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Heart Healthy Eating Nutrition Therapy

Ways to Reduce Cholesterol
• Limit saturated fats and trans fats:
o Foods high in saturated fats include fatty meat, poultry skin, bacon, sausage, whole milk,
cream, and butter.
o Trans fats are found in stick margarine, shortening, some fried foods, and packaged foods
made with hydrogenated oils.
o Instead of butter or stick margarine, try reduced-fat, whipped, or liquid spreads.
• Limit the amount of cholesterol that you eat to less than 200 milligrams (mg) per day.
o Foods high in cholesterol include egg yolks (one egg yolk has about 212 mg of
cholesterol), fatty meat, whole milk, cheese, shrimp, lobster, and crab.
• Limit the amount of sodium that you eat to less than 2,000 milligrams (mg) per day.
o It is good to select foods with no more than 140 mg per serving.
o Foods with more than 300 mg sodium per serving may not fit into a reduced-sodium meal
plan.
o Remember to check serving sizes on the label. If you eat more than one serving, you will
get more sodium than the amount listed.
o Use caution when you eat outside of your home. Restaurant foods can be high in sodium,
and you cannot always get information about this.
• Limit the total amount of fat that you eat (including heart-healthy fats) to 25% to 35%
of the calories that you eat. If you should eat 2,000 calories per day, your fat intake can be
between 50 grams (g) and 75 g per day.
• Eat more omega-3 fats (heart-healthy fats):
o Good choices include salmon, tuna, mackerel, and sardines. Aim to eat fish twice a week.
o Other foods with omega-3 fats include walnuts and canola and soybean oils.
o Flaxseed is another source of omega-3 fats. Have it as flaxseed oil or ground flaxseed.
• Get 20 g to 30 g of dietary fiber per day:
o Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and dried beans are good sources of fiber:
ƒ Aim for 5 cups of fruits and vegetables per day.
ƒ Have 3 ounces (oz) of whole grain foods every day.
• Plan to eat more plant-based meals, using beans and soy foods for protein.
• Talk with your dietitian or doctor about what a healthy weight is for you. Set goals to
reach and maintain that weight.
• Talk with your health care team to find out what types of physical activity are best for
you. Set a plan to get about 30 minutes of exercise on most days.

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Heart Healthy Eating Nutrition Therapy – Page 1
Ways to Reduce Sodium
• A low-sodium (salt) diet may help prevent build up of extra water in your body.
• This may be for high blood pressure, heart failure, kidney disease or other conditions in
which swelling or fluid retention can occur.
• Even if you take a pill for blood pressure or a water pill (diuretic) to remove fluid, it is still
important to have less salt in your diet.
• If you follow this diet strictly and avoid processed foods, the sodium content will be about
1500 mg/day. This will allow you to have about 1/8 tsp table salt to season your food. Use
“lite” salt and you may have ¼ tsp.

You should usually avoid these items:

• Salt – ¼ teaspoon of table salt has almost 600 milligrams sodium.
• Processed foods—salt is added in large amounts to some regular foods. Examples
are:
o canned foods—soups, stews, sauces, gravy mixes, and some vegetables
o frozen foods—dinners, entrees, vegetables with sauces
o snack foods—salted chips, popcorn, pretzels, pork rinds and crackers
o packaged starchy foods—seasoned noodle or rice dishes, stuffing mix,
macaroni and cheese dinner
o instant cooking foods to which you add hot water and stir—potatoes, cereals,
noodles, rice, etc.
o Mixes—cornbread, biscuit, cake, pudding
o meats and cheeses
ƒ deli or lunch meats—bologna, ham, turkey, roast beef, etc.
ƒ cured or smoked meats—corned beef, sausage of any kind (patty, link,
Kielbasa, Italian, wieners or hot dogs), bacon
ƒ canned meats—potted meats, spreads, Spam®, Vienna sausage, etc.
ƒ cheeses—read labels and avoid those with more than 140 mg sodium per
serving; examples are American cheese, Velveeta®, Cheez Whiz®, etc.
• Condiments, Sauces and Seasonings
o mustard, ketchup, salad dressings, bouillon cubes or granules
o sauces—Worcestershire, barbecue, pizza, chili, steak, soy or horseradish sauce
o meat tenderizer, monosodium glutamate
o any seasoning that has “salt” in the name or on the label;
ƒ avoid celery salt, garlic salt and onion salt; however, it is okay to have
garlic or onion powder or flakes
ƒ read labels carefully—lemon pepper often has salt
o pickles and olives

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Heart Healthy Eating Nutrition Therapy – Page 2
What can you use to season your food?
• Tart flavor—try lemon or lime juice, vinegar
• Hot flavor—peppers are low in sodium; hot sauce has salt, but if you use just a drop or
two it will not add up to much
• Herbs and spices—onions, garlic, salt-free seasonings like Mrs. Dash®

