10 Heaviest People in the World

 Paul Mason

Paul Mason, a 50-year-old man from England was once considered the world's fattest man at 980 lbs. but he recently underwent gastric bypass surgery and already is down to 560 lbs. He says his 20,000 calorie-a- day diet is what attributed to his extreme size, but he also blames Britain's national health service for not allowing him to see an eating disorder specialist when he was just over 400 lbs.



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 Donna Simpson

Donna Simpson (born 1967) is an American woman who, in 2008, expressed a desire to become one of the world's heaviest women. She wished to attain a target weight of 1,000 pounds (450 kg). As of June 2010, Simpson weighed 602 pounds (273 kg), down from her weight of 630 pounds (290 kg) in 2008. During the process, Simpson maintained a website where fans paid to watch her eat. In 2010, she won the Guinness World Records for the "Heaviest woman to give birth." In August 2011, Simpson decided to go on a diet to reduce her weight to a target of 370 pounds (170 kg) in order to become more self-sufficient and be able to do a better job of raising her children. (Link)

 Manuel Uribe

Manuel Uribe (born June 11, 1965) is a man from Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico, notable for suffering from morbid obesity to one of the greatest extents known in recorded history. After reaching a peak weight of around 597 kg (1,320 lb) and having been unable to leave his bed since 2001, Uribe lost approximately 400 lbs. (one-third of his body weight, about 181.8 kg) with the help of doctors and nutritionists, and by following the Zone diet. Uribe drew worldwide attention when he appeared on the Televisa television network in January 2006, but turned down offers for gastric bypass surgeryin Italy. 


Uribe has also been featured on The World's Heaviest Man, a television documentary about his bedridden life and attempts to overcome the disease. By October 26, 2008, Uribe had reduced his weight to 360 kg (790 lb). His efforts to overcome the disease continue. In mid 2009, it was falsely reported that Manuel had died. As of February 2012, he weighs 440 lbs.


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 Robert Earl Hughes

Robert Earl Hughes (June 4, 1926 – July 10, 1958) was, during his lifetime, the heaviest human being recorded in the history of the world. Hughes' excessive weight was attributed to a malfunctioning pituitary gland. His chest was measured at 3.15 metres (10.3 ft), and he weighed an estimated 486 kilos (1,070 lb) at his heaviest. At the age of six, he weighed about 92 kilos (200 lb); at ten, he weighed 171 kilos (380 lb). By the time of his death, he weighed over half a ton.


During his adult life, Hughes made guest appearances at carnivals and fairs; plans to appear on the Ed Sullivan television program were announced but never came about. On July 10, 1958, Hughes contracted a case of measles which soon developed into uremia, resulting in his death in Baylis, Illinois, U. S.; he was 32 years old.

He is often said to have been buried in a piano case. This error stems from a sentence that appeared in successive editions of the Guinness Book of World Records, which read, "He was buried in a coffin the size of a piano case." His headstone notes that he was the world's heaviest man at a confirmed 1,041 pounds (472 kg).


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 Kenneth Brumley

Kenneth Brumley was one of the heaviest people ever recorded, whose weight was confirmed. He was featured on the Channel 4 BodyShock documentary "Half Ton Dad," as a father of four, who weighed almost 74 stone (468 kg or 1,035 pounds).


According to Kenneth Brumley's statements in the documentary, he had been bed-bound for four years. After he was accepted as a gastric bypass patient at the Renaissance Hospital in Houston, Texas, a fire crew had to hammer down a wall in Brumley's house to get him out. 

At Renaissance Hospital, Brumley was treated by the team of specialists that treated Renee Williams, believed to have been the world's heaviest woman at the time. The first step in Brumley's treatment was a diet restricted to 1200 calories per day, which enabled him to lose 167.5 pounds (76 kg) in only 40 days. 
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 Michael Hebranko

Michael Hebranko (born May 14, 1953) is a person suffering from an extreme case of morbid obesity, known to be one of the heaviest people in the world.


