Debby Watkins

Clinical Dietitian lPr no: 0146315

Room D42, Life Fourways Hospital, Cnr Cedar Road and Cedar
Ave
Fourways
PO Box 781 491 l Sandton l 2146
Cellular: +27 83 397 2422
E-mail: debby@clinicaldiets.co.za

EATING FOR A HEALTHIER HEART:

WHY DO I NEED THIS DIET?
Diet therapy is an essential part of the overall treatment for coronary heart disease. The levels of fat in your blood may have been found to be
too high. These include both triglycerides and cholesterol.
Studies have shown that high levels of fat in the blood increases the risk of heart disease. If you already have heart disease, it is particularly
important to lower the levels of fat in your blood.
There is no need to cook special foods or go on a special diet. This is a healthy eating plan for life and can be implemented within the whole
family.
The main points are:
 Try to achieve and maintain the ideal weight for your height
 Enjoy a variety of foods
 Eat fats sparingly. Try to eat more unsaturated fat than saturated fat
 Make starchy foods the basis of most meals
 Use foods and drinks containing sugar sparingly and not between meals
 Be active
 Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables every day
 Eat dry beans, peas, lentils and soy regularly
 Chicken, fish, milk, meat or eggs can be eaten daily
 Use salt sparingly
 Drink lots of clean, safe water
 If you drink alcohol, drink sensibly!

WEIGHT
Being overweight can put extra pressure on your heart and can increase your blood cholesterol levels.
Here are some tips for weight loss:
 Eat 3 meals per day and never miss a meal
 Starchy foods and vegetables should form the majority of your meals
 Try to have fruit and other low calorie snacks in between your meals if you are hungry
 Avoid adding extra fat or sugar to your food
 Decrease the amount of meat you eat, try to only buy ‘extra lean’ and trim off all visible fat
 Increase your exercise levels to aid weight loss and weight maintenance
 Buy low fat products rather than full fat e.g. skimmed milk
 Try not to fry any foods. Bake, steam, grill or microwave instead

FAT
The main part of your diet that affects your cholesterol levels is fat. Cholesterol is present in the blood in
many forms:
 Bad (LDL)
 Good (HDL)
A high level of LDL and/ or total cholesterol increases the risk of heart problems. Cholesterol is deposited
on artery walls and more cholesterol, fibrous tissue and red blood cells build up on top of this and can
eventually cause a blockage.
To increase the levels of HDL:
 Decrease fat intake
 Exercise regularly
 Have a moderate alcohol intake
 Maintain a healthy weight
 Don’t smoke
To decrease LDL and total cholesterol:
 Reduce total fat and saturated fat intake
Another type of fat found in the blood is triglycerides. Keep these levels normal by reducing the amount of sugar and alcohol in your diet and
increasing the amount of oily fish.
How can I reduce my fat intake?
Saturated fats:
 These are known as ‘bad fats’ and are mainly found from animal sources e.g. butter, lard, hard margarine, coconut and palm oil,
meat fat, pastry, processed foods.
 Try and use low fat milk and fat spreads and avoid cream. Choose lower fat cheeses e.g. edam, Feta, reduced fat cheddar, cottage
cheese. These should still only be used in moderation.
 Try not to add any fat during cooking. It is best to use unsaturated fat if it can’t be avoided.
 Avoid high fat snacks e.g. crisps, biscuits, cakes, nuts

Unsaturated fats:
These tend to be plant or vegetable based, and are liquid at room temperature.
There are two types:
 Polyunsaturated fat (PUFA) e.g. sunflower oil,
This also includes oily fish e.g. sardines, pilchards, salmon, mackerel, herring. These contain Omega 3 fatty acids, which are good
for your heart. Try to eat oily fish twice per week. Make use of Flora Proactive as this will also improve cholesterol levels
 Monounsaturated fat (MUFA) e.g. olive oil, canola oil, avocado, peanuts and most nuts
Remember: even though these are ‘good’ fats, they are still high in calories and should be taken only in moderation.
Cholesterol:
Cholesterol is naturally found in some foods e.g. shellfish, egg yolk. Eating these will not affect your cholesterol very much as your body
regulates the absorption of cholesterol. However, these foods should not be eaten in excess.

