2 More Heart-Healthy Tips to Try

1. Get Lean Meat
There are several ways to reduce the saturated fat in meats. Select lean cuts of meat with minimal fat, such as round, chuck, sirloin, or loin. Buy choice and select grades rather than prime. Broil rather than pan-fry meats, and use a rack to drain off fat. When possible, choose chicken, turkey, and fish, which are lower in saturated fat. Here's another way fish protects your heart.

2. Be Choosy About Cheese
Full-fat cheeses are a major source of saturated fat in the diet. But you may not have to say good-bye to cheese. Try switching to a vegetable-oil-based cheese instead. In a recent study, people who chose vegetable-oil-based cheeses instead of their usual milk-fat-based cheeses experienced a drop in their LDL cholesterol levels after 4 weeks. Get to the heart of good and bad fats.

Vegetable oils contain unsaturated fats, which have been shown to be helpful in lowering cholesterol. However, some oil-based cheeses are high in trans fats, so read the label carefully and avoid any that contain hydrogenated oils.

Cheeses made with vegetable oil instead of milk fat are often labeled as vegetarian or imitation. You can find vegetarian or imitation cheeses in the cheese section of most grocery stores.

Follow these 12 steps to protect your heart and to live as young as you can be.