Eating and Nutrition

Find out about:

5 simple steps to eating for a healthy heart
Food table
Alcohol
Nutrition for under fives (opens in new page)

In New Zealand:

68% of adults and 60% of children meet the recommended servings of vegetables per day ¹
55% of adults and 20% of children meet the recommended servings of fruit per day ¹

What you eat really does matter. By choosing the right balance of foods to eat you can reduce your chances of having a heart attack or stroke. The correct balance of foods will also complement the medicines that are prescribed by your doctor.

There are many ways to enjoy a healthy dietary pattern using foods and recipe ideas from a variety of traditional and cultural eating styles around the world.

The Heart Foundations 5 simple steps to eating for a healthy heart:

1)	Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables
2)	If choosing meat, make it lean; include fish as an alternative
3)	Choose low fat milk
4)	Replace butter with margarines and healthy oils
5)	Reduce salt; check sodium on food labels

Food Table

Heart healthy food groups	Daily servings	How much is a serving?
Fruits and coloured vegetables	Aim to eat at least 8 servings daily	1 piece of fruit, 1/2 cup canned fruit in natural fruit juice, 1 cup raw leafy or salad vegetables, 1/2 cup cooked vegetables, 1 tomato or 1 carrot
Grains and starchy vegetables Choose a variety of grain products with at least half as whole grain products.	Aim to eat at least 6 or more grains and starchy vegetables.	1 medium slice bread, 1/2 cup pasta or porridge, 1/2 cup whole wheat cereal, 1 small potato, 1/2 cup kumara, 3 whole grain crispbreads
Fish and seafood, dried peas and beans, lean meat and skinned poultry	Eat between 1-3 depending on kilojoule requirements	150 grams 'lite' tuna, 2 small or 1 large fillet of cooked fish, 1/2 cup lean mince or casserole, 1 cup cooked dried beans
Milk and milk products Use soy substitutes if preferred.	Eat 2-3 depending on kilojoule requirements	1 cup trim or very low-fat milk, 1/3 cup cottage cheese, 1 small pottle low-fat yoghurt, 2 Tbsp grated parmesan
Oils, spreads, nuts, seeds and avocado Choose products made from sunflower, soya bean, olive, canola, linseed, safflower, or nuts and seeds other than coconut.	Eat 3 or more depending on kilojoule requirements	1 tsp soft table margarine or oil, 2 tsp light margarine, 1 dessertspoon nuts, 1 Tbsp avocado
Non-alcoholic drinks	Between 6-8 non-alcoholic drinks	1 glass water, 1 cup tea, coffee or 'diet' soft drink

Other foods	Daily limits	How much is a serving?
Alcoholic drinks	Upto 2 drinks for women and 3 drinks for men	1 can/stubbie of beer, 100 ml wine or 2 nips of spirit, use 'diet' drinkers as mixers
Savoury snack foods	Replace grain servings sometimes or replace high sugar foods	3 reduced fat crackers, 15 rice crackers, 30 grams rice snacks or low saturated fat crisps*
High sugar foods	Upto 1 for low kilojoule needs and 4 for high kilojoule needs#	1 Tbsp jam or honey, 3 small low fat biscuits, ½ small muffin, ½ cup light frozen dessert or frozen yoghurt
High saturated fat	Upto 2 for low kilojoule needs and 6 for high kilojoule needs per week	3-4 small chocolate or cream biscuits, ½ cup cream, cheese or coconut milk sauce, 100 grams ice-cream, 1 medium fries or instant noodles, 50 grams chocolate or crisps

* Low saturated crisps generally have less than 4 grams per 100 grams.
# Low kilojoule needs are for people with type 2 diabetes who are overweight, others who need to lose weight and people who are physically inactive.

Including carbohydrates in the heart healthy dietary pattern

	Low GI	Moderate GI	High GI
High fibre choices	All-Bran™, oat porridge, natural muesli, oat bran, rice bran, pearled barley and bulghur (cracked) wheat	Oat bran, Weet-Bix™, instant porridge, Vita-Brits™, Just Right™, Fruitful Lite™ and Mini Wheats™ wholewheat	Lite-bix™, Mini Wheats™ Blackcurrant, Sultana Bran™ and puffed wheat
	Breads with high content of whole grain, seeds and at least 5 grams fibre per 100 grams	Vita-wheat™ crispbreadOther wholemeal bread	Ryvita™ crispbreadMolenburg™ bread, other grain breads with high white flour content
	Apples, pears, oranges, grapefruit, berry and stone fruits, kiwi, mango, prunes, dried apricots and under-ripe banana (yellow skin)	Melons, pineapple, raisins, sultanas and very ripe bananas	Dates
	Baked beans, other dried peas/beans, sweet corn, yams, and peas	Small canned potatoes, taro	Most potatoes, parsnip, kumara, broad beans, mashed potato
Low fibre choices	Special K™, Frosties™, fruit breads, grapes, fruit and vegetable juices, Snack Right Fruit Slice™	Nutragrain ™, pita bread, hamburger bun	Cornflakes™, Rice Bubbles™, White bread, Fibre White™, bagels, wheatmeal bread, baguette, white buns
	White wheat pasta, sushi koshikari short grain rice, some varieties long grain rice	Basmati/doongara rice, most long grain rice, rice pasta/noodles, udon noodles, couscous, rice pudding and plain popcorn	Corn thins, rice cakes, ricecrackers, jasmine calrose rice, long cooked white rice, sticky/glutinous rice
	Milo™		Golden Fruit™ biscuits, pikelets, scones, water crackers

Alcohol

It is accepted that low to moderate alcohol consumption can be an enjoyable, positive aspect of social life and this consumption has also been shown to have a protective effect in heart disease. However heavy drinking is associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease and stroke.

Table 1: safe drinking guidelines from the Alcohol Liquor Advisory Council (ALAC)

Drinking occassion	Men	Women
If you drink every day, drink no more than:	3 standard drinks	2 standard drinks
On any one drinking occasion, drink no more than:	6 standard drinks	4 standard drinks
In any one week, drink no more than:	21 standard drinks	14 standard drinks

Table 2: standard alcohol servings - guidelines from the Alcohol Liquor Advisory Council

Alcohol Beverage	Measure in mls
1 glass ordinary strength beer	300ml
1 glass fortified wine eg. sherry, port, martini	60ml
1 pub measure spirits eg. gin, whisky, vodka	30ml
1 glass of table wine	100ml