Healthier Eating - Healthier Heart

Healthier Eating - Healthier Heart

WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?

Recent blood tests show that you have too much fat (lipid) in your blood. This can increase your risk of developing heart disease.

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT FATS IN YOUR BLOOD?

and...

HOW DO THESE AFFECT YOUR HEALTH?

Cholesterol is a fatty substance found in everyone's blood, it is important for health. Excess blood cholesterol leads to fatty deposits in blood vessels. Most cholesterol is made from dietary fat and therefore a high fat diet can lead to a raised blood cholesterol level. Certain foods such as liver and eggs are particularly rich in cholesterol but these only have a small effect on blood cholesterol levels.

There are two types of blood cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Raised HDL cholesterol is protective against heart disease, while raised LDL cholesterol causes fatty deposits to form.

Triglycerides are another type of fat found in the blood. Like LDL cholesterol, raised triglyceride levels can increase your risk of heart disease. Being overweight, drinking too much alcohol and eating too many sugary foods contributes to raised levels of triglycerides.

SO WHAT CAN YOU DO?

• Eat less fat.Reducing saturated fat intake can help lower LDL cholesterol and also help you to lose weight. All fats are high in calories but the small amount of fat that we do eat should be mainly from polyunsaturated and monounsaturated sources. Foods which contain fat usually have a mixture of four types:
  SATURATED fats (butter, cheese, meat products, pies and pastries) raise LDL cholesterol.
  POLYUNSATURATED fats (sunflower oil, corn oil, soya oil, and reduced fat spreads high in polyunsaturates) lower total and LDL cholesterol.
  MONOUNSATURATED fats (margarines high in monounsaturates, olive oil, rapeseed oil) raise HDL cholesterol.
  CHOLESTEROL RICH FOODS such as eggs, liver and shellfish. Surprisingly, these have only a small effect on blood cholesterol levels.
• Eat oily fish twice a week to help keep your heart healthy e.g. mackerel, salmon, herring, kippers and sardines.
• Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables. They contain antioxidant vitamins (A and C) which along with vitamin E protect the beneficial effects of polyunsaturated fats. They help stop the development of fatty deposits.
• Take regular exercise. In addition to changing your diet, regular exercise improves blood lipid levels and helps you achieve a healthy body weight. Aim to build up 30 minutes of activity in the course of a day. You may wish to discuss the most suitable activities with your doctor or nurse.

PERSONAL CHANGE PLAN

WHAT CHANGES CAN YOU MAKE TOWARDS EATING FOR A HEALTHIER HEART?

FOODS I CAN EAT MORE OF ... / FOODS I SHOULD EAT LESS OF ...
Fruit & vegetables
Bread
Breakfast cereals
Porridge
Potatoes
Rice / pasta
Fish (especially oily)
Beans & lentils / Meat products
Mayonnaaise
Crisps
Chips
Cakes, biscuits
Sweets & chocolates
Sugary drinks
Salt

BREAD, BREAKFAST CEREALS, POTATOES, RICE & PASTA

Base your meals on these foods. Eat some of them at every meal. E.g. breakfast cereal or porridge, bread or rolls, potatoes, crackers, rice, pasta, or noodles. Choose wholemeal or wholegrain varieties whenever possible. Adjust the number of portions you eat depending on your weight and level of activity.

FRUIT & VEGETABLES

Aim for at least 5 portions each day. Eat some fruit & vegetables with every meal. Count a portion as a banana, apple, orange, glass of fruit juice, bowl of vegetable soup, small salad or 2-3 tablespoons of vegetables. Choose a variety of fresh, frozen, dried & tinned fruits & vegetables.

FISH

Eat fish at least twice weekly, especially oily fish e.g. mackerel, salmon, herring, kippers & sardines.

MEAT & ALTERNATIVES

Choose small - medium portions of lean red meat, pork, chicken & turkey, remembering to remove all visible fat from meat & skin from poultry.

Make meat dishes go further by adding beans & lentils in place of some of the meat e.g. chilli, casseroles & stews. Only eat pies and pastries occasionally e.g. sausage rolls, meat pies and quiche.

COOKING OILS AND SPREADS

Grilling & stir-frying are an alternative to frying. Fry only occasionally using small amounts of sunflower, olive, corn, rapeseed, or soya oils. Try foods without spread or use reduced fat spreads high in mono or polyunsaturates in place of butter or other margarines. Spread thinly. Choose fat free alternatives to sauces, salad dressing & mayonnaise.

MILK & DAIRY FOODS

Aim for 2-3 portions per day. A portion is 1/3 pint milk, small pot of either yoghurt, cottage cheese or fromage frais, small matchbox size of cheddar cheese. Choose reduced fat dairy products e.g. semi-skimmed milk, low fat or diet varieties of yoghurts and fromage frais, reduced fat hard cheeses, reduced fat cheese spreads and cottage cheese. Use less cheese by grating, slicing or spreading thinly.

CAKES, BISCUITS, PASTRIES AND SWEETS

Eat fewer cakes, biscuits, pastries, crisps, nuts, sweets and chocolate. Eat fruit instead.
Drink fewer sugary drinks. Change to diet drinks instead.
Use less sugar in tea, coffee, on breakfast cereal & in cooking. Try artificial sweeteners.

ALCOHOL

As a guide, an alcohol intake of up to 3 units a day for men and up to 2 units a day for women with some alcohol free days is acceptable for good health. Count a unit as 1 glass wine, 1 measure spirit or 1/2 pint of beer.

SALT

Most of the salt we eat comes from processed foods such as sausages, pies and tinned savoury foods. Try to eat fresh foods. Fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, chicken and fresh fish are naturally low in salt

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