CHAPTER 1: EATING A HEALTHY DIET

The Balance of Good Health devised by the Food Standard Agency represents the different types of food in the proportions you should eat for a healthy, balanced diet. The foods we eat are divided into five food groups.

Eating a healthy diet can help keep your heart healthy. This means a diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables, a basis of starchy whole grain foods and less fat, especially saturated fat. Cutting down on your salt intake is also important. Eating good heart healthy foods such as oily fish, oats and beans can also be beneficial.
As well as cutting down on bad fats, there are other changes you can make to your diet that will help you maintain a healthy heart. Eating more fruit and vegetables, including pulses and whole grains, will increase your intake of vitamins, minerals and fibre - it's also good to moderate the amount of salt and alcohol you consume. Learn more about these dietary issues below:

• Fats
• Fruit and vegetables
• Whole grain foods
• Pulses
• Reducing salt intake
• Drink alcohol in moderation

FRUIT AND VEGETABLES

Eating at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables each day can help to keep your heart healthy.

Fruits and vegetables are packed full of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and fibre. They're also low in fat and calories which makes them excellent both for snacking or as part of any meal.

   

Tips for including more fruit and vegetables in dishes

• Add chopped fresh or dried fruit to breakfast cereal for extra crunch and flavour
• Offer fruit or vegetable sticks as a between-meal snack
• Try using fresh fruit to make smoothies
• Offer salad options
• Brighten up rice or pasta salads with chopped vegetables or fruit
• Use vegetables such as carrots, leeks and parsnips to bulk out casseroles, stews or soups

PORTIONS:

See: FOOD PORTION TABLE EVERYDAY FRUIT

Or visit: http://www.5aday.nhs.uk/DownloadsResources/DownloadsResources.aspx for easy to download portion charts to help plan meals with the recommended amounts of fruit and vegetables.

WHOLE GRAIN FOODS

Research suggests that people with a healthy heart tend to eat more whole
grain foods as part of a healthy lifestyle.*

Good sources of whole grains are:

• Wholemeal and seeded bread
• Wholemeal pasta
• Brown rice
• Oats - such as porridge oats
• Whole grain breakfast cereals
• Whole grain crackers and crisp breads

Top tips for incorporating more whole grain foods into meals

• Swap white bread for wholemeal or seeded
• Choose brown rice or whole wheat pasta instead of white varieties
• Choose a whole grain breakfast cereals or try porridge oats
• Offer whole grain foods (like crackers, rice cakes, rye, crispbreads or plain popcorn) as a tasty between-meal snack.

* Source: Approved by Joint Health Claims Initiative 02/02 UK

PULSES

Pulses include a range of beans, peas, and lentils, for example, baked beans, lentils (red, green, yellow, brown), black eyed peas, and chickpeas.

These foods add bulk to a meal and are low in fat. The fibre found in pulses may also help to lower cholesterol.

Tips to Incorporate Pulses into Meals you are Serving.

• Add to soups, casseroles and meat dishes to add extra texture and flavour.
• Using more pulses and less meat in your dishes, will give you have a great tasting meal which is also lower in fat.
• If you are buying tinned pulses always remember to rinse them thoroughly as the liquid they are in can contain high levels of salt.

CUT DOWN ON SALT

• Cutting down the amount of salt consumed is important for heart health.
• Adults in the UK eat about 9.5g of salt per day* (1 1⁄2 teaspoons) (UK Food Standards Agency 2001).
• New research by the Food Standards Agency shows a small decrease in consumption since 2001.
  The new data shows that average daily salt consumption has fallen from 9.5g to 9g – with male intake reducing from 11g a day to 10.2g a day and female intake falling from 8.1g day to 7.6g day. This is due to the work being done to reduce salt intake, but shows that there is still more work to be done.
• The Food Standards Agency Recommends adults should eat no more than 6g of salt per day (about 1 teaspoon).

The main sources of salt in the diet are: processed foods such as soup, sauces, ready meals plus meat products such as bacon, sausages and ham.

Tips for reducing salt in meals you prepare

• Check food labels and choose foods that have lower amounts of salt.
• Sodium, rather than salt, is often listed on food labels. To work out the salt content, multiply sodium by 2.5.
• Avoid adding salt during cooking, use herbs, spices and pepper to flavour food.
• Reduce consumption of salty snacks such as crisps/salted nuts
• Check the % of the GDA which can be found on the GDA icon for the amount of salt

DRINK ALCOHOL IN MODERATION

Drinking alcohol in moderation (1-2 units per day) can provide some heart health benefits for some people - but drinking too much can be bad for your health.

Men should not drink more than 3-4 units of alcohol per day and women should not
drink more than 2-3 units per day, with some alcohol free days in between.

One unit is:

• 1 small glass of wine (125ml)
• 300ml (A1/2 pint ) ordinary strength (3-5% ABV) beer, lager or cider
• 1 single measure (25ml) spirits
• 1 single measure (50ml) port or sherry

FOOD PORTION TABLE EVERYDAY FRUIT