How to Eat Healthily With Heart Disease and Diabetes
- 1). Eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables each day. The American Heart Association (AHA) believes that 4.5 cups a day is a good intake. Berries with cereal, a glass of fruit juice (be careful of sugar intake if you are diabetic) or a few spoonfuls of peas all count toward the daily amount. The AHA suggests you choose from the entire color spectrum, everything from red strawberries and purple plums to the greens of spinach and beans.
- 2). Include more high-fiber high-grain foods in your diet. This is as simple as substituting white, unrefined pasta with whole-wheat spaghetti and white long-grain rice with brown rice.
- 3). Eat more fish and seafood and less fatty meats. The AHA believes that anyone with heart disease should aim for at least two 3.5-oz. servings of fish a week. Oily fish, such as mackerel or herring, is even better. If you do eat meat, trim the excess fat off it and choose lean chicken or turkey over beef, pork or lamb, if possible. Keep processed meat, like bacon and sausages, down to two servings a week or less.
- 4). Add more nuts, beans and seeds to your diet. For example, add lentils to a vegetable soup or nuts to your breakfast cereal.
- 5). Choose nonfat dairy and limit the amount of saturated fats that you eat. Liquid oils can replace solid fats in cooking.
- 6). Avoid cakes, cookies and candy as much as possible due to their high-calorie content, says the American Diabetes Association.
- 7). Limit your salt intake. Do not add salt to your food while cooking and watch your intake of processed foods. Restrict your intake to under 1,500 mg of sodium per day.
Source...