After a stay at St. Luke's Hospital in New York, he dropped his weight from 411 kg (910 lb) to 90 kg (200 lb) and waist size from 290 cm (110 in) to 91 cm (36 in) in 19 months, with the help of dieting and exercise coach, Richard Simmons, and was recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the highest recorded weight loss in 1990. He lost some of this weight through surgery. He then toured the United States lecturing about his experiences and advocating dieting and exercise and appeared in infomercials promoting Richard Simmons. He also appeared on TV talk shows such as The Howard Stern Show and the British chat show, Wogan, in 1990.
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 Mayra Rosales

"Mayra Rosales Child Murder - 1,000-lb woman is 'too big to kill' "


A Texas court has ruled that Mayra Rosales, who weighs about 1,036 pounds, weighs too much, and that it would have been impossible for her to lift her arm in order to kill her 2-year-old nephew, whom she was accused of murdering in 2008. (Link | Via)

 Jon Brower Minnoch

This is Jon Brower Minnoch (1941 - 1983) of Bainbridge Island, WA. He was 6 ft. 1 in. tall, and was estimated as weighing "probably more than" 1400 lbs. in 1979, at which point it took 13 people just to roll him over in bed. Minnoch, like many of the heaviest people, suffered from massive edema; his weight was augmented by at least 900 lbs. of fluid at its peak.


The former taxi driver had always been unusually heavy, reaching 400 lbs. in 1963, 700 lbs. in 1966, and 975 lbs. in 1976, but he claimed to have been handicapped, in no way, by his size until a 500-calorie diet sapped his muscular strength and left him on the brink of death. At his peak in 1978, Jon Brower Minnoch tipped the scales at an estimated 635 kilograms, or 1397 pounds, or if you prefer, 100 stone.

He passed away on on September 10, 1983 weighing 362 kilograms or 796 pounds. Minnoch was the father of two children by his 110-lb wife, Jeannette. (Link)

 Terri Smith

A woman believed to be the world's fattest at 50 stone (700 lbs.) is facing a battle to shed weight after being told by doctors she could die.


Terri Smith is confined to her bedroom in her Ohio home, unable to move,stand, or roll over by herself, setting the new world record for the Fattest woman in 2010. She relies on her husband Myron, 44, and oldest daughter Najah, 30, to do everything for her. 

By the age of 20, Terri weighed 18 stone (252 lbs.) but she remained active and held a job as a mental health care worker for 20 years. "I used to help people wash, feed and dress themselves," she said.

To undergo a brain scan and receive the life-saving treatment she may require, Terri is now embarking on a weight loss regimen of exercise andhealthy eating. (Link | Via)

 Dzhambik Khatokhov

An 11-year-old boy named Dzhambik Khatokhov (known as Jambik) from Kabardino-Balkaria, Russia, weighs 324 pounds, is 5' 2" and sets the world record for the Fattest child. 


At birth, Jambik weighed 6 lb. 6 oz. - a reasonable amount for a baby - but by his first birthday he was more than 28 lbs. At just three years old, Jambik was lifting weights as heavy as 7 lbs. At four, he had ballooned to 81 lbs, even though he was just 3 ft., 11 in., and at six, he was 157 lbs. Since then Jambik has gained nearly 112 lbs. more on a diet of porridge and ice cream. 

But his mother Nelya, 42, doesn't share their doctor's concern that, Jambik's weight is dire. "He is just growing -- upwards and outwards," she said. "What can I do about it? This is who he is, this is how God created him."

Jambik, who practises wrestling five days a week and also goes swimming, said, "I want to be a sportsman when I grow up. Or better, an Olympic champion. I like to be strong."

Dzhambik is famous in Russia and has been presented on many Russian TV Shows. He has gained world fame through the U.K. Channel 4 BodyShock series, where he was presented in a series called - "World's Biggest Boy," which was aired on many TV stations around the world.


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10 Worst Plastic Surgery Disasters

Money can't buy everything

From Jocelyn Wildenstein, a US$4 million monster, to --who else?-- Michael Jackson, meet these ten plastic surgery addicts, terrible examples of really bad plastic surgery gone wrong. 

 Hang Mioku: the korean plastic surgery addict who injected cooking oil into her own face

One of the most famous cases of awful plastic surgery gone wrong, Hang Mioku, a 48 year-old woman from South Korea, became so addicted to plastic surgery that she was left unrecognisable after her obsession led her to inject cooking oil into her face. She had her first plastic surgery procedurewhen she was 28. Following operation after operation, her face was eventually left enlarged and disfigured, and the surgeons she visited refused to carry out any more work on her and one suggested that her obsession could be a sign of a psychological disorder. So Hang resorted to injecting cooking oil into her face. It became so grotesquely large that she was called "standing fan" by children in her neighbourhood - due to her large face and small body. 

As Hang's notoriety spread she was featured on Korean TV, viewers seeing the report took mercy on her and sent in enough donations to enable her to have surgery to reduce the size of her face. During the first procedure surgeons removed 60g of foreign substance from Hang's face and 200g from her neck. After several other sessions her face was left greatly reduced but still scarred and disfigured, a true challenge for korean plastic surgery. 

