Enjoy healthy eating
The health of your heart has a lot to do with the foods that you eat. For good health, the Heart Foundation recommends all Australians follow a cardio-protective eating pattern that includes a variety of foods from all food groups.
Recipe of the week
Click here for the recipe for fish stew.
The Heart Foundation has many more heart healthy recipes that are quick and simple to make for you and your family.
Suggestions to help you maintain a heart healthy diet:
• Aim to eat five serves of colourful vegetables every day
• Aim for two serves of fruit every day
• Include legumes, dried peas, dried or canned beans or lentils in your diet
• Eat moderate amounts of low-fat or reduced-fat dairy products
• Make sure your you’re eating two to three serves of oily fish weekly (fresh or canned)
• Eat moderate amounts of lean unprocessed meat, poultry and game
• Include wholegrain cereals, breads, pasta, noodles and rice in your diet
• Use unsaturated margarine spreads and low saturated fat dairy spreads
• Cook with a variety of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated oils
• Snack on unsalted nuts and seeds
• Stick to foods that are labelled ‘no added salt’, ‘low salt’ or ‘salt reduced’
• Eat foods that are enriched with omega-3s and fish oil supplements
• Stick to water as your preferred drink
• Avoid foods that contain trans fats such as deep-fried foods, takeaway foods and commercially baked goods such as cakes, pies and biscuits
• Choose takeaway meals with the Heart Foundation Tick, as these Tick approved takeaway foods and meals are free from trans fats. Click here to find out more about Tick.
Limit your salt intake. Salt is found in almost every food we eat, but the amount present in different foods varies a great deal. Most of the salt we eat comes from processed foods (e.g.) soy sauce, processed meats, canned soups, stock cubes). It also comes from the salt we add at the table or in cooking. Most fresh foods (vegetables, fruit, nuts and unprocessed meats) contribute little to the amount of salt we eat.
Research suggests that too much salt is linked to high blood pressure and an increased risk of heart disease. If you already have high blood pressure, eating too much salt may further increase your blood pressure.
If you need to alter your eating habits, give yourself plenty of time to make changes that you can maintain. Remember, healthy eating isn’t about deprivation – it’s all about enjoying a variety of healthy foods on most days of the week with the occasional treat. Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight will not only help to reduce your risk of heart disease, but will also give you more energy to do the things you want to.