Food labelling and fat:

As a general guide per 100g of product:
A lot A little

20g fat 3g fat

5g saturates 1g saturates

Fibre
There are two types of fibre- both are beneficial:
 Soluble fibre e.g. oats, beans and pulses, fruit and vegetables- helps to lower cholesterol. Add 2 tablespoons of Jungle Oat bran to
your cereal or yoghurt daily – this has been proven to reduce cholesterol levels
 Insoluble e.g. fruit and vegetables, cereals, wholemeal starchy foods- have anticancer effects and prevent constipation
Fruit and vegetables also contain antioxidants, which help protect against heart disease. Aim for at least 5 portions per day e.g. 1 glass of
fruit juice (diluted) , one whole fruit e.g. apple, 2 small fruits e.g. plums, one small bowl salad, one tablespoon of vegetables.
Food labelling and fibre:
As a general guide per 100g of product:
A lot A little

3.0g of fibre 0.5g of fibre

Salt:
Salt is closely linked to high blood pressure. To reduce salt:
 Use less salt in cooking. Use herbs and spices instead
 Don’t add salt at the table
 Avoid convenience foods
 Cut down on salty snacks e.g. crisps, nuts
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Food labelling and salt (often called sodium on packaging):
As a general guide per 100g of product:
A lot A little

0.5g of sodium 0.1g of sodium

Sugar:
Excess sugar can increase blood triglyceride levels, contribute to weight gain and cause tooth decay. Try and decrease the sugar in your diet
by:
 Don’t add sugar to drinks and cereals
 Choose diet drinks
 Have sweets and chocolates only occasionally
 Use sweeteners instead if you miss the sweet taste

Food labelling and sugar:

A general guide per 100g of product:”
A lot A little

10.0g of sugar 2.0g of sugar

Alcohol
A small amount of any type of alcohol (not just red wine) can be beneficial as it increase the good levels of cholesterol (HDL). Do not exceed
the daily recommended allowances and aim to have at least 2 alcohol free days per week.
Recommended daily intakes:
Men: 2 units per day
Women: 1 unit per day
One unit is:
250ml beer
125ml wine
Pub measure of spirits
Exercise:
Physical activity will help to keep your heart healthy and also to lose weight if you need to. Try to do something for at least 20 minutes at a
time and build up slowly. You should aim for 30 minutes of exercise 5 times per week. In addition, you can try and increase your daily activity
levels:
 Use the stairs rather than the lift
 Walk briskly e.g. take your dog for a walk
 Do some gardening
 Play with your children
 Join an exercise, swimming, walking or gym class with a friend

Always check with your doctor before exercising!!

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Advice for a lipid lowering diet
Regular Occasional Try not to have

Meat and meat Poultry (no skin), lean meat/ham, Kidney and heart, takeaways Fried meat, sausages, frankfurters,
products game meat e.g. ostrich meat pies, sausage rolls, pate, salami

Starchy foods Bread, pasta, rice, porridge, Added sugar cereals e.g. coco Croissants, pastry, sweet biscuits/
unsweetened cereals, crisp breads pops, Frosties cake, cream crackers and other
crackers that are high fat

Fruit and All types! Fresh, frozen, in own juice. Chips/ fried veg Fruit tinned in syrup
vegetables Aim for 5 portions per day

Fish All types! Fresh, tinned in brine or Fish tinned in oil Fried fish, fish in batter, scampi
tomato sauce, Oily fish e.g. herrings,
mackerel, salmon

Beans/ pulses/ All types! Dried or tinned, Add to

lentils soup or stews

Dairy and eggs Skimmed/ semi skimmed milk; Soya Half fat cheddar, medium fat Whole milk and milk products,
products, low fat cheese cheeses e.g. Edam, camembert coconut milk, condensed milk, Cream,
Eggs- max 3 per week High fat cheeses e.g. stilton, cheddar.
Fried eggs

Puddings and Sugar free jelly, meringues Low cal ice cream, ordinary jelly, Pastries, chocolate, toffee, fudge,
sweets boiled sweets, marzipan Mousses etc

Nuts and crisps All nuts and seeds except coconut Crisps and other savoury snacks
and cashew (nuts are high in Coconut
calories so have in moderation)

Drinks Tea, coffee, fruit juice, Diet squash, Cream based liqueurs, sugary drinks
diet fizzy drinks, alcohol within limits

Condiments and Herbs and spices, pepper, soy Salad dressings made with poly- Cream/ whole milk soups
soups sauce, mustard, pickles or monounsaturated oils Ordinary mayonnaise/ dressings

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