Love Your Heart

Want to love your heart, and not break it? Follow these nutrition tips
for a healthy heart that will love you back!

By Anna Holland, RD
Huntsville Hospital Wellness Center dietitian

♥ Limit saturated fat to 15 grams per day. Sources include whole-fat dairy products, butter, margarine, red meat, pork, poultry skin, coconut, palm and palm kernel oils.
♥ Cut the trans fat. Trans fat or hydrogenated oil raises your bad cholesterol and lowers your good. Stay away from vegetable shortenings, stick margarines, frozen biscuits, buttery crackers, cookies and fried foods.
♥ Consume adequate fiber, plant sterols and Omega 3 fatty acids to decrease cholesterol. Consuming 25 to 30 grams of fiber per day from natural sources like whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts, fruits and vegetables will lower cholesterol. Plant sterols found in trans fat-free margarines like Benecol and Promise Light can lower cholesterol 4 to 14 percent. Omega 3 fatty acids found in salmon, tuna, walnuts, canola oil and flaxseed also can reduce cholesterol. Try to consume fish two times per week or eight ounces total.
♥ Eat healthy fats in moderation. Mono and polyunsaturated fats are good sources of fat that improve heart health. These include olive oil, almonds, cashews, pecans, walnuts, peanut butter, avocado, olives, salmon, tuna, canola or peanut oil and sunflower or pumpkin seeds.
♥ Halt the salt. The daily recommendation for salt is 2,400 mg, but the average American consumes 4,000 to 6,000 mg per day. Ten percent of sodium is found naturally in foods, 15 percent is added at the table and 75 percent is already processed in foods.
♥ Eat a balanced, healthy diet. Consume 100 percent whole grains and whole-wheat products, oats, lean proteins such as skinless turkey, chicken, fish, lean or round cuts of meat, and plenty of fruits and vegetables. Use low fat dairy products to cut down on saturated fat such as 1 percent or skim milk and low-sugar/low-fat yogurt. Lighten up margarines, condiments and cheese.
♥ Limit alcohol. Healthy recommendations for alcohol consumption are two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women. One drink consists of 5 ounces wine, 12 ounces beer, and 1½ ounces hard liquor. If you don’t drink, don’t start with the impression it will improve your health. If you do drink, limit the serving size and choose red wine in moderation.
♥ Get to a healthy weight. Losing just 5 percentof extra weight significantly lowers cholesterol and blood pressure. Carrying extra fat around the middle increases risk for heart disease. Men should have a waist measuring less than 40 inches while women’s waists should be less than 35 inches. Burning more than you consume through exercise and portion control will help with weight management.

Anna Holland earned her bachelors degree in nutrition from Samford University in Birmingham and was certified as a registered and licensed dietitian in 2006. She has since worked at Huntsville Hospital, counseling individuals about weight loss, malnutrition and a variety of other nutrition topics. She teaches group classes at the Huntsville Hospital Wellness Centers. Call 265-WELL to connect with a Huntsville Hospital Wellness Center near you.