Heart Blockage Diet

If you want to look after your heart, here are five basic suggestions for improving your diet:

• Eat lots of fruit and vegetables.

• Eat less fat – especially saturated fat.

• Cut down on sugar.

• Fill up with lots of solid food.

• Eat more super-foods!

EAT LOTS OF FRUIT AND VEGETABLES

I recommend that you eat 3-4 daily helpings of vegetables (inc. potatoes) and 3-4 daily portions of fruit. If you smoke, I advise you to eat more: i.e. at least 5 helpings of vegetables plus at least 5 portions of fruit. (Ideally, quit smoking!)

4 ways to eat more fruit
Juice it! Do it by hand or buy a juicer [approx. $20].
Chop it! It’s easier to eat bite-size pieces than one huge piece. Keep a bowl-full in the fridge and nibble at it! Add it to cereal and make leftovers into fruit salad.
Open it! Open a can of tinned fruit (in juice, not syrup) every day!
Stew it! Enjoy lots of stewed desserts. Add mousse or yogurt for extra taste!

4 ways to eat more vegetables
Make home-made soup! It’s easy and even green vegetables taste delicious!
Cook casseroles! The flavor of the meat makes all the vegetables taste great!
Start stir-frying! Chop vegetables down to size! Use lemon juice, soy sauce & water.
Eat more salad! And remember, salad isn’t just a lettuce-leaf! It can include onions tomatoes, cucumber, sweetcorn, beetroot, chopped carrot and chopped cabbage.

Note: By comparison with meat-eaters, vegetarians suffer 39% fewer cancer deaths and strict vegetarians suffer 75% fewer heart-attacks & strokes.

EAT LESS FAT – ESPECIALLY SATURATED FAT

We cannot survive without fat in our diet. However, most of us make 2 big mistakes. We eat too much fat in total and too much saturated fat in particular. As a result, we greatly increase our chances of developing heart-attacks and strokes.

Use less fat when cooking
Don’t fry food. Instead: grill, roast, bake, poach or boil. If you must fry, use a non-stick frying pan and either dry-fry or add a little water. If you need extra moisture, use lemon juice, soy sauce or stock.

• Switch to low-fat alternatives

• Switch to skimmed milk. It has 15 times less fat than even low-fat milk.

• Switch to low-fat spread and use only a very thin covering.

• Switch to low-fat yogurts & mousses.

• Switch to lower-fat cheese: (Cottage, Philadelphia Light, or Laughing Cow).

• Switch to fish, chicken and turkey, instead of red meat.

• Switch to low-fat packet sauces and make up with water, not butter/milk.

• When buying frozen or pre-cooked foods, check the label and choose low-fat.

• Avoid high-fat foods

• Limit red-meat to twice a week.

• Whatever meat you serve, remove all visible fat or skin & don’t use fat for gravy.

• Serve less meat (max. 4oz/100g) and more potatoes, vegetables & beans.

• Avoid all pastries, all fried food, crisps, chocolate, burgers, rashers, sausages, chops, fatty roasts, ordinary mince, meat-pies, corned beef, pate, salami, mayonnaise, butter, cream and all dairy products not marked “low-fat”

• Check the label and choose foods low in saturated or hydrogenated fats.

Oily fish – the exception to the rule!
Oily fish (e.g. mackerel, sardines, herring) is extremely good for hearts! Ideally, eat at least 1oz (30g) per day. If you don’t like oily fish, ask your pharmacist for a good quality fish oil supplement and take as directed.

Don’t add fat to your food
There’s no point eating low-fat food if you drench it in fatty gravy, mayonnaise, butter, or cream. All these additives are full of fat: (e.g. butter and mayonnaise are 80% fat!)

Instead:
To meals or sandwiches add pickle, low-fat sauce, lemon juice or soy sauce.
To desserts, add yogurt, mousse, jelly or custard made with skimmed milk.

CUT DOWN ON SUGAR

A high sugar diet raises blood pressure, reduces resistance to stress (itself bad for the heart) and raises the risk of diabetes and obesity. It also makes our blood more liable to clot, thus increasing the risk of heart-attacks and strokes.

