Eating Heart Smart

• Use margarine spreads instead of butter or dairy blends.

• Use a variety of oils for cooking - some suitable choices include canola, sunflower, soybean, olive and peanut oils.

• Use salad dressings and mayonnaise made from oils such as canola, sunflower, soybean and olive oils.

• Choose low or reduced fat milk and yoghurt or 'added calcium' soy beverages. Try to limit cheese and ice cream to twice a week.

• Have fish (any type of fresh or canned) at least twice a week.

• Select lean meat (meat trimmed of fat and chicken without skin). Try to limit fatty meats including sausages and delicatessen meats such as salami.

• Snack on plain, unsalted nuts and fresh fruit.

• Incorporate dried peas (eg split peas), dried beans (eg haricot beans, kidney beans), canned beans (eg baked beans, three bean mix) or lentils into two meals a week.

• Make vegetables, and grain based foods such as bread, pasta, noodles and rice the major part of each meal.

• Try to limit take-away foods to once a week. Take-away foods include pastries, pies, pizza, hamburgers and creamy pasta dishes.

• Try to limit snack foods such as potato crisps and corn crisps to once a week.

• Try to limit cakes, pastries and chocolate or creamy biscuits to once a week.

• Try to limit cholesterol-rich foods such as egg yolks and offal eg liver, kidney and brains.

Remember, your body was meant for moving.  Get plenty of exercise and have plenty of sleep and fun.