Patient Education Caring For Your Heart Booklet | Page 33
Processed red meats like bacon,
sausage, hot dogs, brats, and bologna
Added Sugars
Consuming a diet high in added sugar
has been linked to a higher risk of heart
disease and can increase triglyceride
levels. The American Heart Association
recommends that men limit added sugars
to no more than 9 teaspoons per day
and women to no more than 6 teaspoons
per day. That’s 36 for men and 24 grams
for women, if you are using the food
label to check your intake of added
sugar. The average adult consumes 22
teaspoons per day. Major sources of
added sugar include:
High fat dairy products (whole or 2%
milk)
Butter, shortening, lard
Coconut oil, palm oil, and palm kernel
oil
High fat desserts and sweets (cookies,
cakes, pies, pastries, donuts, ice
cream, candy bars, chocolate)
Any foods with partially hydrogenated
oil (trans fat) or fully hydrogenated oil
(saturated fat) in the ingredients list
Sugar sweetened beverages like soft
drinks, lemonades and fruit drinks,
sweetened tea and coffee drinks, and
sport drinks
Snacks
Choose:
Sweetened grain products like cereals,
pastries, cakes, cookies, and granola
bars
nut butter on crackers, toast, or celery
raw fruits and vegetables
Sweetened dairy products like fl avored
milk, yogurt, and ice creams
air-popped or light microwave
popcorn
fl avored rice cakes
whole grain cereal (not high-sugar
types)
whole grain crackers
vanilla wafers
homemade nut and dried fruit mix
handful of unsalted nuts
Note: Baked snack chips and pretzels are
low in fat, but may be high in salt.
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