My advice: Avoid: regular soft drinks, cookies, cakes, candy, sweets and toffees.
Switch to lower-sugar cereals, jelly & preserves, and diet soft drinks. If in doubt, check the label for levels of: sugar, glucose, sucrose and fructose. Limit your alcohol consumption to 2-3 drinks, per day.

The Effects of Alcohol on Your Heart
Recent research indicates that people who have 2-3 drinks a day have a lower rate of heart disease than people who drink more or less than this. [NB. 1 drink = half-pint of beer, 1 short, or 1 glass of wine.] However, (A) Limit yourself to 2-3 drinks per day. (B) Do not drink on an empty stomach. (C) Above all, avoid drinking binges.

FILL UP WITH LOTS OF SOLID NUTRITIOUS FOOD

By solid foods, I mean: bread, potatoes, rice, pasta, beans, cereals, oats and pulses. All these wonderful foods are extremely good for you, so eat lots! For example:

• Eat a good quality muesli, or porridge, for breakfast.

• Enjoy lots of different breads (best is whole-grain), pastas, noodles and brown rice.

• Bake potatoes, dry-roast them, make potato salad, make fish-cakes out of them etc.

• Include a regular helping of beans (baked, red, butter etc.) with your main meal.

• Make friends with lentils and chick peas – both now available in cans.

• Fancy a nibble? Choose bread & jam with a very thin covering of low-fat spread.

EAT MORE SUPER-FOODS!

There are several super-foods which appear to offer extra protection against the dangers of heart disease. Some have already been mentioned but they are worth repeating.

Oily fish , oat-bran, garlic, onions, raw carrots, fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, active yogurt, tea.

I strongly recommend that you make these super-foods part of your regular diet.

A Free Diet Menu – 1500 Calorie

Heart Healthy Meal Plan (1500 Calorie)
Non Low Carb – Healthy Weight Loss Diet Plan

When selecting a heart healthy meal plan, make sure you are consuming a balanced and complete diet. Your assignment is to set realistic and attainable diet goals. Start by following the simple guidelines below.

Nutritional and Healthy Meal Guidelines

1. Commit to consuming 4 – 6 small meals and snacks everyday.
2. To succeed, you must plan ahead by packing your foods the night before. Thus, you should always have fresh and low-fat foods around.
3. Keep it simple. Don’t get too caught up on the specifics or your diet. Start by simply just counting calories.
4. Eat your foods slower.
5. Make healthier food selections like fruits, vegetables, whole grain cereals, and beans, low-fat or nonfat dairy products, low fat meats, fish and skinless poultry.
6. Avoid foods that are high in fat and calories.
7. Avoid foods that are high in sugars such as pastries, candy bars, pies and candy.
8. Use a variety of fruits and vegetables in your nutrition plan. Start by trying to eat 5 total vegetable and fruit servings every single day.

Here is a sample healthy low fat meal plan (1517 calories).

Breakfast
	Amount	Item	Protein	Carbs	Fats	Calories
	12 ounces	coffee-w/caffeine	0.40	1.40	0.00	8.00
	1 cup	Milk	8.00	11.00	5.00	120.00
	1 tbps	cream,fluid,half and half	0.44	0.65	1.73	19.55
	1 pack	Oatmeal-instant,maple,brn sugar Quaker	4.50	31.60	2.10	152.00
	Total:		13.34	44.65	8.82	299.55
AM Snack
	1 cup	Cottage cheese- 1%fat	28.00	6.00	2.00	164.00
	0.5 cup	Pineapple-canned, chunks	0.00	18.00	0.00	70.00
	Total:		28.00	24.00	2.00	234.00
Lunch
	2 each	bread whole wheat-slice	6.00	24.00	2.00	140.00
	1 cubic inch	cheddar cheese	4.26	0.15	4.12	56.36
	.15 cup	mayo	0.32	8.47	11.77	137.37
	1 ounce	turkey breast/white meat	8.50	0.00	0.20	38.25
	.25 small	Tomato-small	0.25	1.43	0.10	6.50
	Total:		19.33	34.36	18.19	378.48
PM Snack
	8 each	Cracker/Nabisco-Low Saltines	1.60	16.00	3.20	96.00
	1 ounce	Turkey/white meat	8.50	0.00	0.20	38.25
	Total:		10.12	16.00	3.40	134.25
Dinner
	5 ounces	Halibut – broiled	37.50	0.00	5.00	198.75
	1 cup	rice-white cook steamed	6.00	62.00	0.00	164.00
	2 tbps	Thousand island-reduced cal. Kraft	0.00	6.00	2.00	40.00
	0.5 cup	Vegetables – mixed, frozen, boiled	2.60	11.90	0.10	54.00
	1 small	salad-sm. Garden w/tomato, onion	1.30	9.50	0.40	49.00
	1 tsp	Sugar-white	0.00	4.00	0.00	15.00
	12 fluid ounces	Tea-prepared w/tap water	0.00	1.00	0.00	4.00
	Total:		44.80	82.50	7.40	470.75
	Grand Total:		115.58	201.50	39.82	1517.04

