Eating well is one of the most essential things you can do to protect your heart.

It’s easy. Simply eat a healthy balanced diet that includes plenty of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean protein, low-fat dairy and healthy fats. If you’re selecting these kinds of foods most of the time, you’re probably getting all the nutrients and antioxidants you need to be heart healthy.

However, to keep your ticker in top shape, you also need to pay attention to how many calories you’re eating and drinking. For most of us, that’s around 2000 calories a day. It’s a balancing act. Eating too many calories can lead to obesity and being overweight can stress your heart. At the same time, eating too few calories can leave you malnourished.

So, pay attention to what you put in your mouth. Make sure the calories you eat and drink count.

Avoid eating a lot of sweets, processed and fast foods. That includes avoiding sugar sweetened beverages. In addition to sugar, they’re also loaded with calories, and you’ll still feel hungry even after you finish drinking them. Plus, if you fill up on sweet beverages and junk food, you will most likely overeat, but you still won’t eat enough of the nutrient dense food your body needs to keep your heart operating efficiently.

When choosing what to eat or to feed your loved ones, choose a wide variety of healthy foods from all of the food groups.

Almost any fruit or vegetable is a good choice. You can’t go wrong if you reach for brightly colored produce. Make sure your diet includes lots of beautiful and deeply colored vegetables and fruit like sweet potatoes, broccoli, red peppers, tomatoes, collard greens, kale, citrus fruits and berries.

To stay heart healthy, you also need to eat enough lean protein and foods featuring omega-3 fatty acids. Select from foods like fish, poultry, lean meats, eggs, beans, seeds and nuts.

You can also pack additional nutrients into your diet by seasoning your foods with herbs, onions, garlic and ginger instead of relying heavily on salt, butter and cream.

The most important things to remember about food choices can be summed up in three simple points:

¯ A healthy, well-balanced diet is made up of a wide assortment of foods.

¯ Fill at least half your plate with colorful fruits vegetables at every meal.

¯ Make every calorie count.

Your heart will thank you.

CHQ250 is an initiative of the Chautauqua Health Action Team, encouraging you to take action to be one of at least 250 strokes, heart attacks, or related deaths prevented in Chautauqua County in the coming year. This column is written by CHAT members and is intended to share information to help you to do your part to live a life free of stroke or heart disease. Follow us on Facebook at CHQ250. Please direct questions or comments to: activecounty@co.chautauqua.ny.us.