
• rice
• fresh vegetables
• wine
• nonfat or low-fat yogurt

What to Eat

1. Include fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet, preferably five or more servings a day.
2. Eat plenty of whole grains such as cereal, rice and pasta, preferably six servings a day.
3. Include two to four servings of dairy products in your daily food intake. Try nonfat or low-fat milk (0 to 1 percent fat) and yogurt.
4. Eat beans and peas to help fulfill your daily protein food group requirement of 6 cooked ounces a day without all the fat.
5. Try unsaturated vegetable oils such as canola, olive, safflower and sunflower instead of saturated oils like coconut, palm and palm kernel oil.

What to Avoid

6. Avoid high-fat dairy products such as whole milk, cream and ice cream, as well as butter and cheese.
7. Limit your use of organ meats such as liver, sweetbreads, kidney and brain.
8. Reduce your intake of high-fat processed meats including hot dogs, bologna and sausage.
9. Forgo duck and goose meat and organs, including foie gras.

How to Cook

10. Look for low-fat cookbooks and recipes.
11. Use egg whites only; don't use the yolk in recipes that call for eggs.
12. Drain off fat with a cooking rack whenever browning.
13. Use cooking methods that require little or no fat such as boiling, baking or broiling.
14. Limit your use of solid fats such as shortening, lard and soft margarine.
15. Use wine, fruit juice or marinade for basting.
16. Trim fat from meat and remove skin from poultry.

Tips & Warnings

• Studies have shown that drinking apple juice daily can help keep cholesterol low. The juice contains high levels of phenol, which reduces LDL oxidation, the process that can lead to heart disease.
• If you have any questions or concerns, contact a physician or other health care professional before engaging in any activity related to health and diet. This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment.