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Your First Health: Heart Healthy Diet

This week in Your First Health, we take advantage of "Heart Health Month" to get some information about a heart healthy diet.

We caught up with a registered dietitian, Martha Ross, at LewisGale.

She tells us research show most heart disease occurs after the age of 65 but its what we do leading up to that age that is key for prevention.

What should be on your plate?

A fruit, vegetable, whole grain, and a lean meat the size of a deck of cards.

Ross says if you eat all servings required it really doesn't leave much room for junk food.

She also tells us that Americans need to cut down on sodium, saying, "For example, I take a tomato, it's not high in sodium, but I buy a can of diced stewed tomatoes and they've added salt to the diced stewed tomatoes. I get a fresh baked potato and bake it, not too much salt. I buy a box of scalloped potatoes and if you look at the sodium on the side, you are probably going to see that you have at least half your day requirement of sodium."

Ross also says, while people should have at least 5 servings of fruits and veggies each day, the goal to strive for is actually 10 servings per day.