Take care of our heart,
and our heart will take care of us
and our heart will take care of us
Q: Why is “heart-healthy eating” important?
Ans: Heart-healthy eating, along with regular exercise or physical activity, can lower your risk for heart disease and stroke. Heart disease is the number one cause of death for many people, while stroke is the number three cause of death for American women.
Q: What foods should I eat to help lower my risk for heart disease and stroke?
Ans: You should choose these foods most of the time:
Q: What foods should I limit to lower my risk of heart disease and stroke?
Ans: You should limit taking:
Q: How does sodium in food affect my heart?
Ans: Eating foods high in sodium may cause high blood pressure, also called hypertension. Hypertension is a risk factor for heart disease and stroke. You should limit the amount of sodium you eat each day to less than 2,300 milligrams (about 1 teaspoon of salt), including the sodium found in packaged foods that you cannot see.
You should limit your sodium intake to less than 1,500 milligrams (about two-thirds of a teaspoon of salt) if you:
Ans: Potassium lessens the harmful effects of sodium on blood pressure. Try to eat or drink at least 4,700 milligrams of potassium a day. Good sources of potassium include:
Ans: Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance made by your body. It also is found in foods made from animals, like meat and dairy. Fruits and vegetables do not contain cholesterol. There are two types of cholesterol: HDL, or "good" cholesterol, and LDL, or "bad" cholesterol. Higher levels of total cholesterol and LDL or "bad" cholesterol raise your risk for heart disease. Almost half of American women have high or borderline high cholesterol.
You can lower your cholesterol and LDL or "bad" cholesterol by:
Ans: Yes. Seafood contains a type of fat called omega-3 fatty acids. Research suggests that eating about 8 ounces of seafood with omega-3 fatty acids per week can lower your risk of dying from heart disease.
Seafood that naturally contain more oil and are better sources of omega-3 fatty acids include:
Ans: Heart-healthy eating, along with regular exercise or physical activity, can lower your risk for heart disease and stroke. Heart disease is the number one cause of death for many people, while stroke is the number three cause of death for American women.
Q: What foods should I eat to help lower my risk for heart disease and stroke?
Ans: You should choose these foods most of the time:
- Fruits and vegetables. At least half of your plate should be fruits and vegetables.
- Whole grains. At least half of your grains should be whole grains. Whole grains include:
- whole wheat
- whole oats
- oatmeal
- whole-grain corn
- brown rice
- wild rice
- whole rye
- whole-grain barley
- buckwheat
- bulgur
- millet
- sorghum
- Fat-free or low-fat dairy products. These include milk, calcium-fortified soy drinks (soy milk), cheese, yogurt, and other milk products.
- Seafood, skinless poultry, lean meats, beans, eggs, and unsalted nuts.
Q: What foods should I limit to lower my risk of heart disease and stroke?
Ans: You should limit taking:
- Saturated fats. Saturated fat is usually in pizza, ice cream, fried chicken, many cakes and cookies, bacon, and hamburgers. Check the Nutrition Facts label for saturated fat. Less than 10% of your daily calories should be from saturated fats.
- Trans fats. These are found mainly in commercially prepared baked goods, snack foods, fried foods, and margarine. The Food and Drug Administration is taking action to remove artificial trans fats from our food supply because of their risk to heart health. Check the Nutrition Facts label and choose foods with no trans fats as much as possible.
- Cholesterol. Cholesterol is found in foods made from animals, such as bacon, whole milk, cheese made from whole milk, ice cream, full-fat frozen yogurt, and eggs. Fruits and vegetables do not contain cholesterol. Eggs are a major source of dietary cholesterol for Americans, but studies show that eating one egg a day does not increase the risk for heart disease in healthy people. You should eat less than 300 milligrams of cholesterol per day. Check the Nutrition Facts label for cholesterol. Foods with 20% or more of the “Daily Value” of cholesterol are high in cholesterol.
