Also for the first time, the organization's dietary guidelines include lifestyle recommendations, including an emphasis on people exercising regularly and not smoking.

"A healthy diet and lifestyle are the best weapons you have to fight cardiovascular disease," the AHA said.

"Regular physical activity can help you maintain your weight, keep off weight that you lose and help you reach physical and cardiovascular fitness," it said. "If you can't do at least 30 minutes at one time, you can add up 10-minute sessions throughout the day."

Trans Fats Raise Bad Cholesterol

A panel of specialists in nutrition and heart disease reviewed more than 90 studies to update the dietary advice the association released in 2000.

The guidelines are intended for healthy Americans ages 2 and older.

However, rather than slavishly counting calories and grams of fat, people should try something simpler: getting in the habit of cooking with healthier oils and balancing calories consumed with calories burned through exercise, said Alice Lichtenstein, a nutrition expert at Tufts University who was chairwoman of the guidelines panel.

Trans fats, or trans fatty acids such as partially hydrogenated oils, are in many cookies, crackers, breads, cakes, french fries and other fried foods.

Trans fatty acids contribute to heart disease risk by raising LDL, which doctors often refer to as "the bad cholesterol."

Eat More Fruits, Vegetables

Many snack and restaurant foods are high in trans fatty acids. Panel members pointed out that avoiding them and keeping a healthy diet is challenging for Americans who have become passionate consumers of snack and fast foods and developed the habit of eating out one or more times a week.

Last week, a consumer group filed a lawsuit against Kentucky Fried Chicken to try to get the company to stop frying its chicken in trans fats. Other fast-food chains have been pressured to lower such fats as well.

"Total fat reduction alone is not the only answer. It is important what kind of fat you eat," said Linda Van Horn, a Northwestern University dietitian who helped draft the guidelines.

The panel issued a slew of other recommendations Monday, including limiting saturated fats to no more than 7 percent of daily calories, daily exercise, increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables and curbing alcoholic intake.

Heart Association Guidelines

• Limit saturated fats to no more than 7 percent of daily calories, down from the 10 percent formerly recommended and the 11 percent most Americans consume. Saturated fats are in meat and dairy products, and in coconut and palm oil.
• Get at least half an hour of exercise a day.
• Eat fruits and vegetables (not fruit juices) that are deep in color, such as spinach, carrots, peaches and berries.
• Choose whole-grain, high-fiber foods.
• Eat fish, especially oily fish like salmon and trout, at least twice a week. (Children and pregnant women should follow federal guidelines for avoiding mercury in fish.)
• Choose lean meats and try vegetable alternatives.
• Consume fat-free and 1 percent fat milk and other dairy products.
• Minimize calories from beverages and avoid ones with added sugars.
• Add little or no salt to foods.
• Drink alcohol in moderation.



(c) 2006 The Record; Bergen County, N.J. All rights reserved.
(c) 2006 Daily News Central. All rights reserved.