Eating Healthy

At-home chef service

To help make adopting a healthy lifestyle even easier, The Heart Institute can arrange to have a personal chef cook heart-healthy meals right in your home. Your personal chef will prepare a customized menu of items that are both delicious and good for you.

For more information or to arrange for at-home chef service, contact our Nurse Navigator at 1-718-226-1603 or email.

Tips to eating healthy everyday

Proper diet is one of the key ingredients to maintaining a healthy heart. The following guidelines and ingredient substitutions chart can help you lower your fat, salt, sugar and calorie intake while increasing the fiber in your diet, putting you on the right course to heart-healthy eating.

When planning your menus or while dining out, emphasize on vegetables, fruits and whole grains. Choose lean protein sources and limit high-fat, salty and processed foods. Watch your portion sizes and add variety to your daily menu choices.

Limit Unhealthy Fats and Cholesterol

Avoid solid fats like butter, margarine and shortening, and choose monounsaturated fats such as canola oil and olive oil but use in moderation as they are high in calories. You can use trans-fat-free margarine over butter.

Choose Low-Fat Proteins

Lean meat, poultry and fish, low-fat dairy products and egg whites or egg substitutes are good sources of protein. Cod, tuna or halibut are good replacement for high-fat meats. Other fish sources that supply healthy omega-3 fatty acids are salmon, mackerel and herring. Legumes and beans are good sources of fat-free and cholesterol-free proteins, making them a great alternative to meat.

Eat Generous Amounts of Fruits and Vegetables

These are very low in calories and high in fiber. Keep these items readily available for snacking. Avoid topping vegetables with butter or cream sauces.

Enjoy Whole Grains in Your Diet

Whole grains are a great source of vitamins, minerals and fiber, playing a role in regulating blood pressure. Eat whole grains over refined. Add them to soups, stews, casseroles, salads, or sauté with green, leafy vegetables.

Reduce Salt Intake

Salt can contribute to high blood pressure. Eat less than a teaspoon per day. Eat less commercially processed foods and canned goods, unless the label reads "lower sodium."

Read Food Labels

Labels can say "reduced fat" but could be made with oils containing "trans-fats." If the ingredients listed include "partially hydrogenated," they are trans-fats, which are unhealthy. Avoid commercially baked goods like crackers, cookies, cakes, doughnuts and muffins. Avoid fried foods. Most establishments use oil containing trans-fat acids, which are unhealthy.

Practice Moderation when Eating Animal Protein

Eat larger vegetable portions, smaller animal-protein portions and healthier grains.

Utilize Heart-Healthy Cooking Techniques

Grilling, broiling, roasting, sautéing and baking. When cooking ground beef, drain and rinse after cooking it. Blot dry and return to recipe to remove some of the fat.

Dining Out

Implement all of the above when making food choices. Avoid fried foods and fatty desserts. Request any dish using heart-healthy cooking techniques, avoid cream soups and sauces. Have salad with dressing on the side, or request vinegar or citrus to drizzle on top. If no healthy grains are available, request a double portion of vegetables, plain, steamed or blanched.