Healthy Food Choices for the Heart

Heart disease is the number one killer of Americans so a proper diet is important. Learn about the foods you should be eating for a heart healthy diet in this nutrition video.

Take Action

Avoid foods high in saturated fat, sodium & cholesterol
Vegetable oils & whole grains are good for the heart
Use canola oil instead of butter
Drink skim milk

About this Author

Mary Hondros graduated from University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Science in Dietetics. She currently works as a nutritionist for New Hanover County Schools in North Carolina. Her main focus is to teach children to improve nutritional habits.

MARY HONDROS: Now I'm going to talk a little bit about keeping your heart healthy with the diet that you eat. With heart disease being the number 1 killer of all Americans, both men and women, heart health is something that everybody needs to think about. So we should all be trying to follow a heart-healthy diet and keep in mind that foods that are high in saturated fat, transfat, cholesterol, and sodium all promote heart disease and promote bad health for our hearts. Foods that those things are found in are usually animal products like meats and milks, and full fat cheeses and things like that. Things that are healthy for your heart would include vegetable oils, whole grain foods because they're full of fiber, and of course, fruits and vegetables, you know, the recommended 5 to 9 servings a day. So, 4 tips if you're trying to follow a heart-healthy diet. Just remember, A, to replace whatever you cook in, whether it be oil or--I'm sorry, or margarine or butter, replace that with something like canola oil or extra virgin olive oil. Those are great substitutes to fry your food in or to bake your food in. Secondly, remember to choose skim milk, skim yogurt, low fat cheeses because those are lower in saturated fat, which helps reduce your risk. Thirdly, choose fish twice a week because it's rich in Omega 3 fatty acids and will also help reduce your risk for heart disease. And lastly, just remember to eat whole grain products such as whole grain pasta, whole grain rice, oatmeal, things like that, because it's rich in fiber and that helps lower your cholesterol, which in turn helps lower your risk for heart disease. So those are 4 tips on keeping your heart healthy.

Healthy Food Choices for the Heart Video

Take Action

About this Author

Member Comments