Eating well can also help prevent heart disease. No one food can provide all the nutrition you need, so eat a variety of foods every day from the following four food groups:
- bread, other cereals and potatoes
- fruits and vegetables
- low-fat milk and dairy foods
- meat, fish and alternatives such as beans and lentils.
Try to cut down on the amount of salt that you add to your food and avoid processed foods that have a high salt content.
Choose healthy cooking methods (grill, bake, steam or microwave instead of frying), trim fat off meat and remove skin from chicken. Most importantly, cut down on foods that contain saturated fat, such as pies, sausages and cream. Saturated fat raises the level of cholesterol in your blood.
Cholesterol is a white, waxy substance found in all animal tissues. It is essential to life and a vital part of every cell in your body. However, when the level of cholesterol becomes too high, it can lead to blockage of or reduction in the flow of blood through your vessels, and thus to heart disease. Reducing the amount of saturated fat in your diet helps prevent high cholesterol levels.
Last Modified on: 05-12-2018