For a fit heart, cut calories & TV viewing

NEW YORK: The American Heart Association on Monday released new lifestyle recommendations that urge people to cut calories and artery-clogging fats, and to replace “screen time” with exercise.

The advice differs from the AHA’s previous recommendations, issued in 2000, in several ways. The group now urges people to cut their intake of cholesterol-raising fat and trans-fats even further, but eschews the old advice to limit total fat intake to less than 30 per cent of daily calories as a way to lose weight.

Instead, the new recommendations emphasise the importance of eating nutritious foods and balancing calories taken in with calories burned.

To reach that goal, the AHA says, adults and children need to eat more lower-calorie, nutrient-rich foods — including fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, low-fat dairy and fish. They also need to spend less time in front of the TV or computer and exercise for at least 30 minutes a day.

Recognising that weight-loss diets so often fail in the long run, the group is urging people to follow a healthy diet and lifestyle that at least prevents further weight gain.

Quitting or never starting to smoke is also vital to heart health, while certain dietary supplements, like fish oil and plant sterols, may be helpful for people with cholesterol.