Put your heart into healthy eating.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death among Americans. Risk factors such as high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, diabetes, and being overweight all increase your risk of developing heart disease.  A healthy diet can help lower or control these risk factors. So put your heart into healthy eating.  Here are four ways to do that. 

Eat smart.

Put an eating plan in place that offers a balance of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, healthy fats, and low/fat-free dairy products.  How you eat daily makes a real difference in your health over time. Take a look at how you’re currently eating and see if you can make some switches.  

• Add seafood, lean meats, poultry, beans, eggs, and unsalted nuts for protein.
• Grill, steam, or bake instead of frying and flavor with spices, not sauces.
• Use smaller plates to help limit portion sizes.
  
• Take your time and chew slowly. Really think about textures and flavors as you eat.

Dine out the healthy way. 

Try some of these strategies to dine out and eat healthy too:

• Control portion size by eating half your entrée and take the rest home for another meal.
• Limit calories by choosing foods that are broiled, baked, or roasted.
• Ask for low-sodium options from the menu.
• Leave off or ask for butter, gravy, sauces, or salad dressing on the side.

Plan to eat heart-healthy.

Incorporate some HDL-friendly foods into your daily diet. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is the good kind of cholesterol. HDL is like a vacuum cleaner or snowplow for cholesterol in the body. When it’s at healthy levels in your blood (the higher the better), it removes extra cholesterol and plaque buildup in your arteries. Foods that help increase your HDL include: 

• Olive oil
• Beans and legumes
• Whole grains
• High-fiber fruits (prunes, apples, pears)
• Fatty fish (wild-caught salmon, albacore tuna, trout)
• Seeds (flaxseed, chia seeds)
• Nuts (brazil nuts, almonds, pistachios)
• Soy (edamame, tofu)
• Avocado

Choose healthy snacks.

Enjoy treats with fewer calories that fit into your daily eating plan.

• Cup of red seedless grapes, small banana, pear, or other fruit
• Cup of cherry tomatoes
• Handful of unsalted nuts
• Half cup of low-fat, no sugar added Greek yogurt