Recommended Foods
Food Groups Recommended Foods
Milk 2 servings of calcium a day. 1 serving has about 150
milligrams (mg).
Nonfat (skim), low-fat, or 1% fat milk
Nonfat or low-fat yogurt
Fat-free and low-fat cheese with less than 150 milligrams sodium
per serving
Hard cheese, such as low-fat cheddar or mozzarella
Low-fat cottage cheese - ½ cup washed under cold water in a
sieve to remove most of the sodium
Meat and Other 3 servings of protein a day. 1 serving has about 60 mg.
Protein Foods Lean cuts of beef and pork (loin, leg, round, extra lean
hamburger), skinless poultry, fish (3 oz cooked meat)
Venison and other wild game
Dried beans and peas
Nuts and nut butters
Egg whites or egg substitute
Read all meat labels! Many raw meats now have added broth
with sodium salts that make the meat hold moisture and taste
juicy and tender. Choose a product with less than 5% of the DV
for sodium.
Fruits and 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day. 1 serving
Vegetables has only about 10 mg.
Fresh, frozen, or canned vegetables without added fat or salt
Tomato or vegetable juice, canned, without salt
Tomatoes, tomato sauce, canned,without salt
Fresh, frozen canned, or dried fruit
Fruit juices
Grains 5 servings a day. 1 serving has about 150 mg of sodium.
Whole grain bread, rolls, pitas
low-sodium crackers, pretzels, and chips
These foods have almost no sodium and do not need to be
counted in the 5 servings per day:
ƒ shredded or puffed wheat, puffed rice

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Heart Healthy Eating Nutrition Therapy – Page 3
 ƒ cooked cereals—regular or quick, such as oatmeal
ƒ brown rice
ƒ whole grain pasta
ƒ yeast bread made at home with no salt
Other ready-to-eat cereals with more than 5% DV for sodium –
serving size is ½ cup (1 cup = 2 of your 5 servings/day)
Others Use small amounts.
Unsaturated oils (olive, peanut, soy, sunflower, canola)
Soft or liquid margarines and vegetable oil spreads
Unsalted seeds and nuts
Avocado

Foods Not Recommended

Food Group Foods Not Recommended
Grains Breads or crackers topped with salt
Cereals (hot or cold) with more than 300 mg sodium per serving
Biscuits, cornbread, and other “quick” breads prepared with
baking soda
Bread crumbs or stuffing mix from a store (homemade can be
okay if from a low-sodium recipe)High-fat bakery products,
such as doughnuts, biscuits, croissants, danish pastries, pies,
cookies
Snacks made with partially hydrogenated oils, including chips,
cheese puffs, snack mixes, regular crackers, butter-flavored
popcorn
Fruits and Fried fruits or vegetables
Vegetables Fruits or vegetables prepared with butter, cheese, or cream sauce
Canned vegetables (unless they are salt free)
Frozen vegetables with sauces
Sauerkraut and pickled vegetables
Canned or dried soups (unless they are low sodium
or salt free)
French fries and onion rings
Milk Whole milk
2% fat milk
Whole milk yogurt or ice cream
Cream
Half-&-half
Cream cheese
Sour cream
Processed cheese and cheese

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Heart Healthy Eating Nutrition Therapy – Page 4
 Food Group Foods Not Recommended
Meat and Other Higher-fat cuts of meats (ribs, t-bone steak, regular hamburger)
Protein Foods Bacon
Sausage
Cold cuts, such as salami or bologna
Corned beef
Hot dogs
Organ meats (liver, brains, sweetbreads)
Poultry with skin
Fried meat, poultry, and fish
Whole eggs and egg yolks
Fats and Oils Butter
Stick margarine
Shortening
Partially hydrogenated oils
Tropical oils (coconut, palm, palm kernel oils)
Condiments Salt, sea salt, garlic salt
Seasoning mixes containing salt
Bouillon cubes
Catsup
Barbeque sauce
Worcestershire sauce
Soy sauce
Miso
Salsa
Pickles, olives, relish
Alcohol Check with your doctor. Generally, do not have more than one
drink per day
(1 drink = 5 ounces [oz] wine, 12 oz beer, or 1½ oz liquor)

Notes:

Soluble fiber foods: oats barley buckwheat citrus fruits, avocados, berries, chia and flax seeds, apples, pears
Omega 3 foods: fatty fish (goals 6 oz weekly), walnuts, ground flax
cold pressed olive oil (1-2 T daily)

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Heart Healthy Eating Nutrition Therapy – Page 5
Sample 1-Day Menu
Meal Food Choices
Breakfast ½ cup apple juice
¾ cup oatmeal with 1 small banana and 1 cup skim milk
1 cup brewed coffee
Lunch Turkey and cheese sandwich: 2 slices whole wheat bread, 2 oz lean deli
turkey breast, 1 oz low-fat Swiss cheese, mustard, 1 medium sliced
tomato, shredded lettuce
1 pear
1 cup skim milk
Evening 3 oz broiled fish
Meal 1 cup brown rice with 1 teaspoon soft margarine
1 medium stalk broccoli and 1 medium carrot
Tossed salad with mixed greens, tomatoes, chickpeas, and
olive oil and vinegar dressing
1 small whole grain roll with1 teaspoon soft margarine
1 cup tea
½ cup nonfat frozen yogurt with fruit
Snacks 1 oz trail mix made with nuts, seeds, raisins, and other dried fruit
1 cup blueberries
1 cup skim milk

Notes:

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Heart Healthy Eating Nutrition Therapy – Page 6