Healthy Heart - Chapter 3 - Healthy Eating - Chad Shares His Story

Sep 27, 2026

Chapter 3 focuses on heart-healthy eating, linking food choices to reduced risk of heart disease and improved cardiometabolic outcomes. It explains what a heart-healthy diet looks like, emphasizing balance of whole, natural foods and limiting highly processed items high in calories, sugar, salt, and trans fat. It provides practical changes to start a heart-healthy diet, including portion guidance, detailed food group recommendations, hydration choices, and tips for cooking and dining out to control sugar, salt, and fat.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time40 min

AccessFree to download

Healthy Eating

Chad Shares His Story

What Is Heart-Healthy Eating?

What Changes Can You Make To Start A Heart-Healthy Diet?

CHAPTER 3 nR HEALTHY HEART Image: [iStock. com/szeyuen](iStock. com/szeyuen) HEALTHY EATING CHAD SHARES HIS STORY When asked about his new reality after surviving a heart attack, Chad says, “I’ve learnt how to manage my new life and I’ve rolled with it. I had to.” Chad had been relatively active all his life but felt he needed help to improve his diet. “I’ve changed my lifestyle,”he says . Thanks to all the help from the dietitian, “Grocery shopping now takes me two hours,” Chad jokes . He now understands the importance of reading label s and choosing foods with less saturated fat, added sugar and sodium . He says, “My blood pressure and cholesterol levels are spot on for the first time in years .” WHAT IS HEART-HEALTHY EATING? The foods you eat affect your health. A healthy diet can help reduce your risk of heart disease by: • Improving your cholesterol levels • Managing your body weight • Reducing your blood pressure • Controlling your blood sugar Food plays many roles in our lives and we eat for lots of reasons other than hunger. Listen to your body for the signs of hunger. This is what a heart-healthy diet looks like. It is an overall balance of whole, natural foods . It has few highly processed, unhealthy foods . • Vegetables and fruits are a good source of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and fibre. Try to have 7 to 10 servings of vegetables and fruit each day. • Grain products have lots of fibre, B-vitamins and minerals . • Meat and alternatives are a good source of protein . Protein is found in: -Beans and lentils -Unsalted nuts and seeds -Lean meats (e. g. lamb, beef, pork), poultry and fish • Milk and alternatives are a rich source of protein, vitamins and minerals . Choose lower-fat dairy options more often . WHAT CHANGES CAN YOU MAKE TO START A HEART-HEALTHY DIET? Prepare meals at home using fresh, whole foods. • Combine vegetables and fruits for a great appetizer or salad. • Choose whole grains like whole wheat, oatmeal, oat bran, bulgur, quinoa, brown or wild rice and hulled barley for at least half of your grain servings each day. • Add legumes such as lentils, kidney beans, and chickpeas to soups, saladsand main dishes . • Eat fish at least twice a week. Choose fatty fish like salmon, mackerel and herring. • Add milk or fortified soy beverages to your oatmeal, smoothies, hot beverages, etc. Fill half your plate with vegetables and fruits. • Choose a range of brightly coloured vegetables and fruits every day. Eat them raw, roasted, steamed or stir fried. • Choose orange and dark green vegetables more often: carrots, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, romaine lettuce, broccoli and kale. • Try unsweetened frozen or canned fruit in the winter. • Choose whole fruit over juice, even if the juice is unsweetened. • Use the Eat Well Plate method to plan out meals . Drink water or lower-fat plain milk or milk alternatives if you are thirsty. • Choose skim, 1% or 2% plain milk and yogurt. • Avoid pop, sports drinks, ready-to-drink tea and coffee drinks, fruit drinks and juices . Source: Eat Well Plate from Government of Canada, available online at [http://](http://)[ ](http://)[healthycanadians.gc. ca/eating-nutrition/](healthycanadians.gc. ca/eating-nutrition/)[ ](healthycanadians.gc. ca/eating-nutrition/)[healthy-eating-saine-alimentation/](healthy-eating-saine-alimentation/)[ ](healthy-eating-saine-alimentation/)[tips-conseil s/interactive-tools-outils-](tips-conseil s/interactive-tools-outils-)[interactifs/eat-well-bien-manger-eng. php](interactifs/eat-well-bien-manger-eng. php) Use less sugar, salt and fat when preparing or cooking meals. • Rinse canned vegetables and fruit that could have added sugar or salt. • Replace salt with herbs and spices, ginger, garlic, onion, lemon juice or pepper to flavour foods . • Use smaller amounts of condiments like ketchup, prepared mustard, light soy sauce, salted herbs and poultry or steak spices . Choos

FAQs

How does heart-healthy eating help reduce the risk of heart disease?

A healthy diet can help reduce the risk of heart disease by improving cholesterol levels, managing body weight, reducing blood pressure, and controlling blood sugar.

What does a heart-healthy diet include and limit?

A heart-healthy diet is an overall balance of whole, natural foods with few highly processed, unhealthy foods.

What changes can someone make to start a heart-healthy diet?

Prepare meals at home with fresh whole foods, choose whole grains and legumes, increase colorful vegetables and fruits, choose lower-fat dairy, limit sugar/salt/fat when cooking, and prefer steamed, grilled, baked, roasted, or poached options when eating out.

Sep 27, 2026

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