Guess what? I like nuts , grains and berries, and CHEESE, beef and pork and just about anything in the food line! I eat eggs fried in real butter every day of my life and when the doctor found that out he had me go have a heart cath done! The heart cath proved that I had not problems with blockage and infact they told me my heart looked like a brand new one! I have no trouble with colesterol . So I will continue to eat the way I have always eaten, fresh from the farm food all grown naturally! My animals eat what they would eat if they were left to their own. There is no factory made foods bought for my animals! There was at one time but I learned better so now they and we all eat natural ! I love Cheese ! Natural aged cheese !

Raggs,
if the progs have their way, the welfare perps might be the only ones that can AFFORD cheese!!

We are talking 3oz per day…not a Kraft 24 slice packet.

Yep… It sure didn’t take long for the morons to come out of the ground… ( like you )

I was going to post that I love cheese and that I was afraid obama and idiots would take that from children… Guess I was right..

You my friend are completely stupid! I have been eating cheese ALL of my life and I’m in good health and not over weight.. your tofu diet is just what you need.
So you do that and STOP telling people what the F-K they need to eat!
People like you sicken even the most caring people, you give a very bad name ( as with michelle obama )to this country!

Cathy,

Diseases and Conditions Symptoms Drugs and Supplements Tests and Procedures Healthy Lifestyle First Aid Home Diseases and Conditions Heart disease In-Depth Heart-healthy diet: 8 steps to prevent heart disease Heart diseaseBasics In-Depth Multimedia Expert Answers Resources What’s New Alternative medicine (1)
Chelation therapy for heart disease

Causes (1)
Chagas disease

Complications (2)
Flu shots: Especially important if you have heart disease

Myocardial ischemia

Lifestyle and home remedies (6)
Heart-healthy diet: 8 steps to prevent heart disease

Menus for heart-healthy eating: Cut the fat and salt

Nuts and your heart: Eating nuts for heart health

see all in Lifestyle and home remedies
Prevention (8)
Mediterranean diet: Choose this heart-healthy diet option

Healthy savings: The art of frugal food shopping

Main attraction: 10 vegetable main dishes

see all in Prevention
Risk factors (5)
Obesity

Metabolic syndrome

Heart disease in women: Understand symptoms and risk factors

see all in Risk factors
Symptoms (4)
Edema

Tachycardia

Bradycardia

see all in Symptoms
Tests and diagnosis (5)
Blood tests for heart disease

Cardiac catheterization

C-reactive protein test

see all in Tests and diagnosis
Treatments and drugs (5)
Daily aspirin therapy: Understand the benefits and risks

Cardioversion

Angina treatment: Stents, drugs, lifestyle changes — What’s best?

see all in Treatments and drugs
Free
E-Newsletters
Subscribe to receive the latest updates on health topics.
About our newsletters

Housecall
Alzheimer’s caregiving
Living with cancer

close window
About our e-newsletters
Free e-newsletters
Mayo Clinic expertise
We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.

Housecall Archives RSS Feeds
close window
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
Free weekly e-newsletter
Mayo Clinic expertise
Recipes, tools and other helpful information
We do not share your e-mail address
Sign up
View past issues
Mayo Clinic Health ManagerGet free personalized health guidance for you and your family.

Get Started Heart-healthy diet: 8 steps to prevent heart disease
Changing your eating habits can be tough. Start with these eight strategies to kick-start your way toward a heart-healthy diet.
By Mayo Clinic staff

Although you might know eating certain foods can increase your heart disease risk, it’s often tough to change your eating habits. Whether you have years of unhealthy eating under your belt or you simply want to fine-tune your diet, here are eight heart-healthy diet tips. Once you know which foods to eat more of and which foods to limit, you’ll be on your way toward a heart-healthy diet.

1. Limit unhealthy fats and cholesterol
Of the possible changes, limiting how much saturated and trans fats you eat is the most important step you can take to reduce your blood cholesterol and lower your risk of coronary artery disease. A high blood cholesterol level can lead to a buildup of plaques in your arteries, called atherosclerosis, which can increase your risk of heart attack and stroke.

The American Heart Association offers these guidelines for how much fat and cholesterol to include in a heart-healthy diet:

Type of fat Recommendation
Saturated fat Less than 7 percent of your total daily calories
Trans fat Less than 1 percent of your total daily calories
Cholesterol Less than 300 milligrams a day for healthy adults; less than 200 milligrams a day for adults with high levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or “bad,” cholesterol or those who are taking cholesterol-lowering medication

The best way to reduce saturated and trans fats in your diet is to limit the amount of solid fats — butter, margarine and shortening — you add to food when cooking and serving. You can also reduce the amount of saturated fat in your diet by trimming fat off your meat or choosing lean meats with less than 10 percent fat.

