Nutrition for a Healthy Heart
 Barbara Roberts, MD, FACC, board-certified cardiologist and director of the Women’s Cardiac Center at the Miriam Hospital, offers tips on how to have heart-healthy nutrition practices.
Healthy eating habits can help you reduce risk factors for heart attack and stroke. Eating healthy can assist in the prevention of high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure and excess body weight.
Roberts says, “a heart-healthy diet is a plant-based diet.” She suggests that women eat lots of colorful fruit and vegetables, whole grains, legumes (beans), nuts and olive oil as their main source of fat calories. Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated oils, which raise the level of HDL or “good” cholesterol.
Roberts says, “Meat should be treated as a condiment, not an entrée. Remember, chicken is meat. Keep all meats to a minimum. Instead, eat fatty fishes, like salmon, trout and herring at least twice a week.”
Roberts advises women to use dairy products that are made from skim or 1% milk. If you don’t have a problem with alcohol, a glass of red wine with dinner will also help by raising your level of good cholesterol. Avoid processed foods as much as possible–they often contain trans-fats (also called partially hydrogenated vegetable oils). These artificial fats raise the bad cholesterol and lower the good cholesterol, exactly what you do not want to do.
Speak to your health care provider or a registered dietitian for a specific nutrition plan that is right for you.
Back
|
