Heart healthy diet (1858)

Key points below

What is a heart healthy diet?

This diet includes foods that promote heart health. It also limits foods that can increase risk for heart disease in the future. This diet may include many foods that your child already eats, but some changes may be needed. Making these small changes now can be a big help for your child’s future health. A heart healthy diet may also help your child have a healthy weight.

Use the Nutrition Facts label to help make heart healthy food choices:

Limit Saturated and Trans Fat

Look for foods that have:

2 grams of saturated fat or less
0 grams of trans fats

Increase Your Fiber Intake

Compare grains with 3 grams or more of fiber per serving.

Serving size

All of the information on the label is based on one serving. The package may contain more than 1 serving. If you eat more (or less) than one serving, you will get more (or less) nutrients than noted on the label.

Limit Sodium

Choose foods with 15% of the daily value or less per serving.

Limit Added Sugar

Choose foods with the least amount of sugar, ideally less than 9 grams per serving.

Choose whole grains.

“Whole” must be the first ingredient (look for “whole wheat” or “whole grain”).

Tips for choosing fats wisely

Monounsaturated fat is found in vegetable sources such as olive and canola oil. This fat lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol without lowering HDL (good) cholesterol.
Polyunsaturated fat is found in vegetable sources such as safflower, sunflower or corn oil. This fat may lower both LDL and HDL.
Saturated fat can be found in animal sources such as butter, lard and meat. Vegetable sources include coconut, palm, and partially hydrogenated oils that are found in many processed foods. Saturated fat can raise the total cholesterol level.
Trans fat is the most harmful fat for heart health if hydrogenated oil is on the ingredient list, it means that there is trans fat in the food. Avoid foods with this type of fat.

Heart Healthy Diet Tips

Plan Healthy Meals

Offer a variety of foods at each meal. Focus on fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats. Fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables.
Make more meals at home as a family. Most foods cooked in the home have less unhealthy fat, salt and calories. Limit packaged and processed foods.
Make eating fun and enjoyable. Turn off the TV and enjoy meals at the table. Pay attention to the tastes and smells of the food while talking or laughing as a family.
Serve portion sizes that are right for your child’s size and age. Beware of large portions at fast food or sit-down restaurants. Ask a dietitian if you’re not sure about the right serving sizes for your child.

Cut Back on Added Sugars

Too much sugar raises the risk for health problems including heart disease, high triglycerides and diabetes.
Choose foods with little or no added sugar by avoiding food with words like sugar, cane syrup, corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, honey or evaporated cane juice in the first 3 ingredients.
Cereal, granola bars, flavored oatmeal, muffins, and yogurts are a few examples of hidden high-sugar foods. Look for version of these foods with less than 9 grams of sugar or the lowest amount you’re able to find.

Increase Fiber

Choose fiber-rich foods. Fiber is found in plant foods, especially vegetables, whole grains, beans, and lentils. Fiber can help clear “bad” cholesterol from the body.
Add frozen, fresh or canned vegetables like broccoli, spinach or carrots to casseroles, pastas or slow-cooker meals.

Reduce Sodium

Too much salt in the diet increases risk of high blood pressure and other health problems. Pay attention to labels and use lower sodium versions of foods when possible.
Rinse canned beans or vegetables before serving. This helps remove much of the added salt. You can also look for foods labeled “low sodium” or “no salt added.”

Choose Healthy Fats

Reach for healthy fats to help stay full and promote heart health. Fatty fish like salmon and tuna, avocado, nuts, and olive oil are a few examples of foods with healthy fats.
Use more liquid oils such as canola and olive oil, and less solid fats like butter and coconut oil. Avoid shortening and margarine.
Pick lean meats most often and trim any visible fat from roasts or other fattier cuts. Prepare meat by baking, broiling or grilling instead of breading and frying.

Choose Healthy Beverages

Drink water, low-fat milk or skim milk.
Drink less soda, juice and other sugary beverages to avoid too much sugar.

Category	Foods to include	Foods to leave behind
Milk and dairy foods (3 servings per day)	Skim or 1% milk; low-fat cottage cheese; low or non-fat yogurt; part-skim mozzarella cheese; light string cheese	2% or whole milk; cream, sour cream or cream cheese; whole milk yogurt; cottage cheese (4% milk fat); high-fat or processed cheese (American, cheddar, Swiss, Colby).
Meat and eggs (2 to 3 servings per day)	Lean meat, fish, or poultry; lean ground turkey; boiled, poached or scrambled eggs, egg substitutes; 97% fat-free deli meats; canned fish packed in water; dry beans and peas; natural peanut butter.	Breaded, fatty or fried meat, fish or poultry; poultry with skin; bacon, sausage, salami, bologna, hot dogs, brats or pepperoni; Lunchables®.
Breads and grains (6 to 11 servings per day)	Whole wheat pasta, bread, and English muffins; Brown rice; Plain oatmeal or whole grain cereal; whole wheat crackers or light microwave popcorn.	Ramen® noodles; waffles, pancakes, pastries, biscuits, muffins, croissants, granola, sugary cereals; fried snack foods (chips, corn snacks).
Vegetables (3 to 5 servings per day)	All vegetables are great! Choose more non-starchy vegetables. Avocados and olives have healthy fats and can be eaten in moderate amounts.	Avoid fried vegetables. Limit starchy vegetables (potatoes, corn and peas) to a ½ cup serving per meal.
Fruits (2 to 4 servings per day)	All fresh and frozen fruits. Look for canned fruits in light syrup or water.	Canned fruit in heavy syrup. Avoid juice, even 100% juice.
Fats (Use sparingly)	Choose oil or margarine with more monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat (olive and canola oil); margarine with no trans fat, light salad dressings.	Butter, hydrogenated oils or fats; lard; white sauce, cheese sauce or gravy; margarine with trans fats.
Desserts and sweets (Use sparingly)	Try fruit or light yogurt for dessert!	All sweets should be limited to one serving 1-2 times per week or less.

For other health and wellness information, check out this resource: https://kidshealth.org/ChildrensWi/en/parents

ALERT

Call your child’s doctor, nurse or clinic if you or your child have any concerns or your child has special health care needs not covered by this information.