The best way to keep your heart healthy is through your diet and we have explained some of the easiest changes you can make. Heart-healthy lifestyle habits will also benefit your general wellbeing whilst reducing your risks of heart disease and lowering your cholesterol levels.
Fruit and vegetables should make up a third of our diets so you should be having at least 5 portions a day. This can be hard so why not try adding frozen vegetables to dishes? We have some great choices like Broccoli and our Baby Carrots. Always aim for a colourful plate; variety is the spice of life and with a larger variety means more of the good things like fibre, vitamins and minerals.
Eating more fibre will also help lower your risk of heart disease, aiming for 30 grams a day from a variety of sources like Wholemeal Bread, Oats, Wholegrain Cereals, Potatoes with their skins and of course fruit and vegetables.
Cutting down on your saturated fat is always a great way to lower your cholesterol levels - using leaner cuts of meat and lower fat dairy varieties will help so try using skimmed rather than whole milk.
Cholesterol is a word that we hear an increasing amount as we age, but many people are still unaware of what cholesterol is and the dangers it can pose.
Cholesterol is an essential fatty substance that is carried around the body in your bloodstream. When cholesterol combines with proteins they become lipoproteins. There are two main types, which have very different effects on the body:
February is National Heart Month and a reminder of how important it is to look after our hearts.
Run by the British Heart Foundation, the initiative is held every year to raise awareness of the fight against cardiovascular disease, with the aim of keeping more hearts beating for longer.
