Lifestyle

A high intake of vegetables (raw or cooked) is the cornerstone of a healthy diet – you literally can’t eat well without them.

Of all the macronutrients, protein is the one that hasn’t received much negative press. It’s loved by all. And for good reason. Protein is the building blocks of almost all our major body tissues – including the heart – and should be consumed daily for overall good health, growth and repair.

Due to the popular low-fat diets of the 80s and 90s, combined with the even more popular high-fat diets of the 2000s (Atkins and later paleo), many people are confused by this hotly debated nutrient: fat.

There is a lot of confusion about carbohydrates and their effect on our health, especially surrounding their consumption and subsequent effect on weight loss, body fat and a person’s risk of developing heart disease. So here is what we really know about carbohydrates, and how they can be incorporated into a healthy diet.

Experts recommend getting in five serves a day, and hitting that daily intake is one of the best things you can do for your long-term health – and your heart.

One of the challenges with maintaining a healthy weight and subsequently a healthy heart is our tendency to overeat at main meals, feel peckish in between or crave something sweet afterwards.

There are many low-fat products on the market, countered by many popular diets like ‘keto’ and ‘Atkins’ that promote drastically reducing your carbohydrate intake and replacing it with fat. For a healthy and heart-friendly diet, what is right for you most likely sits somewhere in between.

When it comes to choosing carbohydrate-rich foods, there are three key things to remember...