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Guidelines
For Heart-Healthy Living
Making
The Guidelines Work: Eat the Heart-Healthy Way
Look at how your family eats now and begin to plan. You
dont have to cut out all high saturated fat, high cholesterol
foods. Just substitute one or two low saturated fat or
low cholesterol foods each day, and soon you will reach
your goal of heart-healthy eating for you and your family.
By making the changes slowly, you are more likely to stick
with your new eating plan.
Choose heart-healthy foods from different food groupsmeat,
poultry, fish, and shellfish; dairy foods; eggs; fruits
and vegetables; breads, cereals, pasta, rice and other
grains, and dry peas and beans; fats and oils; and sweets
and snacks. Choose the number and size of portions to
help you reach and stay at your desirable weight. Eating
a variety of foods each day will help your whole family
get the nutrients you need. Use these tips to choose foods
low in saturated fat and cholesterol:
Meat,
poultry, fish, and shellfish
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Buying
tips:
Choose lean cuts of meat. Choose fish and skinless poultry
more often; they are generally lower in saturated fat
than meat. Eat moderate portionsno more than about 6
ounces a day (a 3-ounce portion is about the size of a
deck of cards).
Look for meats labeled "lean" or "extra lean."
Limit organ meats like liver, sweetbreads, and kidneys.
Organ meats are high in cholesterol, even though they
are fairly low in fat.
Limit high fat processed meats like bacon, bologna,
salami, hot dogs, and sausage.
Remember that some chicken and turkey hot dogs are lower
in saturated fat and total fat than pork and beef hot
dogs. There are also "lean" beef hot dogs that are low
in fat and saturated fat. Usually, processed poultry
products have more fat and cholesterol than fresh poultry.
To be sure, check the nutrition label on deli products
such as hot dogs and luncheon meats to find those that
are lowest in fat and saturated fat.
Try fresh ground turkey or chicken made from white meat,
like the breast.
Limit use of goose and duck. They are higher in saturated
fat, even with the skin removed.
Choose shellfish occasionally. Shellfish has little
saturated fat in general, but its cholesterol content
variessome (like squid, shrimp, and oysters) are fairly
high while others (like scallops, mussels, and clams)
are low.
Buy canned fish packed in water, not oil.
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LEAN-CUTS OF MEAT |
Beef...........Eye of the round, Top round
Veal..........Shoulder, Ground veal, cutlets, Sirloin
Pork..........Tenderloin, Sirloin, Top loin
Lamb.........Leg, Shank
*Lean defined as less than 10 grams of fat and
4.5 grams or less of saturated fat in 3 cooked
ounces, as currently used on food labels.
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Preparation
tips:
Trim fat from meat and remove skin from poultry before
eating.
Bake, broil, microwave, poach, or roast instead of frying.
When you do fry, use a nonstick pan and nonstick cooking
spray or a small amount of vegetable oil to reduce the
fat.
When you roast, place the meat on a rack so the fat
can drip away.
Brown ground meat and drain well before adding other
ingredients.
Use fat free ingredients like fruit juice, wine, or
defatted broth to baste meats and poultry.
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FISH
OILS
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You may have heard that a type of unsaturated
fat called "omega-3 fatty acids" found in fish
and shellfish is good for your heart. Health benefits
have not been proven. Still, any fresh or frozen
fish is a good food choice because it is low in
saturated fat. Avoid fish oil pills because
they are high in fat and calories, and may have
long-term side effects.
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Dairy foods
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Buying
tips:
Drink skim or 1 percent milk rather than 2 percent and
whole milk.
When looking for hard cheeses, go for versions that
are "fat free," "reduced fat," "low fat," "light," or
"part-skim." These have less fat per ounce than the
regular versions.
When shopping for soft cheeses, choose low fat (1 percent)
or nonfat cottage cheese, farmer cheese, pot cheese,
or part-skim or "light" ricotta. These cheeses have
less fat per ounce than the whole milk versions.
Use low fat or nonfat yogurt; try it in recipes or as
a topping.
Try low fat or nonfat sour cream or cream cheese blends
for spreads, toppings, or in recipes.
Preparation
tips:
Try low fat cheese in casseroles, or try a sharp-flavored
regular cheese and use less than the recipe calls for.
Save most of the cheese for the top.
Use skim, 1 percent, or evaporated skim milk for creamed
soups or white sauces.
Eggs
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Buying
tips:
Eggs are included in many processed foods and baked goods.
Look at the nutrition label to check the cholesterol content.
Try egg substitutes.
