Help. My Dad keeps getting water in his lungs by eating the wrong foods(weak hea!

water on the lungs is not due to what he eats.

healthy eating advice from the british heart foundation

Everyone should aim for a well balanced diet. The best way to understand it is to think of foods in food groups. We need more food from some groups and less from others.

?Fruit and vegetables should make up around a third of the food you eat.

?About another third should come from starchy foods like bread, rice, potatoes and pasta. Choose wholegrain varieties wherever possible - they contain more nutrients and fibre than white versions, and are more filling.

?The final third should come mainly from sources of protein. Have some low-fat milk and dairy foods and some lean meat, fish, eggs, beans and other non-dairy sources of protein.

?Only a small amount of the food you eat should be from food and drinks high in fat and/or sugar.
The eatwell plate shows how to balance the different food groups to make up a healthy balanced diet.

To find out more, you can join our free Heart Matters service which includes a range of healthy eating tools, such as an interactive eatwell plate and portion finder.


Eating for your heart
Eating well can protect you against diabetes and some cancers, keep your weight in check and lower your cholesterol and blood pressure.

Fruit and vegetables
Eat at least 5 portions of fruit and veg a day. There's good evidence that they help to lower the risk of coronary heart disease. They can be fresh, frozen, juiced, dried or tinned, and cooked or raw. Try to have a variety.

Oily fish
Eat at least 2 portions of fish a week, and make 1 portion an oily fish, such as mackerel, trout or salmon. Making this small change to your diet can improve your chances of survival after a heart attack. Or, if you've had a heart attack, aim for 2-3 portions of oily fish a week.

You can find a list of oily fish on the Eatwell website.

Fats
Fats are made up of a combination of saturated fats and unsaturated fats -polyunsaturated and monounsaturtaed fats. Choosing the right type of fat is important for heart health.

Eating too much saturated fat can raise your blood cholesterol levels. This can increase your risk of coronary heart disease.

So, to help your heart stay healthy:

?Cut right down on saturated fats and replace with small amounts of unsaturated fats such as olive, rapeseed and sunflower oils and small amounts of unsalted nuts and seeds.

?Reduce the total amount of fat you eat

?Eat at least one portion of oily fish such as salmon and mackeral a week. Oily fish is rich in omega-3-fats which are benefical for heart health.

?Cut down on foods containing trans fats

Salt
Reducing salt will help you to prevent high blood pressure. This in turn may reduce your risk of coronary heart disease. Time to bin the salt grinder and use herbs and spices to season your food instead! Also, look out for the salt content if you buy ready-made foods, as these are often high in salt.

Alcohol
Too much alcohol can increase your blood pressure, which could lead to heart disease and stroke. Alcohol is high in calories and may make you pile on the pounds. Binge drinking can also damage your heart muscle over time.

Keep within the recommended maximum of:

?2-3 units a day for women
?3-4 units a day for men






http://www.bhf.org.uk/heart-health/preve…