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Heart Healthy Eating Guide

Do not wait until it is too late
Heart disease is referred to as the silent killer, because it is the number one cause of death in the world and can often strike with little or no symptoms.

Did you know:

• Heart disease is the leading cause of death, killing 3 in every 10 people in the world
• Heart disease kills six times as many women as breast cancer, yet most women are more worried about breast cancer than heart disease

Good news
Approximately 80% or more of all heart disease is preventable!

Risk factors
Risk factors you can not control:

• Age
• Men—age 45 or older
• Women—age 55 or older
• Sex
• Race
• Family history

Risk factors you can control:

• Overweight
• Obesity
• Poor diet
• Physical inactivity
• High cholesterol
• High triglycerides
• High blood pressure
• High blood sugar or diabetes
• Excessive alcohol
• Smoking

Total cholesterol
This is the total amount of cholesterol in your blood. The higher the number, the more likely it is affecting your health.

High-density lipoprotein (HDL)
This is called “good” cholesterol, because it carries excess cholesterol out of the blood and away from the heart.

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL)
This is called “bad” cholesterol, because it can stick to vessel walls, reducing or blocking
blood flow.

Triglycerides
This is another type of fat in your blood. Your body uses alcohol, extra calories, or sugar to produce this type of fat.

What can you do?
Step 1: Limit your trans fat and saturated fat intake

Trans fat: This man-made fat helps to increase the shelf life of foods. Trans fat increases your LDL (bad) cholesterol and decreases your HDL (good) cholesterol. Trans fat (also known as partially hydrogenated oils) are listed as an ingredient on food labels. If possible, avoid all trans fats.

Saturated fat: Saturated fats occur naturally in many foods. The majority come mainly from animal sources, including meat and dairy products. Saturated fats increase the level of total cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol in your blood. High levels of blood cholesterol increase your risk of heart disease and stroke.

Saturated fat raises your LDL cholesterol level more than anything else you eat. It is found in:

• Fatty cuts of meat
• Poultry with skin
• Whole-milk dairy products
• Tropical oils, such as coconut, palm kernel, and palm oils
• Fried foods
• Lard and cream
• Many snacks and sweets

Tips to decrease saturated fat

Step 2: Opt for healthy fats
By replacing saturated fats with monounsaturated fat you can lower your LDL cholesterol and increase your HDL cholesterol. Olive oil and canola oil have a high percentage of monounsaturated fat. But remember that just 1 tablespoon of oil contains approximately 14 grams (g) of fat and 120 calories; so, although it is the healthier fat, you still need to use it in small amounts.

Other foods rich in monounsaturated fats are:

• Olives
• Avocados
• Peanut butter
• Many nuts and seeds

Omega-3 fatty acids: Omega-3 fatty acids are another type of healthy fat (polyunsaturated). Omega-3 fatty acids benefit the heart of healthy people, those at high risk, and those who have heart disease. The American Heart Association recommends eating a variety of fish (preferably fatty fish like mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines, albacore tuna, and salmon) at least twice a week. Other foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids include:

• Flaxseed, canola, and soybean oils
• Flaxseed
• Walnuts

Step 3: Eat enough fiber
Eat beans, whole-grain cereals, and oatmeal, and aim for five servings of fruits and vegetables/day. Anything with 5 g of fiber or more is a high source of fiber. Fiber is good for the whole family. The average American adult consumes 10 g of dietary fiber/day. However, it is recommended that adults consume 25-35 g of fiber/day for optimal health! Recommendations for children older than 3 years of age is to consume their “age plus 5 g” of dietary fiber/day.

Step 4: Practice weight management
Control the calories you consume to take action in managing your weight. It takes 3500 calories to equal 1 pound (lb) of body fat. Cutting back just 500 calories/day can promote a 1 lb weight loss/week. What does 500 calories look like? A 20-fluid-ounce (fl oz) bottle of regular cola plus one regular-sized candy bar equals approximately 500 calories. If you are overweight, just losing 5%-10% of your weight can significantly reduce your blood cholesterol!

Step 5: Exercise regularly
Regular exercise can help raise HDL (good) cholesterol and lower LDL (bad) cholesterol. Aim for 30 minutes of activity or more on most days of the week. Three 10-minute bouts of exercise are just as effective as one 30-minute session.

Step 6: Live a healthy lifestyle
Manage stress, do not smoke, do not drink excess alcohol, and pay attention to food labels using the guide below.

Make better choices
When shopping, compare food labels, and pick foods low in saturated and trans fats, whenever possible. When eating out, ask your server for low-fat or heart-healthy options. Take the steps instead of the elevator, and park farther away on purpose to get extra activity.

What is your number?

<=less than, >=greater than, CAD=coronary artery disease,
dL=deciliter, mL=milliliter

Heart healthy eating

g=gram, mg=milligram

Tips and motivational advice

• “Everything comes too late for those who only wait.”—Elbert Hubbard
• “Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.”—Jim Rohn
• “The difference between try and triumph is just a little umph!”—Marvin Phillips
• “If it is to be, it is up to me.”—William Johnson
• “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”—Lao-tzu
• “Instead of giving yourself reasons why you can’t, give yourself reasons why you can!”—unknown

References and suggested readings
American Heart Association. Learn and live. Available at: http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1200000. Accessed September 10, 2009.

American Heart Association. My fats translator. Available at: http://myfatstranslator.com/. Accessed September 10, 2009.

Mayo Clinic. Heart-healthy diet: 7 steps to prevent heart disease. Available at: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/heart-healthy-diet/NU00196. Accessed September 10, 2009.

MedlinePlus. Heart diseases—prevention. Available at: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/heartdiseasesprevention.html. Accessed September 10, 2009.

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. How you can lower your blood cholesterol: introduction to the heart healthy diet. Available at: http://www.nhlbisupport.com/cgi-bin/chd1/step1intro.cgi . Accessed September 10, 2009.

Contributed by Shawna Gornick-Ilagan, MS, RD, CWPC

Review Date 9/09
G-1109