Shop Right for a Healthy Heart

Shop Right for a Healthy Heart

By: Elisabeth D’Alto, RD, LDN

ShopRite of Timonium Retail Dietitian

February is American Hearth Month. While heart disease is the leading cause of death among men and women in the United States, it can be largely preventable through a healthy lifestyle, which includes eating right and exercising often. There are certain guidelines we need to follow when shopping for a healthy heart, such as increasing fresh fruits and vegetables, omega-3 fatty acids and fiber, while limiting things like sodium, cholesterol, saturated fat, and trans fat.

Creating a shopping list ahead of time helps you make healthier decisions when it comes to heart health. Here are some essential guidelines to follow when creating your Heart Healthy Shopping List.

Heart Healthy Shopping List Guidelines:

Beverages: Adequate hydration is the foundation of a healthy diet. Aim to get the majority of your liquids from water, followed by low-fat or fat-free milk, or 100% fruit juice. Purchase a reusable water bottle and refill with filtered water so you can have water on the go, remain hydrated, and save money.

Produce: Get a variety of colors in your diet through fruits and vegetables. Each color provides different vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals that your body uses to protect against heart disease. For example, red produce, like red peppers, red apples, tomatoes, and watermelon, are rich in lycopene, beta-carotene, and anthocyanins which all help to promote heart health. Aim to get a different color in your diet every day!

Whole Grains: Increase your intake of fiber to help promote heart health. Specifically, soluble fiber helps to bind off circulating cholesterol in the bloodstream. Start the day with old fashioned oats or throw some beans on your salad or in your soup. Choose whole grains by reading the label. Look for words like 100% whole wheat, oats/oatmeal, rye, barley, brown rice, quinoa, bulgur, and more. Aim to make at least half of your grains throughout the day whole grains to increase your fiber intake.

Lean Proteins: Choose lean meats by looking for the words “loin” or “round” in the cut of meat, choose skinless poultry, choose fish and seafood, and beans, peas, and legumes. Aim to grill, bake, or broil meat, poultry, and fish. Limit processed deli meats that are high in saturated fat and sodium. Always opt for the lower sodium options at the deli counter.

Fish and Omega-3s: Aim to consume about two servings of an oily fish such as salmon, tuna, trout, or herring per week to get your source of omega-3 fatty acids to help promote heart health. Prepare fish by grilling, broiling, or baking instead of frying. Research shows that these heart healthy fatty acids can help lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. Include oily fish such as salmon, herring, or trout at least twice per week. Other Sources of Omega-3s: Walnuts, chia seeds and flaxseed are also great sources of omega-3s. Not only do these foods have anti-inflammatory benefits, but they are delicious too!

Nuts: Most nuts and nut butters contain a bonus of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats – the kind that help balance out the good and bad cholesterol floating around in your blood. The stand-outs in the nut category for your heart health are pistachios, walnuts and almonds. Add them to salads, yogurt, oatmeal, cereal, or as a standalone snack!

Avoid Trans Fats: Trans fats are bad news - they increase risks for heart disease by raising bad cholesterol levels (LDL) and lowering good cholesterol (HDL). These sneaky fats hide out under the ingredient known as “partially hydrogenated oils,” so check that ingredient list even if the numbers on the Nutrition Facts declare zero trans fats. The serving size may be too small to reflect the required ½ gram of trans fat as required by law.

Limit Sodium: Americans consume nearly double the recommended amount of sodium per day. Reduce sodium in your diet by consuming more meals at home, limiting processed foods, adding more herbs and spices to your dishes, and rinsing canned vegetables under cold water before preparing. Aim for 2300 mg of sodium per day or less- that’s the equivalent of one teaspoon of salt! Look for labels that say “No Salt Added” or “Low Sodium” which means it has 140 mg sodium or less per serving.

Herbs, Spices, and Other Flavoring Agents: Be creative and use a variety of herbs and spices to your dish for a burst of flavor without adding salt. Try cumin, red pepper, paprika, garlic powder, tarragon, rosemary, and sage, just to name a few. Garlic and onions are also important for heart health!

About Elisabeth D’Alto, RD, LDN:

As the Retail Dietitian for the ShopRite of Timonium, Elisabeth D’Alto, RD LDN works with customers to educate them on making healthier choices while food shopping, as well as carrying out these choices by preparing healthy balanced meals. At ShopRite, Liz carries out a series of healthy cooking classes, offers delicious recipes, holds seminars on pantry makeovers, and even conducts tours for shoppers looking to improve their health. As part of ShopRite’s Retail Dietitian team, Elisabeth D’Alto is one of more than ninety Registered Dietitians who service ShopRite stores in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware and Maryland. Together these Dietitians offer free nutrition advice, meal planning, and diet modification for specific medical conditions.