You can also use low-fat substitutions when possible for a heart-healthy diet. For example, top your baked potato with salsa or low-fat yogurt rather than butter, or use low-sugar fruit spread on your toast instead of margarine.

You may also want to check the food labels of some cookies, crackers and chips. Many of these snacks — even those labeled “reduced fat” — may be made with oils containing trans fats. One clue that a food has some trans fat in it is the phrase “partially hydrogenated” in the ingredient list.

When you do use fats, choose monounsaturated fats, such as olive oil or canola oil. Polyunsaturated fats, found in nuts and seeds, also are good choices for a heart-healthy diet. When used in place of saturated fat, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats may help lower your total blood cholesterol. But moderation is essential. All types of fat are high in calories.

Fats to choose Fats to limit
Olive oil
Canola oil
Margarine that’s free of trans fats
Cholesterol-lowering margarine, such as Benecol, Promise activ or Smart Balance
Butter
Lard
Bacon fat
Gravy
Cream sauce
Nondairy creamers
Hydrogenated margarine and shortening
Cocoa butter, found in chocolate
Coconut, palm, cottonseed and palm-kernel oils

2. Choose low-fat protein sources
Lean meat, poultry and fish, low-fat dairy products, and egg whites or egg substitutes are some of your best sources of protein. But be careful to choose lower fat options, such as skim milk rather than whole milk and skinless chicken breasts rather than fried chicken patties.

Fish is another good alternative to high-fat meats. And certain types of fish are heart healthy because they’re rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which can lower blood fats called triglycerides. You’ll find the highest amounts of omega-3 fatty acids in cold-water fish, such as salmon, mackerel and herring. Other sources are flaxseed, walnuts, soybeans and canola oil.

Legumes — beans, peas and lentils — also are good sources of protein and contain less fat and no cholesterol, making them good substitutes for meat. Substituting soy protein for animal protein — for example, a soy burger for a hamburger — will reduce your fat and cholesterol intake.

Proteins to choose Proteins to avoid
Skim or low-fat (1 percent) milk
Fat-free or low-fat dairy products, such as yogurt and cheese
Egg whites or egg substitutes
Fish, especially fatty, cold-water fish, such as salmon
Skinless poultry
Legumes
Soybeans and soy products, for example, soy burgers and tofu
Lean ground meats
Full-fat milk and other dairy products
Organ meats, such as liver
Egg yolks
Fatty and marbled meats
Spareribs
Cold cuts
Frankfurters, hot dogs and sausages
Bacon
Fried or breaded meats

3. Eat more vegetables and fruits
Vegetables and fruits are good sources of vitamins and minerals; they are low in calories and rich in dietary fiber. Vegetables and fruits also contain substances found in plants that may help prevent cardiovascular disease. Eating more fruits and vegetables may help you eat less high-fat foods, such as meat, cheese and snack foods.

Featuring vegetables and fruits in your diet can be easy. Keep vegetables washed and cut in your refrigerator for quick snacks. Keep fruit in a bowl in your kitchen so that you’ll remember to eat it. Choose recipes that have vegetables or fruits as the main ingredient, such as vegetable stir-fry or fresh fruit mixed into salads.

Fruits and vegetables to choose Fruits and vegetables to avoid
Fresh or frozen vegetables and fruits
Low-sodium canned vegetables
( Foods to avoid)

Canned fruit packed in juice or water
Coconut
Vegetables with creamy sauces
Fried or breaded vegetables
Canned fruit packed in heavy syrup
Frozen fruit with sugar added

4. Select whole grains
Whole grains are good sources of fiber and other nutrients that play a role in regulating blood pressure and heart health. You can increase the amount of whole grains in a heart-healthy diet by making simple substitutions for refined grain products.

Another easy way to add whole grains to your diet is ground flaxseed. Flaxseeds are small brown seeds that are high in fiber and omega-3 fatty acids, which can lower your total blood cholesterol. You can grind the seeds in a coffee grinder or food processor and stir a teaspoon of them into yogurt, applesauce or hot cereal.

Grain products to choose Grain products to avoid
Whole-wheat flour
Whole-grain bread, preferably 100 percent whole-wheat or 100 percent whole-grain bread
High-fiber cereal with 5 or more grams of fiber a serving
Whole grains such as brown rice, barley and buckwheat (kasha)
Whole-grain pasta
Oatmeal (steel-cut or regular)
Ground flaxseed

( Grain foods to avoid)
White, refined flour
White bread
Muffins
Frozen waffles
Corn bread
Doughnuts
Biscuits
Quick breads
Granola bars
Cakes
Pies
Egg noodles
Buttered popcorn
High-fat snack crackers

© 1998-2010 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). All rights reserved. A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. “Mayo,” “Mayo Clinic,” “MayoClinic.com,” “EmbodyHealth,” “Enhance your life,” and the triple-shield Mayo Clinic logo are trademarks of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.
Print Share Reprints close window
E-mail this page