 Jocelyn Wildenstein: a US$4 million monster

Known by the press by the nickname of "The Bride of Wildenstein" --a reference to The Bride of Frankenstein--, Jocelyn Wildenstein has allegedly spent almost US$4,000,000 on cosmetic surgery over the years, ending up as one of the worst and most famous cases of plastic surgery addiction. But who did that happened? 

Once upon a time, in the late 70’s there was a beautiful women named Jocelyn Wildenstein. Jocelyn really had it made. She was a fresh-faced mother of two and married to an extremely rich art dealer. That is until she caught her husband in bed with a 21 year old Russian model. Now, any normal person would just leave her husband and take all of his money with her, right? Not Jocelyn Wildenstein! Instead she decided to win back her husbands love and make herself more beautiful by going under the knife. Well, her husband left her anyways, but Jocelyn will always have her plastic surgeon. 

 Michael Jackson: more than 10 nose surgeries

Does this really need to be explained? It’s incredible to forget how absolutely normal Michael Jackson looked back in the 70’s and 80’s, attractive even, before turning into the sideshow freak that he was. He was rumored to have had more than 10 nose surgery procedures on his life. 

 Pete Burns: famous singer, spent almost all of his life savings on reconstructive surgery

Pete Burns, former frontman of the British band Dead or Alive --famous for their single "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)"--, has had extensive polyacrylamide injections into his lips, along with cheek implants, several nose re-shapings and many tattoos. He revealed in early 2006 that he had spent almost all of his life savings on eighteen months of reconstructive surgery after a procedure on his lips went horribly wrong. 

 Dennis Avner: the Catman

Dennis Avner, also known by "Catman" or his native american name of "Stalking Cat", has undergone incredible extensive surgery in order to look like his totem animal, the tiger. Modifications include extensive tattooing, transdermal implants to allow whiskers to be worn, subdermal implants to change the shape of the face and the filing and shaping of the teeth to make them look more like a tiger's. 

 Eric Sprague: the Lizardman

Born Eric Sprague in 1972, the Lizardman was one of the first people to have a split tongue and in some circles is seen to be wholly responsible for the recent popularity of this particular modification. This 37 year old man has transformed himself into a reptile via 700 hours of tattooing, five Teflon horns implanted beneath the skin of his eyebrows, filing down of his teeth into sharp fangs, bifurcation of his tongue, and stretching of his septum and earlobes. 

 Donatella Versace: a caricature of herself

Since taking over for her brother Gianni Versace, platinum blonde fashion designer Donatella Versace has gone through some drastic changes thanks to awful plastic surgery, turning herself into a caricature. Although nose jobs are usually done to make a nose smaller, Donatella’s has grown larger over the years. It is also wider and flatter and slightly crooked, indicating that at least one bad nose job took place. In addition to her big nose, Donatella also has large lips, like the trout pouts of the Hollywood divas the designer dresses. Although the fashion icon has always had big lips, the oversized upper lip indicates that fillers, like collagen, have been used liberally. For a 53-year old, Donatella’s skin is very firm, indicating a possible facelift. She probably also uses dermal injectables like Botox to eliminate wrinkles, even when she smiles. Her tight face is a strong contrast to the loose skin on the rest of her body. And yes, Donatella’s weight loss also revealed her breastimplants. Anything left? 

 Jackie Stallone: facelift, brow lift, cheek implants, nose job...

The mother of famous actor Silvester Stallone, Jackie was also famous for claiming she can talks to dogs about the future, she also once set up apsychic hotline which would charge callers for advice. Now she’s relatively famous for what looks like a little too much plastic surgery, as she has tried everything: facelift, brow lift, cheek implants, nose job and, of course, lip jobs. 

 Amanda Lepore: world's most famous transexual

Once a poverty-stricken young boy, Amanda Lepore's countless surgeries have made her one of the world's most famous transexuals. She had her first plastic surgery at the age of 15, getting a sex change in her last year of high school, and countless surgeries after that. 

 Michaela Romanini: italian socialite, famous for her collagen abuse

Last but not least. Meet italian socialite Michaela Romanini. Another plastic surgery gone wrong, this lip collagen abuser is only 40 years old, and became famous after her many surgeries.Pete Burns, former frontman of the British band Dead or Alive --famous for their single "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)"--, has had extensive polyacrylamide injections into his lips, along with cheek implants, several nose re-shapings and many tattoos. He revealed in early 2006 that he had spent almost all of his life savings on eighteen months of reconstructive surgery after a procedure on his lips went horribly wrong. 

