Getting to the Heart of a Healthful Diet
- Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables. Eat at least 4½ cups each day.
- Eat a variety of fiber-rich whole grains. Eat at least three 1-ounce-equivalent servings a day.
- Include protein, such as fat-free and low-fat milk products, fish, legumes, beans, skinless poultry, and lean, white meats. Limit red meats and processed meat. For nuts, legumes, and seeds, eat at least four servings a week. For processed meats, eat no more than two servings a week. When eating fish, choose oily fish, like salmon. Eat at least two, 3½-ounce servings a week.
- Limit foods high in saturated fat, trans fat, and/or cholesterol, such as full-fat milk products, fatty meats, tropical oils, partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, and egg yolks. Instead choose foods low in saturated fat,and cholesterol from the first three points above. Saturated fat should be less than 7% of your total energy intake. Try to eliminate intake of trans fats, which are found in snack foods, fried foods, and pastries.
- Limit your intake of foods high in calories or low in nutrition, including foods like soft drinks and candy that have a lot of sugars. For sugar-sweetened beverages, do not have more than 450 calories (36 ounces) a week.
- Eat less than 1,500 milligrams of salt per day. Read food labels to look for hidden salt, which may appear as sodium.
- Have no more than one alcoholic drink per day if you're a woman and no more than two if you're a man.
American Heart Association http://www.heart.org
US Department of Agriculture http://www.usda.gov
Canadian Cardiovascular Society http://www.ccs.ca
Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada http://www.heartandstroke.com
Dietary recommendations for cardiovascular disease prevention. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: https://dynamed.ebscohost.com/about/about-us. Updated August 26, 2013. Accessed October 17, 2013.
Greene CM, Fernandez ML.The role of nutrition in the prevention of coronary heart disease in women of the developed world. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2007;16(1):1-9.
Healthy diet goals. Nutrition Center. American Heart Association website. Available at: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/HealthyDietGoals/Healthy-Diet-Goals%5FUCM%5F310436%5FSubHomePage.jsp. Accessed October 17, 2013.
6/5/2009 DynaMed's Systematic Literature Surveillance https://dynamed.ebscohost.com/about/about-us: Sinha R, Cross AJ, Graubard BI, Leitzmann MF, Schatzkin A. Meat intake and mortality: a prospective study of over half a million people. Arch Intern Med. 2009;169:562-571.
- Reviewer: Michael Woods, MD
- Review Date: 10/2013 -
- Update Date: 10/17/2013 -
This content is reviewed regularly and is updated when new and relevant evidence is made available. This information is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with questions regarding a medical condition.
Copyright © EBSCO Publishing
All rights reserved.