Heart-healthy diet

Heart-healthy eating means eating food that can help lower your risk of heart disease, heart attack, and stroke.

You eat lots of heart-healthy foods such as vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans, lean meat, fish, and whole grains. You limit foods that are not so good for your heart, like sodium, alcohol, and sugar. You also balance the calories you eat with your physical activity to stay at a healthy weight.

There are a few heart-healthy eating plans. They include the DASH diet and the Mediterranean diet.

Heart-healthy eating is for everyone. It is not just for people who have heart problems or who are at a high risk for heart problems. Heart-healthy eating focuses on adding more healthy foods to your plan and cutting back on foods that aren't so good for you.

If you already have heart or blood vessel problems, such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure, specific eating plans can help you manage those problems.

You don't have to give up all your favorite recipes to eat in healthier ways. Small changes to your current recipes can help you make meals that are healthier for your heart. Switching a few ingredients can help reduce saturated fat, sodium, and calories in your diet.

Here are some examples.

• Use canola or olive oil instead of shortening or lard.
• Try fat-free milk instead of whole milk.
• Try evaporated skim milk instead of heavy cream.
• Use low-fat or fat-free yogurt or low-fat sour cream instead of regular sour cream.
• Use ground turkey or extra-lean ground beef (97% lean) instead of regular ground beef.
• Use low-sodium canned soup instead of regular canned soup.
• Use herbs, spices, or lemon instead of salt, soy sauce, or barbecue sauce.