Heart Healthy Foods, Learn how to keep your heart healthy

What are Heart Healthy Foods

Nutrition plays a role in four of the risk factors for heart, stroke and blood vessel disease: - high blood lipids (fats), high blood pressure, diabetes and overweight.

Heart foods and healthy eating is about choosing:

Mainly plant-based foods – vegetables, fruit and legumes (dried peas, dried beans and lentils) and grain based foods (preferably wholegrain) such as bread, pasta, noodles and rice;

Moderate amounts of lean meats, poultry, fish and reduced fat dairy product. Meat should be trimmed of visible fat and not have a lot of “marbling”, chicken without skin and eat processed meats sparingly i.e salami.

Moderate amounts of polyunsaturated or monounsaturated oils and fats which are heart healthy foods. Use these instead of saturated fats.

Saturated fats include: butter, lard, dripping, fat on all animals (Except fish), palm oil, coconut oil/milk, full fat dairy products, cream.
Unsaturated fats include margarine, oily fish, vegetable and nut oils (i.e canola, olive, sunflower, peanut oil)
A note on legumes and nuts. These are extremely heart healthy foods as it can help lower your cholesterol. See “cholesterol and diet”
Incorporate dried peas (e.g. split peas), dried beans (e.g. haricot beans, kidney beans), canned beans (e.g. baked beans, three bean mix) or lentils into two meals a week.
Add them to soups i.e minestrone soup.
Add them to salads i.e chicken salad with chickpeas.
Add them to meat dishes i.e lentil and beef lasagne. In other recipes, such as casseroles, you can half the meat volume and add the rest as legumes. This is not only healthier but cheaper as well.
Choose plain unsalted nuts as a snack or add them to salads and stir fries.

The Heart Foundation Tick (Applicable to Australia)

The Tick is the Heart Foundation’s guide to heart healthy foods.

It will help you make healthier food choices quickly and easily. Foods with the Tick are healthier choices among foods of their type.

Tick foods are lower in saturated fat, sodium (salt) and where appropriate kilojoules. Some are also higher in fibre.

All foods are independently tested and assessed against strict nutritional guidelines before getting the Tick of approval.

Try foods with the Tick for a taste of healthier eating.

Diet for Heart Patients

Altough foods for the heart are important sometimes following a diet is easier. Try some of these useful tips on the Diet for Heart Patients page!

Click Here For Information on Diet for Heart Patients

Foods High in Vitamin K

Vitamin K has an important role in activating clotting factors in your blood.

Click Here For Information on Foods High in Vitamin K

The Mediterranean diet

This diet has long been associated with a healthy heart. Mediterranean countries have low incidence of heart disease. This may be due to a high consumption of: fish, olive oil, olives, nuts, fruits, wise, grains and low consumption and red meats and fatty, processed foods, compared to other countries. See (copy of Mediterranean diet) for a typical Mediterranean diet.

Click Here For a Copy of Mediterranean Diet

Cholesterol And Diet
Finally Understand what cholesterol really does to your body! Click Here For information on Cholesterol and Diet

Foods that Lower Blood Pressure
Find out how some of your foods might help! Click Here For information on Foods That Lower Blood Pressure

Low Sodium Meals
Understand How Low Sodium Meals Can help your heart! Click Here For information on Low Sodium Meals

Olive Oil Nutrition Facts

Olive Oil has been a part of Mediterranean culture for thousands of years. The reason been is that although it's an oil it still has many beneficial properties for our bodies! Read on to learn why Olive Oil Nutrition Facts are so great compared to other oils!

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Olive Oil Health
Why Just 1 tablespoon a day can reduce heart problems! Click Here For information on Olive Oil Health