Grocery List

Food	Quantity
Apple – medium with peel	7 each
Banana – medium 8 inch	7 each
Bread whole wheat – slice	14 each
Broccoli	7 spears
Cheerios	10.5 cups
Chicken Breast / White Meat	28 ounces
Coffee- w/caffeine	84 ounces
Cream, fluid, half and half	7 tablespoons
Halibut – broiled	35 ounces
Mayo type, reg., w/salt	1 cup
Milk – 2 % fat	7 cups
Orange – medium	7 each
Sugar – white	14 tea spoons
Rice – white	7 cups
Thousand island – reduced cal.	7 table spoons
Turkey Breast / White Meat	14 ounces
Tea	82 ounces

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A Free Diet Menu – 1300 Calorie

Quick – Fast Weight Loss Diet (1300 Calorie)

When selecting a low fat diet plan, make sure you are consuming a balanced and complete diet. Your assignment is to set realistic and attainable weight loss and diet goals. Start by following the simple guidelines below.

Nutritional and Low Fat Diet Guidelines

1. Commit to consuming 4 – 6 small meals and snacks everyday.
2. To succeed, you must plan ahead by packing your foods the night before. Thus, you should always have fresh and low-fat foods around.
3. Keep it simple. Don’t get too caught up on the specifics or your diet. Start by simply just counting calories.
4. Eat your foods slower.
5. Make healthier food selections like fruits, vegetables, whole grain cereals, and beans, low-fat or nonfat dairy products, low fat meats, fish and skinless poultry.
6. Avoid foods that are high in fat and calories.
7. Avoid foods that are high in sugars such as pastries, candy bars, pies and candy.
8. Use a variety of fruits and vegetables in your nutrition plan. Start by trying to eat 5 total vegetable and fruit servings every single day.

Here is a sample low fat diet plan (1300 calories).

Breakfast
	Amount	Item	Protein	Carbs	Fats	Calories
	12 ounces	coffee-w/caffeine	0.40	1.40	0.00	8.00
	1 each	Bagel-plain, Lenders Bake Shop	8.00	42.00	2.00	210.00
	2 tbsp	Peanut butter- creamy	8.60	5.70	16.40	190.00
	1 tbsp	Cream, fluid, half and half	0.44	0.65	1.73	19.55
	Total:		17.44	49.74	20.12	427.55
AM Snack
	1 each	apple-medium with peel	0.30	21.10	0.0	81.00
	Total:		0.30	21.10	0.0	81.00
Lunch
	3 ounces	chicken breast/ white meat	26.40	0.00	3.00	140.25
	12 ounces	Coca cola- diet w/ caffeine	0.00	0.40	0.00	0.00
	.25 cup	Croutons-plain	9.00	5.50	0.50	30.50
	1 large	Salad-lrg. Garden w/tomato and onion	2.60	19.00	0.80	98.00
	4 tbps	Thousand island-reduced cal. Kraft	0.00	12.00	4.00	80.00
	Total:		38.00	36.90	8.30	348.75
PM Snack
	1 each	apple-medium with peel	0.30	21.10	0.0	81.00
	Total:		0.30	21.10	0.0	81.00
Dinner
	3 ounces	chicken breast/ white meat	26.40	0.00	3.00	140.25
	1 cup	pasta, corn cooked	3.68	39.07	1.07	176.40
	1 small	salad-sm. Garden w/tomato, onion	1.30	9.50	0.40	49.00
	2 tbps	thousand island- reduced cal. Kraft	0.00	6.00	2.00	40.00
	Total:		31.38	54.57	6.42	405.65
	Grand Total:		87.43	183.42	34.85	1343.95

