Your heart works hard for you every day – how about showing it some love? This Heart Health Awareness Month, join us in taking small steps for a big change. Start with a Heart Healthy Diet.
Heart Healthy Diet
- Include foods high in fiber, omega-3 fat, potassium, magnesium, and calcium, but low in saturated fat, hydrogenated fat, trans fat, sodium, and sugar.
- Watch portion sizes – consuming too many calories can lead to weight gain!
Choose more often:
- Vegetables and fruits – especially colorful ones
- Whole grains – brown rice, whole wheat products, quinoa, barley, oats, buckwheat
- Legumes- dried beans and peas
- Nuts and seeds
- Lean meats, tofu, skinless poultry, fish, and seafood – eat fish at least 2 times a week
- Fat-free or 1% low-fat milk, yogurt and cheese
- Vegetable oils – olive, canola, sunflower, safflower
Choose less often:
- Refined starches – white bread, white rice, white flour, pasta
- Red meats – beef, pork, lamb
- Whole milk, full-fat cheese, cream
- Processed meats – ham, sausage, bacon, luncheon meats
- Preserved or pickled foods
- Tropical oils – coconut, palm, palm kernel
- Hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, trans fat – found mostly in fast foods, fried foods, pastries, cookies, processed or packaged foods
- Saturated fat – butter, lard, chicken fat, skins
- Sugary drinks and desserts
- Salt and high sodium seasonings – contained in most Asian sauces and condiments
CCHRC Resource I 華人社區健康資源中心資源 Hypertension 高血壓 – CCHRC (cchrchealth.org)