By following the guidelines set out by the American Heart Association, you can reduce your risk of heart attack, stroke, and many other serious illnesses. They advise that you:

• Eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day. A serving can be an apple or a half cup of broccoli. You can meet this guideline just by adding a fruit or vegetable to each meal along with 100% fruit or vegetable juice.
• Choose whole grain products such as whole wheat bread or brown rice over their white counterparts. Try to eat 6 servings of whole grain, high fiber foods each day. Eating whole grain cereal and a piece of whole wheat toast for breakfast and a sandwich with whole wheat bread for lunch give you four of those six servings.
• Use reduced-fat (preferably skim) milk products instead of whole milk or cream.
• Include lean, skinless chicken and turkey, as well as, fish and legumes (beans) for heart-healthy proteins.
• Choose fats and oils with two grams of fat (or less) per teaspoon. These include olive oil, canola oil, and margarines or "spreads".
• Limit treats that are high in fat and calories but low on nutritional value. An occasional cookie or piece of candy for special occasions is okay, but a treat after every meal, or even after dinner every night, really adds up.
• Try to walk or do other physical activities for at least 30 minutes each day. It does not have to be 30 minutes all at once. Walking the dog for 10 minutes, three times a day counts.
• Eat less than 2,400 milligrams of sodium each day.
• Have no more than one alcohol drink per day if you are a woman and no more than two alcohol drinks per day if you are a man. (One drink = 1/2 ounce of pure alcohol.) For example, 12 ounces of beer or four ounces of wine equal one drink.
• Limit foods high in saturated fat, trans fat, and/or cholesterol such as:

  - full-fat dairy products
  - egg yolks
  - tropical oils
  - fried foods
  - fatty cuts of meat
  - partially hydrogenated vegetable oils

Instead, choose fruits, vegetables and other foods that are not processed.

Now that you know more about healthy eating, let's see how Janet gets started.