EATING FOR A HEALTHY HEART
Coronary heart disease is the greatest single cause of death in this
country. It happens when cholesterol builds up on the inside walls of the
arteries that supply blood to the heart. The blood vessels become narrower and
eventually get blocked. This build up of cholesterol can happen very slowly,
and unnoticeably, over the years, and it can start at an early age. There are
several things which can affect your risk of developing coronary heart disease.
One of these is the kind of food you eat. A healthy diet can lower the level of
cholesterol in your blood and so reduce your risk of heart disease. Other
things you can do to reduce the risk include:
NOT SMOKING
TAKING REGULAR EXERCISE
KEEPING TO A HEALTHY WEIGHT
LEARNING TO RELAX, AND
HAVING REGULAR BLOOD PRESSURE CHECKS
A well balanced diet
The main messages to keep in mind are:
- Eat less fat - especially saturated fat
- Eat more fibre - Fruit, vegetables, pulses and cereals
- Eat less salt
- Eat less sugar
Fat
The current UK diet contains too much fat, therefore we should cut down on
the total amount of fat we eat. We also need to look at the type of fat we eat.
According to the current dietary guidelines we should be eating a lot less
saturated fat and more starchy, fibre-rich foods.
Why is polyunsaturated fat important?
Polyunsaturated fat is sometimes called 'essential fat' because it contains
chemical building blocks which we need to help the body grow and develop. Also,
polyunsaturated fat, or polyunsaturates can actually reduce the amount of
cholesterol in the blood. And this helps to prevent heart disease.
Which foods are high in polyunsaturates?
Most liquid vegetable oils contain relatively high levels of
polyunsaturates, especially sunflower, soya, corn and safflower oil. In
addition, so do some margarines, spreads, cheese alternatives made with
sunflower oil and products labelled 'high in polyunsaturates', as well as oily
fish like mackerel, tuna, sardines and pilchards. Be wary of foods containing
unspecified vegetable oils which can be high in saturated fat.
Why do we need to cut down on saturated fat?
Too much saturated fat raises the level of cholesterol in the blood and this
increases the risk of developing heart disease.
Which foods contain saturated fat?
Foods rich in saturated fats are animal products including fatty cuts of
beef, lamb and pork; lard, and some margarines; dairy products such as milk,
cheese and butter; cakes, biscuits, pies and pastries.
So remember:
Eat less fat in total and choose foods high in polyunsaturated fat rather than
saturated, using polyunsaturated when cooking and in recipes.
Simple changes
Grill instead of frying whenever you can. If you do fry, shallow fry and use
a small amount of polyunsaturated oil such as sunflower oil.
Go for a spread high in polyunsaturates, rather than butter.
Try changing from full-fat milk to semi-skimmed which has only semi-skimmed
which has only half as much fat, or to, skimmed milk which has almost no fat at
all.
Choose medium or low fat cheese such as Edam or cottage cheese, or a cheese
alternative made with sunflower oil, rather than cheeses high in saturated fat,
like Cheddar or Stilton.
Choose poultry, fish or lean red meat in place of fattier meat or meat
products, like hamburgers and pork pies.
Always cut any visible fat off meat before cooking and look for the low fat
options at the butchers or supermarkets.
Most of the fat in chicken and other poultry is just under the skin. Take
the skin off and the fat will come away with it.
When cooking mince or other meat dishes, spoon or pour off any extra fat,
before thickening.
When making meat dishes buy a little less of the leanest meat rather than a
larger quantity of fattier meat and bulk up with extra pulses and other
vegetables.
Keep chips for an occasional treat. Cook them in sunflower oil and cut them
thick and straight so that they absorb less oil. Drain well on kitchen paper.
Try using low fat yoghurt instead of cream in soups, casseroles and on
desserts.
When making pastry or cakes, use a fat 'high in polyunsaturates'.
Eat more jacket potatoes. With interesting fillings, they make a tasty and
nutritious meal, but take care not to make the fillings high in fat.
A piece of fruit or a small packet of nuts and raisins makes a good,
fibre-rich snack.
Eat at least two to three pieces of fresh fruit a day. This could be added
to breakfast cereal, in place of sugar. e.g. bananas, chopped or grated apple.
Go for wholemeal bread rather than white or ordinary brown as it has more
fibre.
Try scrubbing vegetables such as potatoes or carrots instead of peeling.
You retain the fibre and many of the nutrients.
Salt
Everybody needs some salt but not nearly as much as many people actually
eat. Too much salt may cause high blood pressure, which in turn can cause heart
disease. So cut down on salt whenever you can.
Sugar
Eating too much sugar can mean that you're more likely to become obese and
that means a higher risk of getting heart disease. Sugar may taste good, but of
course it contains nothing but calories. And, because sugary foods don't fill
you up for long, it is all too easy to eat too much. In this country we tend to
eat a lot of sugar, so we should cut down where possible, unless underweight.
Simple changes
Try to drink your tea and coffee without sugar. You might find it easier to
cut down gradually.
Use unsweetened fruit juice or low calorie soft drinks rather than ordinary
drinks which have a lot of sugar.
Choose fresh fruit or canned fruit in natural fruit juice rather than syrup, as
an optional dessert.
Go easy on sweets, chocolates and biscuits. (In many cases this also helps cut
down on fat too.)
Use less sugar in your cooking. It works for most recipes except jam and
meringues.
When reading food labels, make sure sugar is not one of the ingredients at the
top of the list, since ingredients are listed in order of quantity.
Meals
The Importance of Breakfast
Breakfast is a very important meal. With very little effort you can provide a
good meal which will give you the energy to start the day.
Healthy, everyday breakfasts have three main elements:
- A low fat dairy product - for example yoghurt, or some semi-skimmed or
skimmed milk to go on a bowl of cereal.
- A fibre-rich cereal product - for example a breakfast cereal such as
Weetabix, muesli, porridge, oat flakes or Shredded Wheat. Or some wholemeal
toast, using a spread labelled 'high in polyunsaturates'.
- Fruit juice or fresh fruit
Together, these three elements give you a filling and nutritious start to
the day.
For a more leisurely breakfast, you could add some lean ham, kippers, or
scrambled egg on wholemeal toast, with grilled tomatoes.
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