The American Heart Association diet plan online outlines the basics of their diet and lifestyle plan to reduce the risk of heart disease. The plan is based on sound science and the latest nutrition research. It offers a sensible approach to weight loss that anyone can follow.
Basics of the American Heart Association Diet Plan Online
The basics of the American Heart Association diet plan online may be found on the organization'swebsite.
How to Get Started
The plan is simple and straightforward. Know how many calories you burn each day, how many you consume, and consume less than you burn. To begin, you must determine how many calories you need each day. The AHA's website includes a link to an online program that determines basic calories needed per day. Other online calculators work along similar lines. You input your height, current weight, and a few other facts and the calculator spits out a number. That's the number of calories you need each day to maintain your current weight.
Move that Body
The second recommendation is to move your body. Exercise is a powerful way to improve mood and burn calories. You don't need a gym membership, fancy equipment, or special videos. Brisk walking for 30 minutes a day is a great way to burn calories and improve heart and muscle condition. Bicycling, dancing in your home to music on the radio, or even doing yard work can also burn calories. If 30 minutes a day is too much, do whatever you can do and increase the amount of time little by little each day to work up to 30 minutes a day.
Diet Recommendations
The American Heart Association diet plan calls for a diet based primarily on fresh fruit, vegetables and whole grains. The chart on their website lists the amount of servings to eat based on the number of calories you need each day.
Fruits and vegetables provide superb nutrition and few calories. Some of the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables for dieters include:
· Increases fiber intake, so you feel fuller longer
· Includes vitamins, minerals and antioxidants to boost health
· Provides crunch or sweetness depending on your craving
· Fills you up so you won't be tempted to overeat empty-calorie food
Whole grains also form an important part of this diet. Whole grains such as whole wheat, brown rice,quinoa and other grains contain the nutritious part of the grain that is stripped out during refining and processing that creates white flour and white pasta. Many whole grain products are available; choose the ones that tempt your taste buds and give you the most nutrition bang for your buck.
The American Heart Association recommends 2-3 servings of dairy products lately. For many people, dairy poses some problems. It can be difficult to digest as one gets older as well as for people with lactose intolerance. Dairy provides calcium and other vitamins and minerals. These may also be obtained from plant-based sources, such as green leafy vegetables for those who choose not to consume dairy.
On this diet, meat is eaten sparingly. Lean cuts and preparation methods such as baking and broiling are recommended. Oily fish such as tuna and salmon should be consumed twice a week. Fish provides heart-healthy fats such as omega-3 fatty acids.
Sugar
The American Heart Association recommends reducing or eliminating refined sweets. While many dieters substitute artificial sweeteners and products such as diet cola and diet cookies instead of the full sugar products, recent research suggests that these products may increase cravings for sweet foods and do not help people lose weight. Substitute sparkling water flavored with a squeeze of lemon, lime or a splash of fresh orange juice instead of soda pop. Mash ripe bananas and place them in a freezer-safe container, then freeze for several hours; the result has a taste and texture similar to ice cream. There are more ways to eliminate sugar from your diet without compromising taste.
Does It Work?
Does the American Heart Association diet work for weight loss? Given the healthy emphasis on freshfruits, vegetables and grains, combined with reducing unhealthy foods and cooking methods such as frying, the diet is healthy and could be low-calorie. The exercise recommendations are within current guidelines. As a free diet, it's worth a try, and should improve health while lowering your weight.
You can call the American Heart Association toll free at 1-800-AHA-USA1 for a free brochure about the diet.
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