Eat your way to a healthy heart

Diet is key to preventing and managing heart disease, which is why it’s so important to get advice from someone who really knows. Victoria Taylor gets the lowdown from three NHS dietitians.

“You can trust a dietitian to know about nutrition,” says the British Dietetic Association. With the variety of food information that we are bombarded with, this is reassuring.

Nutrition seems to be an area where everyone has an opinion and we regularly hear from self-styled ‘experts’ who profess to know which foods to include in your diet but often heavily promote products and supplements.

One of the problems is anyone can call themselves a ‘nutritionist’. While some will be appropriately qualified and registered with the UK voluntary register of nutritionists, some won’t, and it can be difficult to tell the difference. On the other hand, the title ‘dietitian’ can only be used by people who have been fully trained.

Dietitians work in a variety of specialisms and settings, from one-to-one appointments in clinics to hospitals or community groups. Their common aim is to help people make informed and practical changes to their diets. We spoke to three dietitans working in different areas of the NHS.

Read what the hospital dietitian had to say

Read what the community dietitian had to say

Read what the cardiac rehab dietitian had to say

Five heart-healthy habits to learn

1. Get your 5-a-day

Make sure you have at least five 80g portions of fruit and vegetables every day. Use the heart matters portion checker to see what that looks like. (You may need to log in first.)

2. Cut the saturated fat

Swap saturated fats like butter, lard and ghee for unsaturated fats like rapeseed, olive and sunflower oils and spreads. Remove visible fat and skin from meat and poultry, and use low-fat milk and dairy products.

3. Slash the salt

Avoid adding salt to your food, but make sure you check food labels too. Three-quarters of the salt we eat is already in our food and there can be quite a variation even in basic items like bread and cereals.

4. Include more oily fish

Try to have at least one portion of oily fish a week and if you’ve had a heart attack, aim for two to three portions. Oily fish contain omega-3 fatty acids, which can help keep your heart healthy and improve survival after a heart attack if eaten regularly.

5. Watch your portions

Eating healthy, balanced diet should help keep your weight under control, but it’s important to keep an eye on your portion sizes too. Use a smaller plate or adjust the proportions so that half of your plate is fruit or veg.