Cardio-protective Diet for You - NDR-UK

Salt fish
Olives
Yeast extract
Salted snacks
Reading nutrition labels is a good way of identifying foods that are lower in salt, a rough guide is:
High More than 1.5 g salt (or 0.6g sodium)
Low 0.3g salt (or 0.1g sodium) or less
Alcohol
Drinking too much can increase your risks of cardiovascular disease and has been linked diabetes,
high blood pressure, raised cholesterol and increased waist circumference.
There is some evidence to show that small quantities of alcohol may have a beneficial effect on
your HDL cholesterol – this is at around 1 unit per day.
Alcoholic drinks can be very high in calories and so may contribute to weight gain.
Alcohol consumption should be limited to:
• 3-4 units per day for men
• 2-3 units per day for women
• 2 days per week should be alcohol-free
• binge-drinking should be avoided (consuming 8 or more units in a session).
What is a unit?
The table below provides some examples of the amount of alcohol units. However, brands vary,
so check the label for product-specific information.
Units in alcoholic drinks
Drink
Units
125ml glass of 12% wine 1.5
175ml glass of 12% wine 2.1
250ml glass of 12% wine 3
1 pint (568ml) of low strength (3.6%) lager/ale/cider 2
1 pint (568ml) of high strength (5.2%) lager/ale/cider 3
1 can (440ml) of medium strength (5.0%) lager/ale/cider 2
1 small single shot (25ml) of spirit (40%) – gin, vodka, whisky 1
1 standard single shot (35ml) of spirit (40%) – gin, vodka, whisky 1.4
Tips for reducing alcohol intake
• Check the measurements on your wine glass – 3 large glasses of wine are equivalent to a
bottle.
• Watch out for cocktails which may contain 3 or more shots of spirits.
• If you’re watching your weight, choose a single shot of spirit with a low-calorie mixer.
• Try diluting drinks, for example beer with lemonade (shandy) or white wine with lemonade
or fizzy water to make a spritzer.
• Have a soft drink between each alcoholic drink.
• Visit www.drinkaware.co.uk for more information.
120404Heart Health for HIV DRAFT
12