Preparation
tips:
Egg whites have no cholesterol, so try substituting them
for whole eggs in recipes; two egg whites are equal to
one whole egg. Or, use egg substitutes.
Fruits and vegetables
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Buying
tips:
Buy fruits and vegetables oftenfresh, frozen, or canned.
They have no cholesterol and most are low in saturated
fat. Also, most fruits and vegetables, except avocados,
coconut, and olives are low in total fat.
Preparation
tips:
Use fruits as a snack or dessert.
Prepare vegetables as snacks, side dishes, and salads.
Season with herbs, spices, lemon juice, or fat free
or low fat mayonnaise. Limit use of regular mayonnaise,
salad dressings, and cream, cheese, or other fatty sauces.
Breads, cereals, pasta, rice and other
grains, and dry peas and beans
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Buying
tips:
Use whole-grain breads, rolls, and cereals often.
Limit baked goods like these that are made with large
amounts of fat, especially saturated fat:
Croissants
Biscuits
Doughnuts
Butter rolls
Muffins
Coffee cake
Danish pastry
Be aware that some baked goods contain palm, palm kernel,
and coconut oils. These oils are high in saturated fats,
even though they are vegetable oils.
Choose ready-to-eat cereals often. Most are low in saturated
fat, except for granola, muesli, or oat bran types made
with coconut or coconut oil.
Buy dry peas and beans often. They are low in saturated
fat and total fat and high in fiber.
Preparation
tips:
Try pasta or rice in soups, or with low fat sauces as
main dishes or casseroles.
Stretch meat dishes with pasta or vegetables for hearty
meals. You can use less meat this way and still have
the flavor.
Bake your own muffins and quick breads using unsaturated
vegetable oils; substitute two egg whites for each egg
yolk, or use egg substitutes. Experiment with substituting
applesauce for oil or cut back the amount of oil in
the recipe. For each two cups of flour, you only need
1/4 cup of vegetable oil.
Use dry peas and beans as the main ingredient in casseroles,
soups, or other one-dish meals. They are excellent sources
of protein and fiber.
Fats and oils
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Buying
tips:
Choose liquid vegetable oils high in unsaturated fat for
cooking and in salad dressings. Examples are canola, corn,
olive, peanut, safflower, sesame, soybean, and sunflower
oils.
Buy light or nonfat mayonnaise instead of the regular
kinds that are high in fat.
Preparation
tips:
In cooking, limit butter, lard, fatback, and solid vegetable
shortenings.
When using fats and oils, use only small amounts and
substitute those high in unsaturated fat for those high
in saturated fat.
For a spread, use tub or liquid margarine, or vegetable
oil spread instead of butter.
Flavor cooked vegetables with herbs or butter-flavored
seasoning.
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A WORD
ABOUT MARGARINE
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You may have heard that margarine has a type of
unsaturated fat called "trans" fat. "Trans" fats
appear to raise blood cholesterol more than other
unsaturated fats, but not as much as saturated
fats. "Trans" fats are formed when vegetable oil
is hardened or "hydrogenated" to make margarine
or shortening. The harder the margarine or shortening,
the more likely it is to contain "trans" fat.
Read the ingredient lable to choose margarine
containing liquid vegetable oil as the first ingredient
rather than hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated
oil. Use the nutrition lable to choose margarines
with the least amount of saturated fat.
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Sweets and snacks (have only now and then)
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Buying
tips:
Choose these low fat sweets for a special treat:
brownies, cakes, cheesecakes, cupcakes, and pastries
labeled "fat free" or "low fat." Even though they have
less fat, they still may be just as high in calories.
If you are trying to lose weight, read the label to
compare;
animal crackers, devils food cookies, fig and other
fruit bars, ginger snaps, graham crackers, and vanilla
or lemon wafers;
frozen low fat or nonfat yogurt, fruit ices, ice milk,
popsicles, sherbet, and sorbet; and gelatin desserts.
Try these low fat snacks:
bagels,
bread sticks, melba toast, rice cakes, rye crisp, and
soda crackers;
unsweetened, ready-to-eat cereals;
fresh fruit, fruit leather, or other dried fruit;
pretzels, no-oil baked tortilla chips; and plain,
air-popped popcorn.
Preparation
tips:
Freeze grapes or banana slices for treats.
Make puddings with skim or 1 percent milk.
Top angel food cake with fruit puree or fresh fruit
slices.
Cut up raw vegetables and serve with a low fat dip.
Make air-popped or "light" microwave popcorn.
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