The American Heart Association recommends a low-fat, low-calorie diet to help reduce the risk of heart disease, the number one killer of Americans. A diet that is low in fat and calories is not only heart-healthy but can also help with losing or maintaining weight and preventing a variety of other health problems, including diabetes and high cholesterol.
Nutrition Basics
Before cutting back on calories and fat, it is important to understand the basic components of a healthy diet so you don't deprive your body of vital nutrients. The USDA offers a Food Guide Pyramid with healthy eating guidelines. The Pyramid can be customized for your individual body and activity level. The Pyramid lists the basic food groups to include in a healthy diet, including grains, fruits, vegetables, milk, and meat and beans. A balanced diet includes foods from each of these groups and limits junk food, fast food and sweets.
Unhealthy Fats
A low-fat diet should limit or exclude bad fats from your eating. Bad fats include saturated fats and trans fats, which are found in animal sources such as whole milk products and red meat and processed foods such as chips, desserts, and processed meats and cheeses. These fats are also high in calories, so cutting them out will help you reduce your caloric intake. According to the American Heart Association, saturated fat should make up less than 7 percent of your total caloric intake for a heart-healthy diet.
Good Fats
A low-fat, heart healthy diet should still include some fats, however, in the form of good fats. Good fats include monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which occur in vegetable oils, avocados, fish, nuts and flax seed. Omega-3 fatty acids found in oily fish such as salmon and tuna are especially beneficial, as they help the body perform vital functions, as well as lower cholesterol. The American Heart Association recommends eating at least 3.5 servings of oily fish a week.
Fruits and Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables offer a wide range of vitamins, as well as fiber, iron and calcium. The American Heart Association recommends eating at least four and a half cups of fruits and vegetables a day for a heart-healthy diet. Eat a variety of colors of vegetables, as different colored foods have different nutrients. Dark green vegetables, for instance, are rich in A, C and K, folate, iron and calcium, and orange vegetables are rich in vitamin A and fiber. Also choose a variety of fruits each day, and eat whole fruits instead of drinking fruit juices, as many juices have additives, extra sugar and less nutrients.
Cutting Calories
There are a variety of ways to cut calories from your diet. Help Guide suggests cutting down your portion sizes, eating slowly and consuming more frequent, small meals and snacks instead of a few large meals. Eating more often will make you less likely to become extremely hungry and gorge yourself at your next meal. Also, plan ahead and bring snacks with you when are out, so you are not tempted to grab some fast food. Drinks can be a calorie fest as well, so drink water instead of soda and beverages.