Heart Healthy Diet Tips

EATING TO PREVENT HEART DISEASE AND BOOST HEART HEALTH

Weight control and regular exercise are critical for keeping your heart in shape—but the food you eat may matter just as much. A heart-healthy diet can reduce your risk of heart disease or stroke by 80%. By understanding which foods and methods of cooking are healthiest for your heart, you may be able to prevent or manage heart disease and high blood pressure, and take greater control over the quality and length of your life.

You can take steps to prevent heart disease

Heart disease may be the leading killer of men and women, but that doesn’t mean you can’t protect yourself. In addition to exercise, being careful about what you eat—and what you don’t eat—can help you lower cholesterol, control blood pressure and blood sugar levels, and maintain a healthy weight. If you’ve already been diagnosed with heart disease or have high cholesterol or blood pressure, a heart-smart diet can help you better manage these conditions, lowering your risk for heart attack.

Improving your diet is an important step toward preventing heart disease, but you may feel unsure where to begin. Take a look at the big picture: your overall eating patterns are more important than obsessing over individual foods. No single food can make you magically healthy, so your goal can be to incorporate a variety of healthy foods cooked in healthy ways into your diet, and make these habits your new lifestyle.

Eat More	Eat Less
Healthy fats: raw nuts, olive oil, fish oils, flax seeds, or avocados	Trans fats from partially hydrogenated or deep-fried foods; saturated fats from whole-fat dairy or red meat
Nutrients: colorful fruits and vegetables—fresh or frozen, prepared without butter	Packaged foods of any kind, especially those high in sodium
Fiber: cereals, breads, and pasta made from whole grains or legumes	White or egg breads, granola-type cereals, refined pastas or rice
Omega 3 and protein: fish and shellfish, poultry	Red meat, bacon, sausage, fried chicken
Calcium and protein: Egg whites, egg substitutes, skim or 1% milk, low-fat or nonfat cheeses or yogurt	Egg yolks, whole or 2 percent milk, whole milk products like cheese or yogurt

Of all the possible improvements you can make to your diet, limiting saturated fats and cutting out trans fats entirely is perhaps the most important. Both types of fat raise your LDL, or “bad” cholesterol level, which can increase your risk for heart attack and stroke. Luckily, there are many ways to control how much saturated and trans fats you take in. Keep these culprits in mind as you cook and make food choices—and learn how to avoid them.Heart healthy diet tips: Cut out saturated and trans fats

• Limit solid fat. Reduce the amount of solid fats like butter, margarine, or shortening you add to food when cooking or serving. Instead of cooking with butter, for example, flavor your dishes with herbs or lemon juice. You can also limit solid fat by trimming fat off your meat or choosing leaner proteins.
• Substitute. Swap out high-fat foods for their lower-fat counterparts. Top your baked potato, for example, with salsa or low-fat yogurt rather than butter, or use low-sugar fruit spread on your toast instead of margarine. When cooking, use liquid oils like canola, olive, safflower, or sunflower, and substitute two egg whites for one whole egg in a recipe.
• Be label-savvy. Check food labels on any prepared foods. Many snacks, even those labeled "reduced fat,” may be made with oils containing trans fats. One clue that a food has some trans fat is the phrase "partially hydrogenated.” And look for hidden fat; refried beans may contain lard, or breakfast cereals may have significant amounts of fat.
• Change your habits. The best way to avoid saturated or trans fats is to change your lifestyle practices. Instead of chips, snack on fruit or vegetables. Challenge yourself to cook with a limited amount of butter. At restaurants, ask that sauces or dressings be put on the side—or left off altogether.

Not all fats are bad for your heart

While saturated and trans fats are roadblocks to a healthy heart, unsaturated fats are essential for good health. You just have to know the difference. “Good” fats include:

• Omega 3 Fatty Acids. Fatty fish like salmon, trout, or herring and flaxseed, canola oil, and walnuts all contain polyunsaturated fats that are vital for the body.
• Omega 6 Fatty Acids. Vegetable oils, soy nuts, and many types of seeds all contain healthy fats.
• Monounsaturated fats. Almonds, cashews, peanuts, pecans, and butters made from these nuts, as well as avocadoes, are all great sources of “good” fat.

