February is American Heart Awareness Month, a month that is guaranteed to remind you of its title with overflowing bouquets of heart shaped paper products, heart shaped balloons, heart-shaped candy and the frequent use of pinks and reds. Looking past the commercial value of awkwardly shaped crepe paper figurines and the terrifying possibility of being shot with an arrow by a man in a diaper and the message of happy, healthy, hearts is one of great importance. Each article this month will feature a different way to help keep a healthy heart beginning with heart smart grocery shopping.
Be sure to buy a wide variety of fruits and vegetables to use as snacks and at meal times. These items can be fresh, frozen or canned. Be sure to look for low sodium when purchasing canned vegetables and light syrup or water with canned fruit. The best choices for heart smart fruits and veggies are those high in fiber, including beans, peas, oranges, bananas, strawberries and apples.
When purchasing milk, cheese and butter look for fat free or low fat dairy products and avoid added flavorings such as vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. Choose soft margarines that contain “0 grams trans fat” instead of buying butter.
Fish is the way to go when it comes to the meat department so try buying and preparing more salmon, trout and herring for delicious and heart healthy meal. When selecting chicken go for the lighter meat such as skinless chicken breasts instead of legs or thighs. Avoid frying fish and chicken, grilled or baked are the best choices. Select “round” and “loin” red meats as they usually have the least amount of fat. Nuts, seeds, beans and lentils are also an excellent way to get protein into your diet in a heart healthy way.When picking out breads and baked goods the less you buy the better. Since most of us enjoy bread picking a whole grain, high fiber with grains listed first in the ingredients is the smartest choice for a heart healthy diet. Look for low fat and low sodium varieties of snack crackers, cookies and cakes.
Making healthy choices at the grocery store is the first step to keeping your heart happy and healthy. Subtle changes can lead to a much healthier lifestyle for both you and your family and can keep your ticker ticking for a whole lot longer.
About the author: Bridget Bean is an Extension Program Assistant and Better Living for Texans educator with the Brown County AgriLife Extension office. Bridget may be reached at 325-646-0386.
