Phoebe Jaeckels, who serves on the NutriBase Advisory Board, developed these Healthy Heart Meal Plans for you. These Meal Plans follow the guidelines of the American Heart Association and are available in eight calorie levels, from 1100 calories to 2800 calories. A sample week from this Meal Plan Collection is available for your perusal.

The plans in this collection are designed to provide approximately 15% to 20% of their calories in from protein, 45% to 60% of calories from carbohydrate, and 20 to 30% from fat. These plans are very low in saturated fat and rely on healthier fats such as Omega fatty acids and healthy oils such as olive oil. These plans limited cholesterol to a maximum of 300 mg daily.

These plans can help you reduce three of the major risk factors for heart attack - high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, and excess body weight. Following a sensible Meal Plan can also reduce your risk of stroke, because heart disease and high blood pressure are major risk factors for strokes. This Meal Plan Collection replies on an abundance of fresh deep water fish, boneless and skinless chicken breast meat, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

The American Heart Association Eating Plan for Healthy Americans is based on these new dietary guidelines, released in October 2000:

• Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables. Choose 5 or more servings per day.
• Eat a variety of grain products, including whole grains. Choose 6 or more servings per day.
• Include fat-free and low-fat milk products, fish, legumes (beans), skinless poultry and lean meats.
• Choose fats and oils with 2 grams or less saturated fat per tablespoon, such as liquid and tub margarines, canola oil and olive oil.
• Balance the number of calories you eat with the number you use each day.
• Maintain a level of physical activity that keeps you fit and matches the number of calories you eat. Walk or do other activities for at least 30 minutes on most days. To lose weight, do enough activity to use up more calories than you eat every day.
• Limit your intake of foods high in calories or low in nutrition, including foods like soft drinks and candy.
• Limit foods high in saturated fat, trans fat and/or cholesterol, such as full-fat milk products, fatty meats, tropical oils, partially hydrogenated vegetable oils and egg yolks. Instead choose foods low in saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol from the first four points above.
• Eat less than 6 grams of salt (sodium chloride) per day (2,400 milligrams of sodium).
• Have no more than one alcoholic drink per day if you're a woman and no more than two if you're a man.

Following these Meal Plans will help you achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle. A healthy lifestyle means a healthy body weight, a desirable blood cholesterol level, and a normal blood pressure. Although not every meal needs to comply with the guidelines above, it's important to apply the guidelines above to your overall eating pattern at least several days each week.

In addition to improving your heart health, these plans may also help reduce your risk for other chronic health problems, including type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis (bone loss) and some forms of cancer.

This Meal Plan is included with NutriBase, version 5.1 and greater. Please email us anytime by clicking the email icon in the lower right corner of any page on this web site if you have comments or suggestions regarding these Meal Plans. :-)