Heart healthy diet tips: Choose foods that lower cholesterol

Unhealthy cholesterol levels increase your risk for heart disease, so keeping yours low is key to a healthier heart. Your diet is central to controlling your cholesterol. Some foods can actually lower your cholesterol, while others only make matters worse.

• Avoid saturated or trans fats. Foods containing high levels of saturated fats or trans fats—such as potato chips and packaged cookies—can increase your cholesterol levels much more significantly than cholesterol- containing foods such as eggs. Saturated fat and trans fat both increase LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. Even worse, trans fat lowers your levels of HDL (“good”) cholesterol.
• Make smart choices. Choose foods rich in unsaturated fats, fiber, and protein. Fruits, vegetables, fish, beans, nuts, and seeds are all great cholesterol regulators. The best foods for lowering cholesterol are oatmeal, fish, walnuts (and other nuts), olive oil, and foods fortified with sterols or stanols—substances found in plants that help block the absorption of cholesterol.
• Remember that labels can be deceiving. Navigating food labels can often be complicated since packaged foods with labels like “cholesterol free” or “low cholesterol” aren’t necessarily heart-healthy; they might even contain cholesterol that’s heart-risky. Stick to basics whenever possible: fruit, veggies, nuts, and lean proteins.

Lowering your cholesterol with fish or fish oil supplements

By adding fish like salmon or herring to your diet twice a week, you can significantly lower your cholesterol, and thus your risk for heart attack. Fish contain omega-3 fatty acids, which work like superheroes, doing good deeds for your heart—and your whole body.

Heart healthy diet tips: Steer clear of salt and processed foods

Eating a lot of salt can contribute to high blood pressure, which is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Reducing the salt in your food is a big part of a heart-healthy diet. The American Heart Association recommends no more than about a teaspoon of salt a day for an adult. That may sound alarmingly small, but there are actually many painless—even delicious—ways to reduce your sodium intake.

• Reduce canned or processed foods. Much of the salt you eat comes from canned or processed foods like soups or frozen dinners—even poultry or other meats often have salt added during processing. Eating fresh foods, looking for unsalted meats, and making your own soups or stews can dramatically reduce your sodium intake.
• Cook at home, using spices for flavor. Cooking for yourself enables you to have more control over your salt intake. Make use of the many delicious alternatives to salt. Try fresh herbs like basil, thyme, or chives. In the dried spices aisle, you can find alternatives such as allspice, bay leaves, or cumin to flavor your meal without sodium.
• Substitute reduced sodium versions, or salt substitutes. Choose your condiments and packaged foods carefully, looking for foods labeled sodium free, low sodium, or unsalted. Better yet, use fresh ingredients and cook without salt.

The DASH diet for lowering blood pressure

The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, or DASH diet, is a specially designed eating plan to help you lower your blood pressure, which is a major cause of hypertension and stroke. To learn more, download the booklet from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute found in the Resources and References section below.

Heart healthy diet tips: Rekindle home cooking

It’s very difficult to eat right for your heart when you’re eating out a lot, ordering in, or eating microwave dinners and other processed foods. The good news is that you can learn to make quick, heart healthy meals at home. It’s easier and less time-consuming than you may think.

Heart-healthy grocery shopping and stocking

Creating a heart-friendly diet starts with stocking your fridge with healthy and accessible foods. Prepare a list before you head to the store or farmer’s market, and leave a little time after your trip to set yourself up for success during the week.

Look at labels

While scanning the aisles of a grocery store in the U.S., look for foods displaying the American Heart Association's heart-check mark to spot heart-healthy foods. This logo means that the food has been certified to meet the American Heart Association's  criteria for saturated fat and cholesterol. In Australia, look for the Heart Foundation Tick.

• Make healthy substitutions. Choose substitutions like 1% or skimmed milk instead of whole milk, soft margarine for butter, and lean meats like chicken and fish in place of ribs or ground meat. These substitutions can save you an entire day’s worth of saturated fat.
• Make foods ready-to-eat. When you make healthy food easy to grab during your busy week, you’re more likely to stay heart-healthy. When you come home from grocery shopping, cut up vegetables and fruits and store them in the fridge, ready for the next meal or when you are looking for a ready-to-eat snack.
• Use your freezer. Make healthy eating easier by freezing heart-healthy foods in individual portions. Freeze fruits such as bananas, grapes, and orange slices to make them more fun to eat for children. Be careful with portion sizes: the recommended serving of cooked meat is about the size of a deck of cards, while a serving of pasta should be about the size of a baseball.

