Dr David Jankelow - a cardiologist and president-elect of the Johannesburg branch of the South African Heart Association - says a healthy lifestyle is as important as medicine when it comes to taking care of your heart.

"A lot of the diseases we see - coronary artery disease, heart attacks, people who've had bypasses, diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol - need a lifestyle change," says Jankelow, an active member of Vitality Active Rewards for Doctors. "It's easy to give people a pill. It's much harder for people to commit to a healthy lifestyle"

By eating healthy food, you can reduce up to 80% of heart disease and strokes. The Heart and Stroke Foundation of South Africa (HSFSA) recommends the following guidelines for a healthy eating plan:

• Fruit and vegetables
• Reduce your portion sizes, especially when it comes to fatty, starchy and sugary food.
• Cut down on food with unhealthy fats and added sugars, sodium and salt.
• Don't drink too much alcohol or smoke cigarettes.