Heart – Healthy eating is the same as healthy – eating in general.  Healthy dietary practices are the cornerstones of good health.  It is important to understand that making wise changes in your diet could improve your health. Knowing which foods to emphasize and which foods to limit or avoid is the first step in eating for a healthy heart.

Maintain body weight appropriate for your height.

  • Body Mass Index (BMI) is one of the most widely used tools to assess your health status.  This index takes into consideration your height and weight.  18.5 kg/sq.m – 24.9 kg/sq.m is the ideal and healthy range to lie between.
  • Waist to hip ratio is another tool used for assessing your health status.  The ideal waist to hip ratio for women is 0.8 and for men is 1. Fat that accumulates around the waist may be more harmful than the fat accumulating elsewhere.

Limiting fat intake is the most important of the possible dietary changes.

Types of fat:

  • Saturated Fat  is “bad fat” that increases the bad cholesterol in your body.
  • Polyunsaturated fat is good fat that lowers both good and bad cholesterol.
  • Monounsaturated fat is very good fat” that helps lower the bad cholesterol, but leaves the good cholesterol alone.
  • Trans fatty acids are made in the production of partially hydrogenated vegetable oils used to make margarine and many snack and processed foods.
  • Limit in the intake of saturated & Trans fats (butter, margarine, shortening, dalda, vanaspati).  While buying of oil, choose oils high in monounsaturated fat (olive oil, canola oil, rice bran oil, groundnut oil).  Limit oil intake to 3-4 tsp/d i.e. 15-20 gms/d.
  • Avoid re-heating of oil; instead use only the required quantity.  Adapt methods of cooking which require less oil.
  • E.g. steaming, braising, sauting, stewing, grilling and roasting instead of frying (Shallow/keep frying).  Preferably use Teflon coated vessels, as they require less oil for cooking.  Do not add oil to chapatti dough or on the chapatti.

Limit Salt Intake:

  • Salt, if taken in excess in the diet, is  retained and may  precipitate hypertension (high blood pressure).  Limiting salt intake to 5 gms. i.e. 1 tsp per day is considered safe.  Use spices, condiments, lemon and vinegar for flavour and taste when salt is cut down.
  • patients with very high blood pressure may have to restrict the intake of high sodium containing food such as:
  • Ketchups, sauces, pickle, papad, chips, salted nuts & biscuits cheese & salted butter, readymade soup packets/cubes, dried salted fish etc.

Increase Fiber Intake In the Diet:

  • You get fibre by including the following in your daily diet: whole flour, jawar, bajra, ragi, whole pulses, fruits & vegetables.
  • Vegetables and fruits are low I calories, good sources of vitamins and minerals, and rich in dietary fibre, offering protection against heart disease.  Wash leafy vegetables with Potassium Permanganate solution.  After washing rinse thoroughly with plain water.  Use a scrubber (wherever possible) and not a peeler for removing skin from vegetables.
  • To avoid flatulence (gas) it is important to increase fibre gradually and accompany it with good fluid intake.

Because Every Heart Deserves The Best”.

RECOMMENDED FOODS FOR HEALTHY EATING

CHOOSE

  1. Fats, Oils: Rice bran Oil, Canola oil, Olive oil, Sunflower oil, Soya bean oil, Corn oil, sesame oil, Mustard oil, Cottonseed oil, Safflower oil, Groundnut oil.
  2. Nuts and oil seeds: Almonds and Walnuts
  3. Milk and Milk products: Skimmed Milk, Cow’s Milk, Double Toned/Toned Milk, Soya Milk And Milk Products Like Curd, Buttermilk, Paneer/Sonya Paneer (Tofu) prepared from the above mentioned milk types.  Non-fat or Low fat cheese like edam, gouda, camembert.
  4. Cereals and Whole Grains: Whole wheat bread (brown bread), Whole grain flours such as wholw-wheat flour, roasted gram (bhuna Channa) flour, soyabean flour, jowar flour, bajra flour and ragi flour etc. Brown/Unpolished rice. All type of pastas, noodles made out of Whole grains (whole wheat pasta) without egg yolk.
  5. Dals & Pulses: All. Prefer whole sprouted pulses such as mung, math, chana, chawli, rajma, chole etc.
  6. Fruits and Vegetables: All fruits & vegetables. For Diabetics refer to Diabetes Instruction Sheet.
  7. Non Veg.  Foods: Fresh/Frozen fishes such as Sardines, Salmon, Tuna, Mackeral, Sword Fish, Surmai and Pomfret. Egg White, lean cuts of Chicken, Turkey. (Select lean cuts without skin and fat.)
  8. Eating out: Be sure to ask for food without MSG (Ajinomoto), baking soda. 
  9. Make an intelligent Choice of restaurant foods: (Idli, Dosa, Dhokla, Salads with Yogurt Dressings, Clear Soups, Raitas, Chapati, instead of Naan, Steamed rice over fried/jeera and alike).

RESTRICT / ELIMINATE

  1. Fats, Oils: Butter, Cheese, Cream, Margarine, Ghee, Vanaspati, Dalda, Coconut Oil, Mayonnaise, Palm Kernel Oil.
  2. Nuts and oil seeds: Cashew Nuts, Pistachio, Groundnuts, Coconut (Fresh & Dry)
  3. Milk and Milk products: Full fat/cream milk like Buffalo’s milk & its products, fresh cream, sour cream, ice-cream etc.
  4. Cereals and Whole Grains: Refined flour (Maida), and its products like white bread, biscuits, doughnuts etc. White / Polished rice. Pasta Prepared with refined flour.
  5. Dals & Pulses: None.
  6. Fruits and Vegetables: Fruit juices and preparations such as fruit cream, milkshakes etc.
  7. Non Veg.  Foods: Shellfishes such as Prawns, Crabs, Shrimps, Oysters and Lobsters etc. Red Meat (beef, Mutton) Pork, Organ Meats (liver, kidney, brain) Goose, Duck Egg yolk (yellow) and its preparations.
  8. Eating out: Avoid fast foods like Burgers, Pizzas, Food preparation sauces, butter and cheese.  Fried snacks like Vada pav, Bhajia, samosa, pakoda etc.
  9. Make an intelligent Choice of restaurant foods: Avoid menu items with names like Buttery, Makhani, Preparations containing Egg-Yolk such as mayonnaise, puddings, pastries, cakes etc.