- Sodium. Sodium is found in salt, but most of the sodium we eat does not come from salt that we add while cooking or at the table. Most of our sodium comes from breads and rolls, cold cuts, pizza, hot dogs, cheese, pasta dishes, and condiments (like ketchup and mustard). Limit your daily sodium to less than 2,300 milligrams (equal to a teaspoon), unless your doctor says something else. Check the Nutrition Facts label for sodium. Foods with 20% or more of the “Daily Value” of sodium are high in sodium.
- Added sugars. Foods like fruit and dairy products naturally contain sugar. But you should limit foods that contain added sugars. These include sodas, sports drinks, cake, candy, and ice cream. Check the Nutrition Facts label for added sugars and limit the how much food you eat with added sugars. Look for these other names for sugar in the list of ingredients:
- Corn syrup
- Corn sweetener
- Fructose
- Glucose
- Sucrose
- Dextrose
- Lactose
- Maltose
- Honey
- Molasses
- Raw sugar
- Invert sugar
- Syrup
- Caramel
- Fruit juice concentrates
Q: How does sodium in food affect my heart?
Ans: Eating foods high in sodium may cause high blood pressure, also called hypertension. Hypertension is a risk factor for heart disease and stroke. You should limit the amount of sodium you eat each day to less than 2,300 milligrams (about 1 teaspoon of salt), including the sodium found in packaged foods that you cannot see.
You should limit your sodium intake to less than 1,500 milligrams (about two-thirds of a teaspoon of salt) if you:
- Have high blood pressure
- Are 51 years or older
- Have diabetes
- Have chronic kidney disease
- Eating fewer processed foods. Most of the salt we eat comes from processed foods rather than salt we add to foods we cook.
- Checking the sodium content on the Nutrition Facts label. The sodium content in similar foods can vary a lot. For instance, the sodium content in regular tomato soup may be 700 milligrams (about a third of a teaspoon) per cup in one brand and 1,100 milligrams (about a half a teaspoon) per cup in another brand.
- Seasoning your food with herbs and spices instead of salt. Look for salt-free seasoning combinations in your grocery store.
Ans: Potassium lessens the harmful effects of sodium on blood pressure. Try to eat or drink at least 4,700 milligrams of potassium a day. Good sources of potassium include:
- Bananas (442 milligrams for a medium banana)
- Milk, nonfat and low fat (up to 370 milligrams per cup)
- Orange juice (496 milligrams per 8-ounce glass of 100% orange juice)
- Plain yogurt, nonfat or low fat (up to 579 milligrams per 8-ounce carton)
- Prunes and prune juice (707 milligrams per 8-ounce glass)
- Spinach (up to 419 milligrams per half cup)
- Sweet potatoes (542 milligrams for a medium-sized sweet potato)
- Tomatoes and tomato products (664 milligrams for one-half cup of tomato paste; 405 milligrams for one-half cup of tomato sauce)
- White potatoes (738 milligrams per small potato)
Ans: Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance made by your body. It also is found in foods made from animals, like meat and dairy. Fruits and vegetables do not contain cholesterol. There are two types of cholesterol: HDL, or "good" cholesterol, and LDL, or "bad" cholesterol. Higher levels of total cholesterol and LDL or "bad" cholesterol raise your risk for heart disease. Almost half of American women have high or borderline high cholesterol.
You can lower your cholesterol and LDL or "bad" cholesterol by:
- Limiting foods that are high in saturated fats, trans fats, and cholesterol.
- Limiting cholesterol. Try to eat or drink less than 300 milligrams of cholesterol each day. For comparison, a fast food double-patty plain cheeseburger has about 100 milligrams of cholesterol.
Ans: Yes. Seafood contains a type of fat called omega-3 fatty acids. Research suggests that eating about 8 ounces of seafood with omega-3 fatty acids per week can lower your risk of dying from heart disease.
Seafood that naturally contain more oil and are better sources of omega-3 fatty acids include:
- Salmon
- Trout
- Mackerel
- Anchovies
- Sardines