Healthy Heart Tips

Eating for a healthy heart needed be difficult - just follow as many of dietitian Juliette Kellow's healthy heart food tips as you can.

Eating for a Healthy Heart… Made Easy

By WLR Dietitian

Juliette Kellow BSc RD

• Eat fewer fried and fatty foods such as cream, butter, full-fat dairy products, fatty red meat, cakes, biscuits, pastries and takeaways – and find lower-fat alternatives instead.
   
• If you have to use oil, go for one that’s packed with monounsaturates such as olive oil or rapeseed oil.
   
• Top salads with heart-healthy avocado instead of mayonnaise. It’s not as high in calories as you think – half a small avocado contains just 95 calories. That’s less than a tablespoon of mayo!
   
• Eat five servings of fruit and veg every day – they’re low in fat and calories but will help to fill you up.
   
• Go for high-fibre carbs such as wholemeal bread, wholegrain cereals, brown rice and wholewheat pasta. They’re far more filling than the white stuff.
   
• Start your day with a bowl of porridge or instant oat cereal.
   
• Use a little less meat in dishes like stews, soups and casseroles and add barley, lentils or beans instead.
   
• Swap a pot of regular yogurt for a soya yogurt or make a fruit shake using soya milk and fruit.
   
• Eat oily fish once a week – swap canned tuna for grilled fresh tuna, lunch on sardines with toast or serve salmon for dinner.
   
• Slash the salt content of your diet – check salt levels before you buy.
   
• If you drink, stick to sensible limits – that’s no more than 3-4 units a day for men and 2-3 units daily for women.
   
• Have a look at my Healthy Heart Diet article for more in-depth information on heart health. Then use the food diary and tools in WLR to see how it all fits together, you can try it free for 24 hours.

Further Information

The British Heart Foundation has comprehensive info and advice, see All Your Heart Health Questions Answered.

The US FDA have a colourful PDF showing the elements of a healthy heart diet.

The BBC website has more information about risk factors and prevention.

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