Contributed by the American Heart AssociationSix steps to good nutrition

1. Enjoy a wide variety of foods. As you plan your daily meals, try to include each food group using the sample number of servings below as a guide.

• Six or more servings of grain and whole grain products and legumes each day.

• Five or more servings of vegetables and fruits each day.

• Three of more servings of fat–free or low fat milk products for most adults.

• Two servings of lean meat, poultry, seafood, or vegetarian protein each day. Include at least two servings of fish each week, preferably fatty fish.

2. Choose a diet low in saturated and trans fats. Replace these fates with healthful polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats.

3. Balance your food intake with physical activity to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.

4. Limit your daily intake of dietary cholesterol to less than 300 milligrams.

5. Keep your intake of sodium to less than 2,400 milligrams a day. Those with heart problems should probably be lower.

6. If you drink alcohol, limit yourself to one drink per day if you are a woman and two drinks per day if you are a man.

Great summer snack

Pineapple–orange dip

Serves 8; two teaspoons per serving

1 6–ounce container fat–free, sugar free or low fat, sugar free vanilla yogurt

2 ounces fat free or light cream cheese, softened

1/2 8 ounce can crushed pineapple in its own juice, well drained

1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a mixing bowl, beat the yogurt and cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Using a spoon or scraper, stir in remaining ingredients. Dip with strawberries, melon cubes, or thick banana slices.