nutrition iQ

Eating for heart healthy doesn't have to be hard. In fact, making a few simple changes in your food choices can help you lower your cholesterol and your blood pressure. You might even find that you lose a few pounds, too!

	Choose	Go Easy	Limit
Meat, poultry, fish, and shellfish (up to 4-6 ounces/day)	Lean cuts of meat with fat trimmed, chicken and turkey without skin, fish	Shellfish	"Prime"-grade fatty cuts of meat, goose, duck, liver, kidneys, sausage, bacon, regular luncheon meats, hot dogs, fried seafood
Dairy products (2 or more servings/day; 3-4 for pregnant or breastfeeding women)	Skim milk, 1% fat milk, low-fat buttermilk, evaporated skim milk, non-fat or low-fat yogurt, low-fat cottage cheese, cheeses with no more than 3 grams of fat per ounce	2% fat milk, yogurt, part-skim ricotta, part-skim or imitation hard cheeses (like part-skim milk mozzarella)	Whole milk, cream, half and half, whipped cream, custard-style yogurt, whole-milk ricotta, hard cheeses (Swiss, American, cheddar, muenster)
Eggs	Egg whites, cholesterol-free egg substitutes	Egg yolks (3-4 per week)	Fried eggs, eggs served in cream or cheese sauces
Fats and oils (about 5-8 teaspoons/day)	Olive, canola, peanut, safflower, sesame, soybean, corn and sunflower oils; trans-fat-free margarine, nuts, seeds, avocado, olives	Light cream cheese, light sour cream, mayonnaise	Butter, stick margarine, lard, bacon fat, cream cheese, sour cream, coconut, palm, and palm kernel oils
Breads, cereals, pasta, rice, dried peas and beans (6 or more servings/day)	Whole grain breads, bagels, English muffins; rice cakes, low-fat crackers (matzo, bread sticks, rye crisps, saltines); high fiber, whole grain cereals; whole grain pasta and rice; dried peas and beans; plain baked potato; sweet potato	Pancakes, waffles, biscuits, muffins, and cornbread	Croissants, sweet rolls, Danish, doughnuts; crackers made with saturated fat; granola cereals made with saturated fats; pasta, rice or potato prepared with cream, butter or cheese sauces; scalloped potatoes; French fries
Fruits and vegetables (5 or more servings/day)	Fresh, frozen, or dried fruits; canned fruits (packed in water or juice); fresh, frozen or no-salt added canned vegetables	Canned fruit in heavy syrup; canned vegetables	Coconut, vegetables prepared in butter, cream or cheese
Snacks (in limited amounts)	Sugar-free pudding, sherbet, sorbet, Italian ice, low-fat frozen yogurt, sugar-free popsicles, angel food cake, fig bars, gingersnaps, plain popcorn, pretzels, baked snack chips	Ice milk, fruit crisps and cobblers, homemade cakes, cookies and pies prepared with unsaturated oils	Ice cream, frozen tofu, candy, chocolate, potato chips, buttered popcorn, pies, cakes
Beverages	Water, seltzer water, sugar-free drinks, tea	Coffee, fruit and vegetable juices	Sweetened soft drinks, milkshakes, frappes, floats, eggnog, alcohol

Your Turn

Trade This:	For this:
Butter	________________________
Bacon	________________________
Potato chips	________________________
Hamburger	________________________
Ice cream	________________________

This program was developed in collaboration with an independent panel of dietitians from Joslin Clinic, part of an academic medical center affiliated with Harvard Medical School.

To learn more, visit www.joslin.org.