Heart Healthy Rules

• The keys to eating a heart healthy diet are not that difficult to remember. Consume a diet that is high in fiber, rich in whole grains, rife with fresh fruits and vegetables, low in salt and saturated and trans fats. If you stick to these rules, you will drastically reduce your chances of being struck down by cardiac disease.
  
  

Heart Healthy Breakfast

• A quality heart healthy breakfast will being with an egg-white omelet (removing the yolks to reduce fat and cholesterol intake). This will be accompanied by a bowl of fresh fruit, a few slices of whole grain toast, and a piece or two of turkey bacon or turkey sausage (as it has less fat and sodium than traditional breakfast meats).
  
  

Heart Healthy Lunch

• A good lunch could consist of a thick-cut turkey sandwich on nine-grain bread with low-fat cheese and a generous helping of lettuce and tomato. Eat this with an apple or orange on the side, with a bowl of broccoli drizzled in olive oil. The fruits and vegetables will provide you with plenty of fiber, while the olive oil will give your body much-needed monounsaturated fat.
  
  

Heart Healthy Dinner

• A quality dinner might consist of an extra lean cut of steak alongside a baked potato (with a low-fat butter substitute--just make sure it is devoid of trans fats). Serve a large garden salad on the side with a balsamic dressing and whole grain dinner rolls. Consume five to ten grams of a fish oil supplement as well to optimize your heart health, as omega-3 fats have been shown to reduce the risk of cardiac disease.
  
  

Heart Healthy Snacks

• If you become hungry throughout the day, consider snacking on a piece of fruit. If they is not appetizing, you might try some low-fat cheeses or nuts (almonds, walnuts, peanuts, or cashews). Nuts contain healthy fats that your body needs to function properly, in addition to ample amounts of healthy fiber. Thus, they are an ideal snack to consume while on a heart healthy diet.