Grocery List

Food	Quantity
Apple – medium with peel	14 each
Bagel – plain	7 each
Chicken Breast / White Meat	42 ounces
Coca Cola – diet	84 ounces
Cream, fluid, half and half	7 tablespoons
Croutons – plain	2 cups
Pasta, corn, cooked	7 cups
Peanut butter – creamy	14 table spoons
Salad – large garden	7 large
Salad – small garden	7 small
Thousand island – reduced cal.	42 table spoons

A Free Diet Menu – 2200 Calorie

Free Diet Menu (2200 Calorie)

When selecting a menu to lose body fat, make sure you are consuming a balanced and complete diet. Your assignment is to set realistic and attainable weight loss and diet goals. Start by following the simple guidelines below.

Nutritional and Diet Menu Guidelines

1. Commit to consuming 4 – 6 small meals and snacks everyday.
2. To succeed, you must plan ahead by packing your foods the night before. Thus, you should always have fresh and low-fat foods around.
3. Keep it simple. Don’t get too caught up on the specifics or your diet. Start by simply just counting calories.
4. Eat your foods slower.
5. Make healthier food selections like fruits, vegetables, whole grain cereals, and beans, low-fat or nonfat dairy products, low fat meats, fish and skinless poultry.
6. Avoid foods that are high in fat and calories.
7. Avoid foods that are high in sugars such as pastries, candy bars, pies and candy.
8. Use a variety of fruits and vegetables in your nutrition plan. Start by trying to eat 5 total vegetable and fruit servings every single day.

Here is a sample diet Menu (2200 calories).

Breakfast
	Amount	Item	Protein	Carbs	Fats	Calories
	12 ounces	coffee-w/caffeine	0.40	1.40	0.00	8.00
	1.5 cup	cottage cheese – 1% fat	42.00	9.00	3.00	246.00
	1 tbps	cream,fluid,half and half	0.44	0.65	1.73	19.55
	0.5 cup	fruit cocktail	0.51	29.76	0.09	114.40
	Total:		43.35	40.80	4.82	387.95
AM Snack
	1 each	apple-medium with peel	0.30	21.10	0.00	81.00
	1 each	Banana-medium 8 inch	1.20	26.70	0.60	105.00
	Total:		1.50	47.80	0.60	186.00
Lunch
	1 each	apple-medium with peel	0.30	21.10	0.00	81.00
	2 each	bread whole wheat-slice	6.00	24.00	2.00	140.00
	2 cubic inch	cheddar cheese	8.47	0.44	11.27	136.88
	.15 cup	mayo	0.32	8.47	11.77	137.37
	3 ounce	turkey breast/white meat	25.50	0.00	0.60	114.75
	Total:		40.58	53.96	25.64	610.00
PM Snack
	2 each	bread-slice rye 7 grain	10.00	72.00	4.00	180.00
	4 tsp	jelly-any fruit flavor	0.00	16.00	0.00	56.00
	2 tbps	peanut butter	8.00	7.00	16.30	190.00
	Total:		18.00	95.00	20.30	426.00
Dinner
	4 ounces	chicken breast/ white meat	35.20	0.00	4.00	187.00
	1.5 cup	rice-white cook steamed	9.00	93.00	0.00	246.00
	4 tbps	Thousand island-reduced cal. Kraft	0.00	12.00	4.00	80.00
	0.25 cup	croutons-plain	9.00	5.50	0.50	30.50
	1 small	salad-sm. Garden w/tomato, onion	1.30	9.50	0.40	49.00
	Total:		54.50	120.00	8.90	592.50
	Grand Total:		157.93	357.56	60.26	2202.45

Grocery List

Food	Quantity
Apple – medium with peel	14 each
Banana – medium 8 inch	7 each
Bread – slice rye 7 grain	14 each
Bread whole wheat – slice	14 each
Cheese, cheddar	14 cubic inch
Chicken Breast / White Meat	28 ounces
Coffee- w/caffeine	84 ounces
Cottage cheese – 1 % fat	10.5 cups
Cream, fluid, half and half	7 tablespoons
Croutons – plain	2 cups
Fruit cocktail	3.5 cups
Jelly – any flavor	28 tea spoons
Mayo type, reg., w/salt	1 cup
Peanut Butter	14 table spoons
Rice – white cook steamed	10.5 cups
Salad – small garden	7 small
Thousand island – reduced cal.	28 table spoons
Turkey Breast / White Meat	21 ounces

Weekly Diet Meal Plan

Creating a weekly meal plan

In my mind, there are two types of meals: utilitarian and everything else. Utilitarian meals are weekday lunches and dinners when my top priority is supplying my body nutrients for survival. Everything else meals are dinner parties and meals prepared when I have leisurely Saturday afternoons to craft a gourmet plate.

