A heart-healthy diet means a diet that's low in fat, cholesterol, and salt, and high in fruits, vegetables, grains, and fiber. That doesn't mean that you can never have pizza or ice cream again. You could start by telling yourself that you will eat a big leafy green salad first, and then you will have one slice of cheese pizza, not three slices with sausage. Or if you must have a burger, don't get your usual order of french fries. That alone cuts hundreds of calories.

Experts point out that a heart-healthy diet should be the routine. That way, when you have high-fat food every now and then, you're still on track. Making a high-fat diet the routine is asking for trouble. With that in mind, here are some simple substitutions you can make for safe weight reduction, and a healthy heart!

INSTEAD OF USING whole or 2 percent milk and cream

USE 1 percent or skim milk

INSTEAD OF USING fried foods

USE baked, steamed, boiled, broiled, or microwaved foods

INSTEAD OF USING lard, butter, palm and coconut oils

COOK with unsaturated vegetable oils such as corn, olive, canola, safflower, sesame, soybean, sunflower, or peanut

INSTEAD OF USING fatty cuts of meat

EAT lean cuts of meat or cut off the fatty parts

INSTEAD OF USING one whole egg in recipes

USE two egg whites

INSTEAD OF USING sauces, butter, and salt

SEASON vegetables with herbs and spices

INSTEAD OF USING regular hard and processed cheeses

EAT low-fat, low-sodium cheeses

INSTEAD OF USING salted potato chips

CHOOSE low-fat, unsalted tortilla and potato chips and unsalted pretzels and popcorn

INSTEAD OF USING sour cream and mayonnaise

USE plain low-fat yogurt, low-fat cottage cheese, or low-fat or "light" sour cream

Try these simple substitutions and watch the pounds come off. Remember, some times simple is best!