According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is the leading killer of Americans. In 2005, 652,091 people died from heart disease with the numbers equally divided between men and women. The unfortunate news is that many of these deaths could have been prevented if they had followed the principles of a heart healthy diet.
Step 1
Make an appointment with your doctor for a complete physical examination, including a comprehensive blood lipid analysis. The results will serve as your baseline measurements and indicate how far you've come and how far you have to go. Be sure that it includes total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and triglycerides. File the results away where you'll easily be able to find them in 6 months.
Step 2
Establish a diet and weight goal after meeting with your physician. Most active adults require around 2,000 calories a day--sometimes more, sometimes less. Divide that by three meals a day, and your average caloric intake will be 666 calories. You'll probably eat less at breakfast and more at dinner. The important thing is how the calories average out at the end of the day. Write down everything you eat in a food journal and record the number of calories you're eating. Be sure to weigh your portion sizes; they may be much larger than you think.
Step 3
Refer to the USDA Food Pyramid if heart healthy eating concepts of eating are new to you. Inside the pyramid, you'll discover that all foods can be divided into one of six categories: grains, vegetables, fruits, milk, meat and beans and oils. By clicking on the link at the end of this article you can look inside each category and discover what types of foods are included in each category and how much of each you should eat. For instance, if you click on the grains category, you'll learn that there are two types of grains: whole grains and refined grains. They pyramid will offer suggestions for good sources, what constitutes an average serving and how many calories are contained in each serving so you can stay within your caloric total.
Step 4
Cut back on the the amount of full fat dairy products you eat and slowly replace them with their low or non-fat equivalents. Exchange whole vitamin D milk for 1 or 2 percent milk. Replace stick butter for one of the many margarines or butter equivalents. The American Heart Association recommends that you restrict your total caloric intake from fat to 25 to 30 percent fat. No more than 7 percent of that fat should be in the form of saturated fat and less than 1 percent of your total daily calories should be trans fats.
Step 5
Reduce your total cholesterol intake to less than 300 mg per day - less if you have a family history of heart disease. If your original blood lipid tests came back with LDL values higher than 140 mg/dl, then limit your cholesterol intake to less than 200 mg per day - that's less than the amount contained in one whole egg. Also try increasing your intake of fiber to help reduce your LDL levels. The AHA suggests 25 to 30 grams of fiber a day. Try to get your fiber from natural sources like fruits and vegetables instead of supplements.
Step 6
Lower your sodium intake if you have high blood pressure. The American Heart Association recommends eating no more than 2300 mg of salt a day - in any form. To accomplish this, you may need to start reading the sodium content of foods on labels and switching from snacks with salt to their low or non-sodium equivalent.
Step 7
After six months, have your weight and blood lipids analyzed again and compare them with your original results. If you're not seeing the results you expected, confer with your doctor or a registered dietitian to see where you can make changes.
Tips and Warnings
- Begin your efforts with a complete physical examination. Determine your highest priorities. Makes small changes first.
- Avoid fad diets and programs with pre-packaged foods. Develop life-long dietary habits.
Things You'll Need
- Food weighing scale
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Variety of fresh fruits and vegetables
- Internet access
- Food journal
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