• Ensure you eat five (5) serving of vegetables and two to three (2-3) servings of fruit each day. For more information about serving sizes go here: go for 2 and 5.
• Ensure you eat a rainbow of fresh fruit and vegetables which contain antioxidants which are important nutrients to help protect your body from cardiovascular disease. Great examples are berries, garlic, tomatoes, capsicum and green tea.
• Reduce saturated and trans fats in your diet, reduce animal fats (meat and dairy products) and other sources of hidden fat such as chocolates, muffins, cakes, pastries and pies. Trans fats are often labelled as hydrogenated oil.
• Reduce the amount of sugar in your diet such as muffins, cakes, lollies and many products listed as fat free which often contain high amounts of sugar in replacement of the fat. Sugar is converted into fat very quickly in the body.
• Increase the amount of fresh fish  in your diet (not battered or deep-fried).
• A diet high in soluble fibre is highly recommended in order to promote the excretion of cholesterol. Good sources include apples, legumes, oats and psyllium.
• Include moderate amounts of good fats in your diet such as fish, avocado, nuts and seeds (especially walnuts and sunflower seeds), and cold pressed extra virgin olive oil.
• Reduce salt (often labelled as sodium on packages), decrease your consumption of processed meats (eg bacon, ham and salami), packaged foods and junk foods. Buy low salt alternatives of any tinned foods, sauces or other packaged foods that you use, and don’t add salt to your meals.
• If you drink alcohol, drink in in moderation, red wine is antioxidant-rich in small amounts. Too much alcohol has the opposite and damaging effect on your body.
• Quit smoking. Cigarette smoking significantly increases the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
• Exercise helps to maintain a healthy heart. As little as 30 minutes of moderate exercise (eg brisk walking) per day may help to improve your cardiovascular health.
• Learn and practice techniques to reduce stress levels and improve your ability to cope under pressure. Yoga, meditation, hypnotherapy, tai chi and qi gong are all beneficial. A link to some great stress and relaxation downloads: here

Talk to your doctor before taking any supplements or making changes to your diet or lifestyle; they will need to monitor your requirements and dosage of your medications.