• fruits and vegetables should make up 25% of your daily diet
• grain-based products (bread, pasta, rice, cereals) should constitute another 25% of your daily food intake
• read labels while grocery shopping to be better informed about the amount of fat in your food
• choose cooking methods that don't require fat but still provide lots of flavour

Vegetables
dark green, like spinach, peppers and broccoli, lettuce

Potatoes
clinical studies have shown that people who eat a lot of boiled potatoes (not fried, or mashed with butter!) are less subject to heart attacks potatoes are high in vitamin C which provides a valuable defense

Fruit

• orange, like cantaloupe and oranges
• wild fruits and berries, and fruit in general
• lemon, a fat reducer
• nuts, whose oil is beneficial to the arteries - especially almonds

Bread
especially whole grain

Cereals and Pasta
preferably brown bread, multi-grain, whole wheat

Rice
brown rice is known to play a part in preventing heart disease; accompanied by green vegetables, it can be a defense against heart attacks

Meats

• choose lean cuts, whether of beef, pork or lamb, all poultry except duck
• did you know that ostrich is the lowest fat meat you can find?

Fish
contrary to what you might think, oily fish can protect you from heart disease

Eggs
limit your weekly consumption of eggs to two (we're talking about egg yolks - whites can be used as you wish)

Milk and Dairy Products

• choose low-fat milk: skim or 1%
• choose cheese that is partially skimmed, or that contains less than 20% fat
• buy non-fat yogurts and sour cream

Butter, Oil and Dressings
reduce your intake of butter and oil by using non-fat cooking methods, such as roasting or baking, grilling, poaching, etc.

choose vegetable oils low in saturated fats

Olive Oil
olive oil, sunflower oil and sesame oil all belong to a group called phytosterols, which are low in cholesterol and do not form fatty "plaques" on artery walls

cut the oil in your dressings with lemon juice

Spices
learn to use spices as a stimulant for your heart: cinnamon, cardamom, curry, coriander, cumin, fennel, galanga, cloves, mustard, allspice, chilies, pepper, saffron

garlic slows down arterial obstruction

Herbs
learn to use herbs as a stimulant for your heart: chervil, tarragon, fennel, lovage, marjoram, mint, rosemary, sage, thyme, lemon verbena powdered sage is used in Japan to reduce the formation of blood clots and to prevent myocardial problems - it is used as a seasoning or in tea

Cider Vinegar
contributes to normal blood pH, and assists in blood circulation by cleansing and eliminating various toxins and pollutants. It is recommended for eliminating excess cholesterol. It assists in the metabolizing of sugars and equalizes the body's acidity levels.

Red Wine
taken in moderation, red wine has long been recognized in lowering blood pressure and reducing heart attacks. It increases the body's "good" cholesterol level (high in lipoproteins) which in turn attacks "bad" cholesterol (having a low level of lipoproteins); dose: 65 ml of wine per day - it's not much, but it's at this level that wine is therapeutic