Heart Health Leadership Manual

Heart Healthy Eating

All Canadians over the age of two, should use Canada's Food Guide as the basis for a healthy diet.

Keeping your blood cholesterol at an acceptable level is an important part of maintaining a Heart Healthy lifestyle. One way to prevent high blood cholesterol is to eat a diet low in fat. Canada's Guidelines for Healthy Eating outline a healthy approach to diet, and lifestyle.

• enjoy a variety of foods
• eat more cereals, breads, grain products vegetables and fruits
• choose lower fat dairy products, leaner meats, and foods prepared with little or no fat
• achieve and maintain a healthy body weight by enjoying regular physical activity and healthy eating
• limit salt, alcohol and caffeine

Here are some ways you can encourage healthy eating in your community:

• talk to restaurant owners about participating In the Heart Smart Restaurant Program
• patronize those restaurants that do offer Heart Healthy choices
• bring raw vegetables, and low fat snacks Instead of chips and cookies to social get-togethers
• encourage event organizers to choose low fat menus
• insist that the cafeteria In your local school offer healthy choices at reasonable prices to all students
• ask shop owners and take-out managers to carry low fat, low salt items (they won't know there is a demand unless you tell them!)
• discourage the use of chocolate bars and commercially baked cookies in fund raising activities you are Involved with
• start good habits at home, introduce your family to low fat eating, help a new generation get off on the right foot!