CHD and a healthy diet
Aim to eat a diet that's low in saturated fat, salt and sugar and includes plenty of fruit and vegetables and whole grains.
You should limit the amount of salt you eat to no more than 6g a day. Too much will increase your blood pressure.
Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a fatty substance found in your blood. It's produced naturally by the liver and is used by every cell in our body.
If you have high cholesterol you have too much bad cholesterol in your blood. You should avoid food containing saturated fats as this will increase the levels of bad cholesterol in your blood.
The British Heart Foundation website has information about cholesterol, what causes high cholesterol and what you can do to lower your cholesterol if it's too high.
The British Heart Foundation has also developed a 12 part free email programme in partnership with Health Unlocked called lower your cholesterol. If you do have high cholesterol this will help you to understand more about it and how you can make sustainable lifestyle changes to bring it to a healthier level.
Reach and maintain a healthy weight
Eating a healthy diet can help you to keep your weight at a healthy level and reduce the amount of fat in your body. Being a healthy weight also helps you to maintain a healthy heart reducing your chances of developing high blood pressure.
Alcohol and heart disease
Check with your GP to find out if you can drink alcohol.
Further information and advice
Find more information on eating healthily on our healthy eating and drinking webpages.
Find more information about being a healthy weight on our healthy weight webpages.
Download the British Heart Foundation Eat Better booklet about healthy eating. Their website also includes information about alcohol and your heart.