Choose a diet low in saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol. Page 5 includes other recommendations that are key to reducing blood cholesterol and preventing or controlling high blood pressure. The Healthy Heart Food Pyramid on page 8 is my favorite reference. It is a visual guideline that will help organize what food groups and number of servings the American Heart Association recommends. For example, in the lean meat category, we recommend no more than 6 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry and seafood per day.
Red meat can be part of a heart-healthy eating plan.
Just select lean meats, such as pork tenderloin, skinless chicken breasts, eye of round beef, and lean ground beef. It's important to read the labels on the packaged foods you purchase as well. Look for foods low in sodium, saturated fat and cholesterol. An easy reference tool is to look for food with the American Heart Association heart-check mark. Products bearing this mark meet the American Heart Association's and the FDA's standards for being heart healthy and are low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium.