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The Heart Foundations Nine Steps to Eating for a Healthy Heart
Written by National Heart Foundation of NZ   
Saturday, 28 March 2009 15:25
View and Download Resource PDFs from The Heart Foundation of New Zealand here.

In New Zealand:

  • 68% of adults and 60% of children meet the recommended servings of vegetables per day 1
  • 55% of adults and 20% of children meet the recommended servings of fruit per day 1

What you eat really does matter. By choosing the right balance of foods to eat you can reduce your chances of having a heart attack or stroke. The correct balance of foods will also complement the medicines that are prescribed by your doctor.

There are many ways to enjoy a healthy dietary pattern using foods and recipe ideas from a variety of traditional and cultural eating styles around the world.

The Heart Foundations Nine steps to eating for a healthy heart:

 

1)

Enjoy three meals a day, selecting from dishes that encourage you to eat plant foods and fish, with little or no dairy fat, meat fat or deep fried foods

2)

Choose fruits and/or vegetables at every meal and most snacks.

3)

Select whole grains, whole grain breads, or high fibre breakfast cereals in place of white bread and low fibre varieties at most meals and snacks

4)

Include fish, or dried peas, beans and soy products, or a small serving of lean meat or skinned poultry, at one or two meals each day

5)

Choose low fat milk, low fat milk products, soy or legume products every day

6)

Use small amounts of oil, margarine, nuts or seeds

7)

Drink plenty of fluids each day, particularly water, and limit sugar-sweetened drinks and alcohol

8)

Use only small amounts of total fats and oils, sugar and salt when cooking and preparing meals, snacks, or drinks. Choose ready-prepared foods low in these ingredients

9)

Mostly avoid or rarely include butter, deep-fried and fatty foods, and only occasionally choose sweet bakery products
1. Hay DR, Cardiovascular Disease in New Zealand 2004. Technical Report No. 82, Octoberl 2004.
2. New Zealand Guidelines Group, The Assessment and Management of Cardiovascular Risk. Evidence-based Best Practice Guideline, December 2003.

Food Table

Heart healthy food groups

Daily servings

How much is a serving?

Fruits and coloured vegetables

Aim to eat at least 8 servings daily 1 piece of fruit, 1/2 cup canned fruit in natural fruit juice, 1 cup raw leafy or salad vegetables, 1/2 cup cooked vegetables, 1 tomato or 1 carrot

Grains and starchy vegetables

Choose a variety of grain products with at least half as whole grain products.
 Aim to eat at least 6 or more grains and starchy vegetables. 1 medium slice bread, 1/2 cup pasta or porridge, 1/2 cup whole wheat cereal, 1 small potato, 1/2 cup kumara, 3 whole grain crispbreads

Fish and seafood, dried peas and beans, lean meat and skinned poultry

Eat between 1-3 depending on kilojoule requirements 150 grams 'lite' tuna, 2 small or 1 large fillet of cooked fish, 1/2 cup lean mince or casserole, 1 cup cooked dried beans

Milk and milk products

Use soy substitutes if preferred.
 Eat 2-3 depending on kilojoule requirements 1 cup trim or very low-fat milk, 1/3 cup cottage cheese, 1 small pottle low-fat yoghurt, 2 Tbsp grated parmesan

Oils, spreads, nuts, seeds and avocado

Choose products made from sunflower, soya bean, olive, canola, linseed, safflower, or nuts and seeds other than coconut.
 Eat 3 or more depending on kilojoule requirements 1 tsp soft table margarine or oil, 2 tsp light margarine, 1 dessertspoon nuts, 1 Tbsp avocado

Non-alcoholic drinks

Between 6-8 non-alcoholic drinks 1 glass water, 1 cup tea, coffee or 'diet' soft drink



Other foods

Daily limits

How much is a serving?

Alcoholic drinks

Upto 2 drinks for women and 3 drinks for men 1 can/stubbie of beer, 100 ml wine or 2 nips of spirit, use 'diet' drinkers as mixers

Savoury snack foods

Replace grain servings sometimes or replace high sugar foods 3 reduced fat crackers, 15 rice crackers, 30 grams rice snacks or low saturated fat crisps*

High sugar foods

Upto 1 for low kilojoule needs and 4 for high kilojoule needs# 1 Tbsp jam or honey, 3 small low fat biscuits, ½ small muffin, ½ cup light frozen dessert or frozen yoghurt

High saturated fat

Upto 2 for low kilojoule needs and 6 for high kilojoule needs per week 3-4 small chocolate or cream biscuits, ½ cup cream, cheese or coconut milk sauce, 100 grams ice-cream, 1 medium fries or instant noodles, 50 grams chocolate or crisps
* Low saturated crisps generally have less than 4 grams per 100 grams.
# Low kilojoule needs are for people with type 2 diabetes who are overweight, others who need to lose weight and people who are physically inactive.

Including carbohydrates in the heart healthy dietary pattern

Low GI

Moderate GI

High GI

High fibre choices

All-Bran™, oat porridge, natural muesli, oat bran, rice bran, pearled barley and bulghur (cracked) wheat Oat bran, Weet-Bix™, instant porridge, Vita-Brits™, Just Right™, Fruitful Lite™ and Mini Wheats™ wholewheat Lite-bix™, Mini Wheats™ Blackcurrant, Sultana Bran™ and puffed wheat
Breads with high content of whole grain, seeds and at least 5 grams fibre per 100 grams Vita-wheat™ crispbreadOther wholemeal bread Ryvita™ crispbreadMolenburg™ bread, other grain breads with high white flour content
Apples, pears, oranges, grapefruit, berry and stone fruits, kiwi, mango, prunes, dried apricots and under-ripe banana (yellow skin) Melons, pineapple, raisins, sultanas and very ripe bananas Dates
Baked beans, other dried peas/beans, sweet corn, yams, and peas Small canned potatoes, taro Most potatoes, parsnip, kumara, broad beans, mashed potato
Low fibre choices
 Special K™, Frosties™, fruit breads, grapes, fruit and vegetable juices, Snack Right Fruit Slice™ Nutragrain ™, pita bread, hamburger bun Cornflakes™, Rice Bubbles™, White bread, Fibre White™, bagels, wheatmeal bread, baguette, white buns
White wheat pasta, sushi koshikari short grain rice, some varieties long grain rice Basmati/doongara rice, most long grain rice, rice pasta/noodles, udon noodles, couscous, rice pudding and plain popcorn Corn thins, rice cakes, ricecrackers, jasmine calrose rice, long cooked white rice, sticky/glutinous rice
Milo™
Golden Fruit™ biscuits, pikelets, scones, water crackers

Alcohol

It is accepted that low to moderate alcohol consumption can be an enjoyable, positive aspect of social life and this consumption has also been shown to have a protective effect in heart disease. However heavy drinking is associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease and stroke.

Table 1: safe drinking guidelines from the Alcohol Liquor Advisory Council (ALAC)

 

Drinking occassion

Men

Women

If you drink every day, drink no more than:

3 standard drinks

2 standard drinks

On any one drinking occasion, drink no more than:

6 standard drinks

4 standard drinks

In any one week, drink no more than:

21 standard drinks

14 standard drinks

Table 2: standard alcohol servings - guidelines from the Alcohol Liquor Advisory Council

 

Alcohol Beverage

Measure in mls

1 glass ordinary strength beer

300ml

1 glass fortified wine eg. sherry, port, martini

60ml

1 pub measure spirits eg. gin, whisky, vodka

30ml

1 glass of table wine

100ml
Available from ALAC {Alcohol Liquor Advisory Council}

(From the National Heart Foundation of NZ: http://www.nhf.org.nz/index.asp?pageID=2145828145)
Last Updated on Wednesday, 13 May 2009 12:15
 
© 2010 Freemasons NZ / The Live Life Lighter Foundation