Healthy eating
Everyone knows the importance of a balanced diet. Eating healthy food is one of the lifestyle changes you can easily make. By reducing the amount of saturated fat, refined sugars and salt in your diet, you can lessen your risk of developing high cholesterol, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Fats
Your liver makes most of the cholesterol in your bloodstream from the saturated fat that you eat. The more saturated fat you eat, the more cholesterol your liver produces.
Common foods that contain saturated fats include;
- Sausages
- Fatty meats
- Full cream dairy products
- Biscuits, cakes and pastries
- Chocolate
- Crisps
- Coconut and palm oil
- Deep fried take away food
Small quantities of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats are good for your health. The best types of fats and oils to use are found in some margarine spreads, cooking oils such as canola, sunflower, soybean or olive oil as well as nuts, seeds and fish.6
Click here for healthy meal ideas.
Salt (sodium)
High blood pressure can add to your risk of cardiovascular disease. There is strong evidence to suggest that too much salt (sodium) in the diet causes high blood pressure. To reduce sodium:
- Avoid adding salt when cooking or at the table
- Avoid cooked or processed foods containing high amounts of sodium. The National Heart Foundation of Australia recommends foods that contain less than 120mg of sodium per serving. Look for foods with the Heart Foundation's Tick of approval.
References
6 The National Heart Foundation of Australia 2006 Losing weight the healthy way;CE-073