The utilitarian meals, the ones that often begin with phrases such as “What’s for dinner?” and “I’m starving, let’s see what we have in the kitchen,” are where disorganization can work against you. If you don’t have an organized meal plan, it can be easier to head to a fast food joint than to create a nutritious meal at home.

To help with meal planning organization, I created a Meal Plan worksheet (links to the worksheet at the end of this article). To use it, I start most Saturday mornings with a cup of coffee, a stack of cookbooks, and a pad of post-it notes. I flip through my cookbooks, flagging all of the recipes I want to use for the week.

My next task is to put an “X” on the worksheet through any of the meals that I know will be eaten out of the house for friends’ birthdays or whatever is lined up on our calendar. Then, I match up recipes I’ve marked in the cookbooks with openings on the schedule. If any of the items need preparation hours or days beforehand, I’ll list those under the “Prep for Tomorrow” section to help with managing my time. (For example, dough for homemade pizza crusts needs to be made 24 hours in advance of use … so if I want pizza tomorrow, I have to make the dough today.) Also, having at least two snacks listed on the worksheet ensures that I’ve got healthy snack choices available.

When matching recipes with meals, I’ll review the recipe and write down any ingredients on the grocery list section of the worksheet. This helps me plan out what I need from the store and my local farmer’s market. Sometimes, I’ll make two grocery lists for a mini-run on Wednesday night to get fresh produce.

Creating a meal plan takes a little time when it is written, but ultimately saves time and stress during the week. You also may find that a meal plan helps you to eat better and completely eliminate fast food from your diet.

The Unclutterer Meal Plan:

• As an Excel spreadsheet template
• As a PDF

Stars Diet Tips

Dancing with the stars is exploding across America and there is a British version of the show in the UK. The reason for this worldwide phenomenon may not be just for its ratings but for the shows ability to transform the celebrities.

Many of the shows contestants, after many hours of practice are literally transformed into 18-year-old fitness models. This happens with some of the professional dancers as well.

For example, have you seen Lacey Schwimmer lately? This single 20-year-old came on the show a little pudgy but if you have seen her lately, she is looking rock hard and lean. Of course, what red-blooded American male has not admired the body of Edyta Sliwinska or Karina Smirnoff!

Here are some tips from the contestants as well as the pros about the Dancing with the Stars Diet and weight loss secrets.

No Carbs after 5 PM – it seems one of the secret all fitness models, bodybuilders and now dancing with the stars celebrities and pros have is that once it reaches 5 PM they no longer consume carbohydrates. There are many reasons for this but typically, this is because your body slows down during the evening hours. So eat your carbs early during the day.

Stick to a Clean Diet – in researching the workout and diet of many celebrities we have found that one of the major secrets is to skip the fatty foods for grilled chicken, steamed vegetables and salads. Dieting does not mean starving yourself… just eating correctly.

Lose the Salt – many of the celebrities have found that salt causes them to retain too much water. If you have a special outfit or perhaps a bikini to wear, eliminate your salt intake two days before you need to wear it and you will surprise yourself. Your friends may just tell you how great you look!

Eat Protein – make the right food selections. Use egg whites, steamed chicken, fish, like salmon, tuna and of course salads.

Here are 10 of the Dancing with Stars celebrities and professional dancers top 10 foods that they swear by!

• Oatmeal – Pro dancer, Edyta Sliwinska, uses ground oats
• Egg whites – a great meal choice for breakfast and for your last meal of the day.
• Fish – make salmon, tuna your top food choices.
• Yogurt – try the organic variety
• Berries
• Cereal – a great high-fiber snack
• Grapefruit
• Veggies
• Salad with Chicken

Apply these tips to your own diet and you may just find yourself having a Dancing With The Stars knockout body.