Food for a Healthy Heart

The food you eat may help reduce your risk of heart disease. Changing what you eat can protect you from heart problems.

Encourage your family to eat healthily with you and they will benefit too, now and in the future.

This leaflet offers you advice to choose food to protect your heart.

Read the information inside thoroughly.

Think about the foods and meals you usually eat at the moment. Writing it down might help.

Think about what changes you need to make. Which ones would be easy? Which ones might be harder? Why? Can you think of ways around any problems?

Plan what you are going to do. You could use the Action Planner reminder to help.

If you have a lot of changes to make, start with the easiest ones. When you have tried these, look again at your list and try some others!

Get some support, tell family or a friend what you are trying to do and ask them to help.

If you feel stuck, or have a bad week, don't give up completely, even small changes can be beneficial and you can always make a fresh start!

To protect your heart eat more of these foods:

Eat more fruit and vegetables

• aim for at least 5 portions a day.
• one apple, banana, pear etc.
• two smaller fruits (plums, satsumas etc).
• a dessert bowl of salad (use low fat dressing).
• a glass of unsweetened fruit juice can count as one portion each day.
• 2 tablespoons of vegetables.

How many portions do you eat now?

........................................................... day/week

Eat more fish

• especially oily fish like sardines, mackerel, pilchards and salmon.
• 2 portions a week of these will cut your risk of heart attack.
  Try - sardines on toast.
• Pilchard sandwiches.
• Salmon, potatoes & vegetables.
• Mackerel curry, or use in salads.
• Rice and pasta dishes ( like risotto or pasta bakes).

How many portions do you eat now?

........................................................... week/month

Choose

margarines and cooking oils that are based on rapeseed or olive oils. Many 'vegetable oils' are actually rapeseed oil - check the label.

Whatever you choose - only use small amounts.

See 'cooking tips' for ideas on cooking with less fat.

Cut down on all fats and fatty foods

Avoid

• Fatty meat and meat products (pate, sausages, burgers, kebabs).
• Pastry, fried foods (pies, samosas, pakoras, chips).
• Lard, dripping, ghee, butter, cream.
• Crisps and chocolate.

Choose Instead

• Lean meat - trim fat/skin off meat and chicken ( low fat sausages and pates).
• Jacket/boiled potatoes, sandwiches with low fat fillings.
• Vegetable or olive oil.
• Low fat creme fraiche, yoghurt, fromage frais, fruit.

More ideas for Healthier Eating

Eat lower fat dairy products regularly - such as semi skimmed milk, low fat yoghurts, fromage frais; these provide vital calcium. Choose lower fat types of cheese e.g. cottage, Edam, Brie, Camembert and half fat cheeses and spreads AND eat only a small portion as part of a meal.

Eat plenty of starchy food to give you energy these include - potatoes, chappatis, bread, rice, pasta and breakfast cereals. Try whole-grain varieties and eat some at every meal.

Which cooking fat do you use now?

..................................................................

Which spreading fat do you use now?

..................................................................

Cut down on salt and salty foods

Don't add salt to your food at the table and try to choose less salty processed foods. Remember there is a lot of salt in ready meals, tinned and packet foods. Try herbs/spices to flavour your cooking instead of salt.

Eat more - beans, dahls, pulses and oats! Try baked beans, mushy peas, dahls, kidney beans, lentils, oat based cereals and porridge.

Keep your alcohol within safe limits

If you are overweight - try to lose some. Don't forget that keeping active and stopping smoking will help your heart.

If you need more advice/information - ask your Practice Nurse or www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk

Cooking Tips

My Action Plan for Healthier Eating - fill in some things you want to change and tick when you've done it.