Eat lots of plant foods. The vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber in fresh produce and beans can help lower blood pressure while protecting arteries from damage.

Swap red meat for other protein. Red meat is especially high in saturated fat. Cutting portion sizes of steaks—or, better, substituting chicken or fish—goes a long way toward protecting the heart.

Count fat grams. Read labels. Anything with more than two grams of saturated fat per serving will do the heart more harm than good. You should also avoid any foods that have more than 1 gram of trans fat per 100 calories. Lots of packaged snack foods—including many baked goods, cookies, and potato chips—won’t pass the test.

Cut meat intake.

Keep your weight under control. A study of nearly 30,000 men found that over just three years men with Body Mass Index(BMI) between 25 and 28.9 (which falls within the range typically defined as overweight) had a 72% increased risk of developing coronary heart disease—and obese men with BMI of 33 or above had a 244% increase—compared with lean men with BMI of 23 or under.