1. Switch from butter – make the swap from butter to a margarine spread such as Flora. It’s got 65% less saturated fat than butter. That’s good news for your heart. 

2. Go for plant sterols - If cholesterol is a problem for you, plant sterol enriched foods, like Flora pro-activ can help. Just 2g of plant sterols a day (equivalent to 25g pro-activ) is needed to reduce cholesterol absorption by 10% in just three weeks as part of a healthy lifestyle.
 
3. Keep the good fats – people watching their calories often end up cutting out all fat which includes the good fats. There’s room in an energy controlled diet for good fats from oils, margarine spreads, nuts, fish and other foods like avocado.

4. Go veggie for a day – try a vegetarian meal one night each week. Reducing the amount of meat you eat can help reduce your saturated fat intake. There are great recipes using tofu or legumes like lentils, kidney beans and chick-peas. Try one today.

5. Keep active – 30 min of exercise most days is needed for good health. Keep motivated by joining a gym, exercising with a friend and choosing something that you enjoy – that way you’re more likely to stick to it.

6. Count your steps – You don’t have to run a marathon or be a pro soccer player to get fit. Simply walking can improve your health. Buy a pedometer and aim for 10,000 steps a day.

7. Snack smart – There’s nothing wrong with snacking as long as you choose the right snacks. Instead of the king size chocolate bar try a skim hot chocolate, swap your muffin for a piece of fruit toast or go for a handful of nuts instead of potato chips.

8. Focus on fibre – High fibre foods take longer to eat and can help your cholesterol too. Choose fibre-filled snacks like wholegrain crackers, nuts and fruit. For more fibre in main-meals, leave the skin on your vegetables and try brown rice or pasta.

9. Go for 2 + 5 – That’s 2 serves of fruit plus 5 serves of vegetables every day. To boost your intake, top your breakfast cereal with your favourite fruit, add a side salad at lunch and add an extra serve (½ cup) of vegetables at dinner.

10. Light dairy goodness – You can cut out some of the bad fat simply by choosing reduced-fat or skim milk, low fat yoghurt and reduced-fat cheese instead of full-cream varieties.

11. Don’t skip breakfast – the most important meal of the day gives your body the fuel it needs to kick-start your metabolism and you’re less likely to snack mid-morning. If you don’t like cereal, try wholegrain toast with a boiled egg or a fruit smoothie.

12. Cook smart – avoid cooking in butter or ghee which are high in saturated fat. Instead, use small amounts of oils like sunflower and olive, or margarine spreads. Margarine spreads like Flora Salt Reduced can be used instead of butter for most cooking and baking.

13. Watch out for hidden fats – many processed foods like cakes, pastries and biscuits are high in fat (particularly ‘bad’ saturated fat). Get into the habit of looking at food labels to check the saturated fat content in different foods.

14. Healthy hydration – keeping hydrated is important for health and wellbeing. Water is the best choice as it has no energy at all. For other drinks with less energy, go for skim milk, green tea and diet drinks instead of full cream milk, orange juice and regular soft drinks.

15. Healthy lifestyle – making positive changes for your health is not only about diet. What other changes can you make to improve your health? Quitting smoking, reducing your alcohol intake and exercising more can help.

16. Trim the fat – The skin and fat on meat is high in calories and ‘bad’ saturated fat. Choose lean, skinless cuts and trim all visible fat before cooking.

17. Cut the salt – Too much salt can impact heart health by increasing blood pressure. Choose salt-reduced or Tick approved foods wherever possible, and take away the salt shaker from the table.

18. Stress less – Busy lives can increase our stress levels which can negatively affect our heart. Take some time to relax every day– read, listen to music or do something else you enjoy - even if it’s only for 10 minutes. 

19. Get into nuts - Snack on unsalted nuts. Try adding nuts or seeds to your breakfast cereal or salad, or keep a small packet of nuts in your bag or desk drawer for when you get the munchies.

20. Eat more fish - Try to have oily fish at least twice a week. It’s contains omega-3, an essential polyunsaturated fat which is good for your heart. Oily fish include mackerel, sardines, tuna, salmon and trout.