What is the Stay Balanced Diet?

Eating for lower cholesterol and a healthy heart is not as difficult as it may sound–and it does not require becoming a health freak or a vegetarian. Just a few simple changes can lower your cholesterol levels and, in turn, provide significant cardiac benefits.

The Stay Balanced Scale below, designed for this book by Elaine B. Trujillo, MS, RD, CNSD, is geared for people who are trying to lower their cholesterol levels; but anyone, with elevated cholesterol or not, will benefit from following a heart-healthy diet. The basic premise of the Stay Balanced Scale is that your intake of calories from healthy foods should be balanced by exercise that burns off those calories.

In 2005, the U.S. Department of Agriculture established a new personalized food pyramid, called My Pyramid, as part of the New Dietary Guidelines for Americans. My Pyramid is designed to enable you to compute the amount of food you need daily based on your gender, age, weight, and activity level. Customized pyramids are a huge step in the right direction, and millions of Americans can potentially benefit from this new approach.

However, for an eating plan that specifically targets lowering your cholesterol, we suggest using the Stay Balanced Scale in conjunction with the Daily Calorie Guidelines listed below. The list of Stay Balanced Food Groups that follows the scale outlines the types and amounts of food you should consume while staying within your calorie range.

15 Simple Recommendations to Help You Stay Balanced

• Follow the guidelines in the Stay Balanced Scale while staying within your calorie allowance.
• Eat an abundance of vegetables and fruits.
• Eat whole grains instead of refined grains.
• Choose heart-healthy unsaturated fats from plant sources.
• Reduce your intake of saturated fats.
• Consume seafood high in omega-3 fatty acids.
• Eat nutrient-dense, low-fat soy protein, such as tofu or soy yogurt.
• Choose the leanest white and red meats, and watch portion sizes.
• Take a multivitamin with minerals daily.
• If you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation–up to one drink per day for women, up to two drinks per day for men. One drink equals 12 ounces of regular beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1-1/2 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits.
• Consume less than 2,300 mg of sodium per day. Choose and prepare foods with little salt. Individuals with hypertension, African Americans, and middle-aged and older adults should aim to consume no more than 1,500 mg of sodium per day.
• Avoid foods that contain trans fats or partially hydrogenated oil, such as processed foods.
• Limit consumption of refined carbohydrates and foods that contain highfructos corn syrup, such as sodas, candy bars, and other junk food.
• Avoid fast food, especially the "value combos," which are loaded with fats and calories.
• Make daily exercise a priority.

Stay Balanced Food Groups and Daily Serving Sizes

Fruits
1 TO 2-1/2 CUPS, OR 2 TO 5 SERVINGS, PER DAY
Choose a variety of fruits that provide a range of vitamins and minerals. Fruits high in folic acid are particularly good for your heart. Some examples include bananas, blackberries, cantaloupe, citrus fruits, honeydew melon, papaya, raspberries, and strawberries.

Vegetables
1 TO 4 CUPS, OR 2 TO 8 SERVINGS, PER DAY
Choose a variety of vegetables that provide a range of vitamins and minerals. Vegetables high in folic acid are particularly good for your heart. Some examples include asparagus, beets, broccoli, brussel sprouts, corn, peas, romaine lettuce, squash, and tomato juice.

Whole Grains and Legumes
3 TO 10 SERVINGS PER DAY, INCLUDING AT LEAST 1/2 TO 3-1/2 CUPS PER WEEK OF LEGUMES, SUCH AS BEANS, LENTILS, AND CHICKPEAS
Because whole grains have less folate than enriched refined grains (unless the whole grain has been fortified with folic acid), include some folate-fortified products, such as folate-fortified whole-grain cereals.

Low-Fat Dairy
3 SERVINGS, OR 3 CUPS LOW-FAT OR FAT-FREE PRODUCTS, PER DAY
Dairy products are an excellent source of calcium and heart-healthy B vitamins.

Soy
25 GRAMS OF SOY PROTEIN PER DAY
Soy is a low-fat, cholesterol-free source of protein that can be consumed
instead of lean meat or seafood. Soy milk can also replace cow's milk and yogurt in the low-fat dairy food group. Always opt for enriched soy milk that has been fortified with calcium, vitamins A, D, and B12, and riboflavin. For children under the age of two, do not, unless under the guidance of a health-care professional, substitute soy milk for cow's milk, because infants and toddlers need more fat for development.

Lean Meats and Seafood
2 TO 7 OUNCES (TOTAL) OF LEAN MEATS, FISH OR SHELLFISH, AND/OR EGGS OR EGG SUBSTITUTES PER DAY
At least twice a week, choose fatty fish and shellfish that are high in omega-3 fatty acids, such as wild salmon, albacore tuna, trout, shrimp, and scallops. Soy products, such as tofu and soy burgers, can be substituted for lean meats and seafood.

Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated Fats
4 TO 13 SERVINGS, PER DAY
Keep the total fat intake between 20 to 35 percent of calories, with most fats coming in the form of monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and omega-3 fatty acids. Sources of these heart-healthy fats include salad dressings, peanut butter, mayonnaise, avocados, olives, nuts, seeds, and vegetable oils. Some sample serving sizes include 1 tablespoon low-fat mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon peanut butter, 2 tablespoons reduced-fat salad dressing, 1 teaspoon soft margarine, and 1 teaspoon vegetable oil.

Saturated Fats
MINIMIZE CONSUMPTION
Consume less than 7 percent of calories from saturated fat and no more than 200 mg/day of cholesterol. Avoid products with trans fats or partially hydrogenated oil.

Refined Carbohydrates
MINIMIZE CONSUMPTION
Consume fewer refined carbohydrates and foods and beverages that contain added sugars and high-fructose corn syrup, such as sodas, junk food, white rice, and white bread. These products can make your blood sugar and insulin levels shoot up and then crash, which may ultimately lead to increased feelings of hunger, and weight gain. Whole-grain products have a gentler effect on your blood sugar. Avoid adding sugar to beverages.

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