Over the past two decades, Canadians have made significant changes in lifestyle and, as a result, the risk of heart disease has gone down.  Paying more attention to the foods you eat is one simple step that you can take to help keep your heart healthy. 

Heart healthy eating involves making food choices that help to decrease blood cholesterol levels.  Cholesterol is a hard, waxy substance that is made by our bodies using certain types of fat found in foods.  Cholesterol can attach itself to our blood vessel walls which makes it difficult for blood to flow normally and strains the heart.  Choosing lower fat foods can help to keep your blood cholesterol levels in check. 

Heart healthy eating also means choosing foods that will reduce your blood pressure and decrease your body weight (if you are overweight or obese).  Choosing foods that are high in salt can increase blood pressure, as can being overweight or obese.  High blood pressure can damage blood vessels and increase your risk for heart disease.  Avoiding foods that contain large amounts of salt and achieving a healthy body weight help to prevent high blood pressure and heart disease. 

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A Heart Healthy Diet
A diet that is good for your heart includes the following components.

• Follow Canada’s Food Guide.  The Food Guide is a blue-print for healthy eating that tells you the kinds of foods to choose each day, as well as the amounts or portion sizes.  Following Canada's Food Guide will help you choose lower fat, nutritious foods that promote heart health. 
• Cut back on saturated and trans fats. Saturated and trans fats can increase blood cholesterol levels.  Saturated fats are found in animal products like marbled meats, poultry skin and high-fat milk products. Trans fats are found in the hydrogenated margarines and shortenings that are used to produce a wide variety of commercially made packaged foods and baked goods, including crackers, cookies and ready-to-eat snacks such as chips. Limit how often you choose foods that are rich in saturated and trans fats. Replace these choices with vegetables and fruit, low-fat milk products and minimally processed whole grain products.
• Eat fish at least twice a week. Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide recommends that Canadians eat at least two servings a week. Fish is a good source of protein and some types of fish, including salmon, cod or halibut, are good sources of omega 3 fatty acids, a type of heart healthy fat.  Stock your kitchen with canned salmon or tuna, which can be used in casseroles, sandwiches or salads. Serve fish such as char, herring, mackerel, sardines or trout for dinner.
• Include at least one serving of vegetables and fruit in each meal and snack. Eating a variety of vegetables and fruit each day can reduce risk factors for heart disease. Vegetables and fruit are generally low in fat and provide an abundance of vitamins and minerals. In addition, vegetables and fruit contain compounds known as anti-oxidants that help to protect your heart.  Enjoy fresh or frozen berries or a banana in a smoothie for breakfast. Munch on an apple over morning coffee. Savour a salad at lunch time. Round out your day by snacking on raw carrots in the afternoon. Have stir-fry vegetables like bok choy, cabbage or broccoli for dinner.

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• Choose whole grain products most often. Whole grain products contain fibre. Certain types of fibre (the part of plants that humans cannot break down or digest) can attach to the building blocks of cholesterol and help to take them out of the body. Readily available whole grain products include whole wheat bread or rolls, oatmeal and whole grain cooked cereals, brown rice, whole wheat pasta and legumes such as beans, peas, lentils and chickpeas.

Keep portion sizes in check. Large portions of foods provide large calorie counts, and taking in more calories than you need can increase body weight, which, in turn, can significantly increase the risk for heart disease. Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide offers practical information on portion sizes.

Learn More

Eating Out the Heart Healthy Way. 
Alberta Health Services shares tips you can use to meet the challenge of making heart healthy choices when eating out. 

Top 10 Tips for Heart Healthy Eating.  
Alberta Health Services’ Heart School provides 10 easy-to-implement nutrition tips for promoting heart health.

Alberta Heart and Stroke
The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Alberta, NWT & Nunavut, a volunteer-based health charity, leads in eliminating heart disease and stroke and reducing their impact through the advancement of research and its applications, the promotion of healthy living and advocacy. 

Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide

Healthy Eating
The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada offers practical advice for heart healthy eating including tips, recipes and more.

Heart Healthy Eating Tips.
EatRight Ontario shares information you can use to make heart healthy eating a breeze!