Your heart care team: Nutritionist

If you have a heart condition or high cholesterol, you've probably heard a lot about the key role of diet.

For many people, changing a lifetime of not-so-healthy eating habits is one of the most difficult parts of treating their condition. Often, a professional nutritionist can be a helpful addition to your health care team.

Nutritionists plan healthy eating programs for people who have special dietary requirements. Sometimes, they also supervise the preparation and serving of meals.

A nutritionist can help get you and your family "on the same page" when it comes to making dietary changes. He or she can help you make changes at a comfortable pace, and encourage other family members to take part—an important step to success.

Specific recommendations a nutritionist may make include:

Increase your fiber intake. Use whole grain breads and include fiber-rich fruits such as apples. Fiber helps to prevent cholesterol from entering your bloodstream.
Decrease your sodium (salt) intake. Substitute fresh herbs, lemon or other fruit juices for salt when cooking. Cut back on processed foods such as lunch meats and sodas, which are high in sodium.
Eat more fruits and vegetables. They are generally low in calories and many contain antioxidants helpful for lowering cholesterol and other toxins in the bloodstream.