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How to incorporate more heart-healthy foods into your diet
Diet and heart health go hand in hand . The American Heart Association notes that a healthy diet and lifestyle are the best weapons to fight cardiovascular diseases , which the World Health Organization says kill more people across the globe each year than any other disease .
Men and women do not need degrees in nutrition science to create heart-healthy diets for themselves and their families . In fact , the familiar calls to “ eat your fruits and vegetables ” many adults recall from childhood lessons or nights around the family dinner table still bear weight today . A diet that is rich in fruits and vegetables is a hallmark of a healthy lifestyle . And supplementing such a diet with other heart-healthy foods is a great way to reduce one ’ s risk for cardiovascular disease . Fruits and vegetables The U . S . Department of Health and Human Services notes that fruits and vegetables are healthy whether they ’ re fresh , frozen , canned , and / or dried . The AHA advises eating fruits and vegetables with every meal and snack , and that may require a little creativity as you sneak them into favorite dishes . For example , the AHA suggests replacing half the ground meat in recipes for burgers , meatloaf or meatballs with cooked chopped mushrooms . The mushrooms can be finely chopped with a knife or food processor , and then sautéed in some olive oil until they ’ re soft . They can then be mixed in with the lean meat , and the meal can be cooked as it normally would . At the breakfast table , add fruit to a bowl of cereal to make for a more flavorful morning meal . Dairy products When purchasing dairy products , the DHHS recommends sticking to fat-free or low-fat options . Replace whole milk with fat-free or 1 percent milk and buy only fat-free or lowfat cheese . When snacking , reach for fat-free or low-fat plain yogurt or cottage cheese . You can even add fruit or vegetables to such snacks to make snack time even more heart-healthy .
Proteins Healthy proteins are another way people can promote heart health with their daily diets . When choosing proteins at the grocery store , the AHA recommends choosing chicken and fish over red meats . That ’ s because red meats , which include beef and lamb , have more saturated fat than chicken and fish . Saturated fats increase blood cholesterol levels and can worsen heart disease , while the unsaturated fats in fish like salmon can actually reduce the risk for cardiovascular issues like heart failure and ischemic stroke . When preparing poultry , remove the skin , as most of the saturated fat in poultry is found just beneath the skin . Grains When buying grains , the DHHS recommends reading the ingredients list on the package before purchasing . Make sure whole wheat or another whole grain is the first item listed in the ingredients list , and choose only those products that say 100 percent whole grain . Instead of preparing white rice as a side dish , serve brown or wild rice , quinoa or oats .
A heart-healthy diet is easy to design and just as flavorful as less healthy alternatives .
WINTER 2023 Greenville Life 31