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Heart Disease: Eating a Heart-Healthy Diet
Heart disease is the number one killer of both men and women in the United States. If you are worried about heart disease, one of the most important things you can do is to start eating a heart-healthy diet. Changing your diet can help stop or even reverse heart disease.
At first, it may seem like there is a lot to learn. But you don't have to make these changes all at once. Start with small steps. Over time, making a number of small changes can add up to a big difference in your heart health.
To have a heart-healthy diet:
- Eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and other high-fiber foods.
- Choose foods that are low in saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol.
- Limit salt (sodium).
- Stay at a healthy weight by balancing the calories you eat with your physical activity.
- Eat more foods high in omega-3 fatty acids, such as fish.
- Limit drinks and foods with added sugar.
What foods are part of a heart-healthy diet?
Why is it important to choose a heart-healthy diet?
How to eat a heart-healthy diet
Where to go from here
For more information on other heart-healthy diets and exercising for a healthy heart, see:
Heart Disease: Exercising for a Healthy Heart.- Walking for a Healthy Heart.
- Comparing Heart-Healthy Diets
(What is a PDF document?). - High Blood Pressure: Using the DASH Diet.
- High Cholesterol: Using the TLC Diet.
- Mediterranean Diet.
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| By: | Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: May 1, 2010 |
| Medical Review: | E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine Rhonda O'Brien, MS, RD, CDE - Certified Diabetes Educator | |
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