Heart-healthy cooking tips

When you prepare and cook meals at home, you have better control over the nutritional content and the overall healthfulness of the foods you eat. An added bonus: you can also save money. 

• Create a library of heart-healthy recipes. Stock up on heart-healthy cookbooks and recipes for cooking ideas. The internet is full of food blogs and websites devoted to healthy cooking methods and recipes, and a local library can be a great source for cookbooks as well.
• Use heart-healthy cooking methods. Just as important as picking healthy foods at the grocery store is how you cook those foods into healthy meals. Use low-fat methods: you can bake, broil, microwave, roast, steam, poach, lightly stir fry, or sauté—using a small amount of vegetable or olive oil, reduced sodium broth, and spices.
• Cook just twice a week and make food for the whole week. When you’re cooking healthful meals, make extra helpings. Store as meals in reusable containers—or directly on plates—for easy reheating and ready-to-eat food the rest of the week. Cooking healthy food ahead this way is perhaps the most time-saving, money-saving, and heart-saving strategy available.

Heart healthy diet tips: Focus on high-fiber foods

A diet high in fiber can lower “bad” cholesterol and provide nutrients that can help protect against heart disease. By filling up on whole grains, vegetables, and fruits, you can get most of the fiber you'll need, which means you'll also be lowering your risk of heart disease.

Go for whole grains

Refined or processed foods are lower in fiber content, so make whole grains an integral part of your diet. There are many simple ways to add whole grains to your meals.

• Breakfast better. For breakfast choose a high-fiber breakfast cereal—one with five or more grams of fiber per serving. Or add a few tablespoons of unprocessed wheat bran to your favorite cereal.
• Try a new grain. Experiment with brown rice, wild rice, barley, whole-wheat pasta, and bulgur. These alternatives are higher in fiber than their more mainstream counterparts—and you may find you love their tastes.
• Bulk up your baking. When baking at home, substitute whole-grain flour for half or all of the white flour, since whole-grain flour is heavier than white flour. In yeast breads, use a bit more yeast or let the dough rise longer. Try adding crushed bran cereal or unprocessed wheat bran to muffins, cakes, and cookies.
• Add flaxseed. Flaxseeds are small brown seeds that are high in fiber and omega-3 fatty acids, which can lower your total blood cholesterol. You can grind the seeds in a coffee grinder or food processor and stir a teaspoon of them into yogurt, applesauce, or hot cereal.

Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables

Most fruits and vegetables are low in calories and high in fiber, making them heart healthy. You can use some of the following strategies to make eating fruits and veggies part of your diet every day.

• Keep fruit and vegetables at your fingertips. Wash and cut fruit and veggies and put them in your refrigerator for quick and healthy snacks. Choose recipes that feature these high-fiber ingredients, like veggie stir-fries or fruit salad.
• Incorporate veggies into your cooking. Add pre-cut fresh or frozen vegetables to soups and sauces. For example, mix chopped frozen broccoli into prepared spaghetti sauce or toss fresh baby carrots into stews.
• Don’t leave out the legumes. Legumes are fiber-rich, too. Eat more beans, peas, and lentils. Add kidney beans to canned soup or a green salad.
• Make snacks count. Fresh and dried fruit, raw vegetables, and whole-grain crackers are all good ways to add fiber at snack time. An occasional handful of nuts is also a healthy, high-fiber snack.

Heart healthy diet tips: Control portion size—and your weight

Gaining or carrying excess weight means that your heart must work harder, and this often leads to high blood pressure—a major cause of heart disease. Achieving a healthy body weight is key to reducing your risk of heart disease. Reducing portion sizes is a crucial step toward losing or maintaining a healthy weight. Try the following tactics to control your portion sizes:

• Understand serving sizes. A serving size is a specific amount of food, defined by common measurements such as cups, ounces, or pieces—and a healthy serving size may be a lot smaller than you’re used to. The recommended serving size for pasta is ½ cup, while a serving of meat, fish, or chicken is 2 to 3 ounces. Judging serving size is a learned skill, so you may need to use measuring cups, spoons, and a food scale to help.
• Eyeball it. Once you have a better idea of what a serving should be, you can estimate your portion. You can use common objects for reference; for example, a serving of pasta should be about the size of a baseball (slightly smaller than a cricket ball), while a serving of meat, fish, or chicken is about the size and thickness of a deck of cards.
• Beware of restaurant portions. Portions served in restaurants are often more than anyone needs. Split an entrée with your dining companion, or take half your meal home for tomorrow’s lunch.