Lifestyle Changes for a Healthier Heart

Making Changes

You don't have to change everything at once or give up all your favorite foods. The tips below can help you think about small changes you could make to eat less fat and more fiber. Use them to set some goals for yourself to help reduce your risk of heart disease.

Tips for Eating Less Fat

There are many sources of fat in foods. Some are easy to see, like the margarine you spread on bread or the cheese you put in a sandwich. Other sources of fat are hidden, like the fat in hamburgers, sauces, bakery goods, and candy.

How do you cut the excess fat in your diet? Here are some tips:

• Learn to read food labels. If you know what to look for, reading labels will help you choose foods with the least fat and calories.
• Look for lower-fat substitutes for high-fat foods. You might try reduced-fat or fat-free salad dressing, fat-free muffins, tuna packed in water, or baked tortilla chips. Just don't eat more of the lower-fat choices, or you may end up eating as much or more fat and more calories.
• Adjust your recipes. When you bake, replace half the fat with applesauce. Use only half the fat called for in soups, stews, and casseroles. When you use oil, choose olive or canola oil. And use less than the recipe calls for.
• Give up high-fat foods that you don't crave. If you don't care about cheese, ask for your sandwich without cheese. Order a vegetable pizza and ask for half the cheese.
• Keep a few high-fat foods that you can't live without. Just eat small amounts less often. If you love chocolate, have a little now and then—but not a whole candy bar each day.

Tips for Eating More Fiber

You need 20 to 35 grams of fiber a day. Most people eat about half that much. Fiber fills you up without adding calories. Here are some ideas for adding fiber to your diet:

• Eat more fresh vegetables and fruit. Include a salad with lunch or dinner. (Just go light on the dressing.) Add frozen vegetables to a can of soup. Try fresh, cut-up vegetables for snacks. Or top fat-free frozen yogurt with fruit.
• Build meals around whole grains. Try whole-wheat bread, bran cereal, brown or wild rice, and barley or kasha (buckwheat).
• Bake potatoes or yams and eat them with the skin on.
• Replace meat with canned or cooked beans a few times a week.
• Choose oatmeal or bran cereals. Top with 1 tablespoon of oat bran or wheat germ.
• For snacks, try air-popped popcorn, low-fat whole-wheat or rye crackers, or fresh or dried fruit.

Setting Your Goals

By now, you can most likely see many changes you could make to eat less fat and more fiber. You don't have to make them all at once. Pick one or two things you'd like to start with. Write them on a piece of paper. After you finish reading all the tips here, you'll use these goals to make a plan for reducing your risks for heart disease.