Foods That Do a Heart Good

Diet and Lifestyle Changes

Making diet and lifestyle changes will have long-term benefits on your health and your heart. These recommendations are from the American Heart Association.

Regular physical activity can help maintain your weight, keep off weight that you lose, and help you reach physical and cardiovascular fitness. It's also important to eat a variety of nutritious foods from all the food groups. To get the nutrients you need, choose vegetables, fruits, whole-grain products, and fat-free or low-fat dairy products most often.

As you make daily food choices, base your eating pattern on these recommendations:

1. Choose lean meats and poultry without skin, and prepare them without added saturated and trans fats.
2. Select fat-free, 1 percent fat and low-fat dairy products. 
3. Cut back on foods with partially hydrogenated vegetable oils to reduce trans fat in your diet. 
4. Cut back on foods high in dietary cholesterol. Aim to eat less than 300 milligrams of cholesterol each day. 
5. Cut back on beverages and foods with added sugars. 
6. Choose and prepare foods with little or no salt. Aim to eat less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium a day. 
7. If you drink alcohol, drink in moderation. That means one drink a day if you're a woman and two if you're a man. 
8. Follow the American Heart Association recommendations when you eat out, and keep an eye on your portion sizes. 
9. Don't smoke tobacco -- and stay away from tobacco smoke.