1. Manage portion sizes

How much you eat is just as important as what you eat. Overloading your plate, taking seconds and eating until you feel too full can lead to eating more calories than you should. Portions served in restaurants often are larger than anyone needs.

Follow a few simple tips to manage food portion size. These tips can help you improve your heart health:

• Use a small plate or bowl to help manage your portions.
• Eat more low-calorie, nutritious foods such as fruits and vegetables.
• Eat smaller amounts of high-calorie, high-sodium foods. These include refined, processed and fast foods.

It's also important to keep track of the number of servings you eat. Keep this information in mind:

• A serving size is a specific amount of food. It's defined by common measurements such as cups, ounces or pieces. For example, one serving of pasta is about 1/3 to 1/2 cup, or about the size of a hockey puck. A serving of meat, fish or chicken is about 2 to 3 ounces. That's about the size and thickness of a deck of cards.
• The recommended number of servings in a food group may vary. It depends on the specific diet or guidelines you're following.
• Learning to tell what one serving looks like takes practice. You may need to use measuring cups, measuring spoons or a food scale until you get used to it.