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" Eating smarter and keeping your heart in peak shape is about more than munching on a celery stick now and then. It&amp;#039;s about the bigger picture \u2014 the pattern of decisions you make every day. Because heart disease claims more American lives than any other illness, now is an ideal time to look at how your food choices affect your overall heart health. To help keep important heart-health indicators like blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar (glucose) at the right levels, the American Heart Association recommends eating a wide, balanced variety of nutritious foods. Great news: Even simple, small changes can make a big difference. By starting to mix lower-calorie, nutrient-rich foods into your meal planning, you&amp;#039;ll not only get a full complement of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other essentials, but also a dazzling array of colors, tastes, and textures every day of the week. Start on the Path to Smarter Eating Healthy cooking and eating is a great opportunity to sample new recipes and rediscover delicious favorites. Some tips to get started:  Focus your eating plan on vegetables and fruits, which are high in vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Try them fresh, frozen, or canned, without added salt and sugars. Reduce the role of meat from star to supporting player. Mix things up with two or more vegetarian-style meals each week. If you do serve meat or poultry, make sure it&amp;#039;s lean and skinless, and grill, bake, or broil it. Oily fish such as salmon, trout, and herring contain omega-3 fatty acids, which studies show may help lower the risk of getting coronary disease. Serve up fish at least twice a week. Choose whole grain foods like brown rice and whole wheat pasta \u2014 their high fiber content can help lower cholesterol levels and aid in weight management. Go with fat-free, 1 percent fat, and low-fat dairy products. Jazz up plain fat-free or low-fat yogurt with flavorful fruits. Natural fruit juices (with no added sugar) are better than regular soft drinks, but shouldn&amp;#039;t take the place of eating whole fruits. To quench your thirst, drink water or club soda \u2014 zest it up with a wedge of lemon or lime. There&amp;#039;s nothing wrong with snacking, as long as you stock your kitchen, car, office, or bag with nutrient-rich nibbles like fresh or dried fruits, unsalted almonds, unsalted rice cakes, or carrots and other veggies.  Serve Yourself So, how much of all this good stuff is right for you? It depends on the number of calories your body needs to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight. For example, here&amp;#039;s an eating plan based on 2,100 calories per day:   Food Type Servings   Grains (mainly whole grains) 6-8 per day   Vegetables 4-5 per day   Fruits 4-5 per day   Fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products 2-3 per day   Lean meats, poultry, and fish 6 or less per day   Nuts, seeds, and legumes 4-5 per week   Fats and oils 2-3 per day   Sweets and added sugars 5 or less per week   Four or five servings of vegetables might sound like a lot, but when you understand the true size of a serving, you&amp;#039;ll see how easy it is. Here are some examples of single-serving sizes:  Grains: 1 slice bread; 1 ounce ready-to-eat cereal; 1/2 cup cooked cereal, rice, or pasta (about the size of 1/2 baseball) Vegetables: 1 cup raw, leafy vegetables (about the size of a small fist); 1/2 cup other vegetables; or 1/2 cup vegetable juice Fruits: 1 medium fruit (about the size of a baseball); 1/2 cup chopped, cooked, or canned fruit; or 1/2 cup juice Meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, and nuts: 2 to 3 ounces cooked lean meat, poultry, or fish; 1/2 cup cooked dry beans; or 2 tablespoons peanut butter Milk, yogurt, and cheese: 1 cup fat-free or low-fat milk or yogurt; 1 1/2 ounces fat-free or low-fat cheese  Switch It Up If you were learning to swim, you probably wouldn&amp;#039;t start by diving into the deep end. Likewise, to make smarter choices in your daily eating, start gradually by switching out some less-healthy foods with nutrient-rich options. Here are some easy ways to jump in:  For more fruits: Instead of a stack of cookies, crunch into a medium apple. Ditch that 2-ounce bag of pork rinds and eat 1/4 cup dried apricots. For more vegetables: Scale that hamburger back from 6 ounces to 3, pairing it with 1/2 cup carrots and 1/2 cup spinach. Instead of 5 ounces of chicken, use a small amount of vegetable oil to stir-fry 2 ounces chicken with 1 1/2 cups raw vegetables. For more fat-free or low-fat milk products: Instead of a 1/2-cup serving of full-fat ice cream, have a 1/2-cup serving of low-fat frozen yogurt, livened up with some fresh fruit.  For more information about heart-healthy nutrition, visit AmericanHeart.org/nutrition. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/diet-nutrition/a18121/eating-for-a-healthy-heart/>