menutop

Nutrition

Diet and Lifestyle Recommendations for Cardiovascular Disease Risk Reduction

Improving diet and lifestyle is a critical component in the prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD).  The following document presents diet and lifestyle recommendations designed to meet this objective.

Diet and Lifestyle Goals for Cardiovascular Disease Risk Reduction


  • Eat an overall healthy diet.

  • Aim for a healthy body weight.  Calculate your BMI

  • Discuss your lipid profile with your doctor.

  • Aim for a normal blood pressure: ≤120/80 mm Hg.
  • Aim for a normal blood glucose level: ≤ 6.0 mmol/L

  • Be physically active.

  • Avoid use of and exposure to tobacco products

 

Although great advances have been made in prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease through drug therapies and procedures, diet and lifestyle therapies remain the foundation of clinical intervention for prevention.  Rigorous application of the principles of diet and lifestyle outlined in this document to patients at risk will contribute significantly to risk reduction and will augment the benefit that may be obtained by other approaches.

Although the vast majority of research studies have focused on individual nutrients and foods, it is well recognized that multiple dietary factors influence the risk of developing CVD and its major risk factors.

American Heart Association Diet and Lifestyle Recommendations for Cardiovascular Disease Risk Reduction 2006

  • Balance calorie intake and physical activity to achieve or maintain a healthy body weight.
  • Consume a diet rich in vegetables and fruits.
  • Choose whole-grain, high-fiber foods.
  • Consume fish, especially oily fish, at least twice a week
  • Limit your intake of saturated fat to <7% of energy, trans fat to <1% of energy, and cholesterol to <300 mg per day by choosing lean meats and vegetables alternatives; selecting fat-free (skim), 1%-fat, and low-fat dairy products; and minimizing intake of partially hydrogenated fats.
  • Minimize your intake of beverages and foods with added sugars.
  • Choose and prepare foods with little or no salt.
  • If you consume alcohol, do so in moderation.
  • When you eat food that is prepared outside of the home, follow the AHA Diet and Lifestyle Recommendations.

For more information on Diet and Lifestyle Recommendations, visit the American Heart Association.

Heart Healthy Eating

If you have high levels of cholesterol in your blood you are at higher risk for developing heart disease.  It is important that you choose foods that are lower in saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol and higher in fiber to help reduce these levels.  

Understanding fats and heart health

You’ve probably heard that eating less fat is one of the keys to a heart healthy diet.  That’s only partly true.  Heart health experts know that it’s not just the amount of fat you eat that counts, but the type of fat.  It is important to know that some types of fat, like saturated and trans fat can raise blood cholesterol levels.  Other types of fat, like mono and polyunsaturated fat in moderation, can actually help lower blood cholesterol levels. 

Tip: It is best to limit your intake in saturated and trans fats as much as possible, and choose foods with mono- or polyunsaturated fat in their place.  But don’t forget that all fats are a major source of calories and they should be used in moderation.  Use this list as your guide:

Saturated and usually found in animal sources such as fatty cuts of meat, full-fat dairy products like cheese, butter and cream.  They can also be found in some nuts as well as oils.  Three oils are highly saturated: coconut oil, palm oil and palm kernel oil.                   

 Trans fat occur naturally in some animal products such as milk and butter.  They are produced during the process of hydrogenation (a process used to add hydrogen to liquid oils to make them spreadable at room temperature and to improve keeping quality of food).  Major source is from commercial hydrogenation of oils.  Products include vegetable oil shortening, hard margarine, some soft margarine, bakery products, snack foods and many ready to serve foods

 Both saturated and trans fats are found in many fast foods and snack items.

Monounsaturated fats are found in canola and olive oil, non hydrogenated margarines, nuts avocados and hard margarines.

 Polyunsaturated fats are found in a variety of nuts, seeds, oils (corn, safflower, sunflower oils) and soft margarines with no trans fat.  There are two important types of polyunsaturated fats that are essential for a healthy diet:

1.     Omega-3 fats are found in fatty fish such as salmon, omega-3 eggs, canola oil, walnuts, ground flax and soft margarines with no trans fat.

2.     Omega-6 fats are found in some nuts and seeds, safflower, sunflower and corn oils, and soft margarine with no trans fat.

 Cholesterol in your blood comes from cholesterol your body makes (80%) plus dietary cholesterol.  Dietary cholesterol comes from animal foods such as eggs, regular milk products, meat and poultry.  Dietary cholesterol can raise blood cholesterol some, but not as much as foods high in saturated and trans fat.

 For more information on Heart Health visit the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

Page 2