The best New Year foods for your heart

Eat your way to a healthy heart in 2010 with a few simple changes to your diet

The best New Year foods for your heart While we're all frantically on diets and at the gym trying to lose the holiday pounds, it can be easy to neglect the stuff that doesn't immediately affect our appearance. But if you want to make changes to your diet that will make a long lasting difference, you'd be wise to pay attention to heart health.

HEART UK has teamed-up with The Charted Institute for IT to launch their new campaign Savvy Citizens, and they share some of the wisest diet tips with us so that you can enjoy a longer life.

1. Cool your cholesterol levels

At an average cholesterol level of 5.7, Britain currently stands at .7 above the recommended level of 5 according to the British guidelines. The key, according to HEART UK is to ensure that your diet is rich in fruit, vegetables, wholegrain cereals.

Avoid saturated fats found in butter, dairy foods, meat and meat products. Replace with fats high in monounsaturated fatty acids, such as olive oils, or fats high in polyunsaturates like sunflower oil, and soya oil (try Waitrose essential Blended Olive Oil).

Try to include wholemeal or whole grain varieties of food wherever possible, as these are rich in vitamins B and E, and trace minerals. Porridge oats are proven to lower cholesterol levels as they contain soluble fibre called oat beta-glucan, which forms a gel inside our intestines, that binds to cholesterol and bile, thus preventing them from being absorbed. (We love Waitrose essential Scottish Rolled Porridge Oats).

2. Start as you mean to go on

Make over your breakfast and choose products which are fortified with plant sterols or stanols. For very busy, active people, products such as Flora Proactive and Benecol daily ranges (both available from major supermarkets) are ideal.

Aim to have 2-2.5g per day of plant sterols and stanols in order to achieve the 10-15% cholesterol lowering-effect. You can easily achieve this by having three portions of the fortified spreads, yoghurt, and milk per day, or combine all three! To get maximum benefit, eat with meals.

3. Get your five a day

Scientists believe that eating fresh fruit and vegetables helps protect against heart disease, strokes and some cancers. The good news is they contain little or no fat, are low in calories and rich in fibre. By increasing the amount of fruits/vegetables you eat is one way to prevent weight gain and help keep cholesterol levels under control.

A portion of fruit/vegetables is classed as a single item, such as an apple, orange, three heaped tablespoons of cooked vegetables, or a small bowl of salad.

The only exception to this rule is potatoes, as they are considered a 'starchy food' and therefore don't count towards your five per day quota.

Why not ensure your 5 a day with an organic box delivery? We love Able & Cole Organic Mixed Fruit/Vegetable Boxes at £15.95 for 2 or 3 people for a week.