Eat Smart for a Healthy Heart
Shelby Stein, RDN, LRD – Community Dietitian
February is recognized as American Heart Month. As a dietitian I often get asked questions like as long as I feel healthy and my weight is okay, does it really matter what I eat? The short answer to this question is YES, what we eat makes a big difference in our overall health, including the health of our hearts. Most of us eat at least twice a day, every day of our lives so what we eat greatly impacts our health. What we eat can either promote good health or can contribute to the development of chronic health conditions, such as high blood pressure and heart disease. Healthier eating helps keep blood sugars in target ranges, helps improve blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and also helps with maintaining a healthy body weight. General nutrition recommendations for heart healthy eating include limiting our intake of foods that contain high amounts of salt, sugar, saturated and trans fats, and to increase our intake of foods that contain fiber, unsaturated fats, and potassium. Below are some specific recommendations on how to incorporate these nutrition recommendations.
Foods to Increase in Our Diet to Promote a Strong, Healthy Heart
• Fruits & vegetables – aim to eat a variety of colorful fruits and veggies throughout the week. Fresh, frozen, canned, or dried – eat as many fruits and veggies as you can!
• Whole-grains – choose fiber-rich whole-grains like oatmeal, whole-wheat bread, popcorn, and brown and wild rice. Look at the fiber content on the nutrition labels to determine if a food item is a whole-grain – look for foods with 3 grams or more of dietary fiber per serving.
• Beans – dried beans and peas; enjoy bean filled dishes like chili, split pea soup, and bean burritos. Try to add in a ½ cup serving or beans at least three times per week.
• Nuts, seeds, and peanut butter – a small daily portion nuts contains heart-healthy fats, fiber, and protein. A good serving size goal is 1-2 tablespoons of peanut butter or a ¼ cup of nuts.
Foods to Limit in Our Diet to Promote a Strong, Healthy Heart
• Sugar-Sweetened Beverages – limit intake of pop, juice, sweet tea, energy drinks, Kool-Aid, sweet coffee drinks – any drink that contains sugar. These are “empty calories” and do not provide anything beneficial to our bodies. Pick WATER instead!
• Processed Meats – limit intake of processed meats like bacon, sausage, ham, hot dogs, and lunch meats as much as possible – these foods are linked to heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. Save these for special occasions. Instead, choose small portions (3-4 ounces or the size of a deck of cards) of fresh/frozen unprocessed lean meats and remember that you can get some of your protein from heart healthy beans a few times per week too!
• Packaged Sweets –cookies, candy, donuts, muffins, pastries, and ice cream contain high amounts of fat, calories, and sugar. Instead, try to consume fruit, dried fruit, or small portions of dark chocolate for your sweets. Save sweet treats for special occasions, such as when someone makes the really good homemade types – have a small portion and enjoy it, just not every single day.
• Salty Snacks – limit salty snacks like chips, fries, and snack mix. Instead try making your own popcorn and salting it lightly or make a homemade trail mix with unsalted nuts, dried fruit, popcorn, and pretzels. Snack on fresh veggies like carrots, celery, bell peppers for a crunchy snack.
For a heart-healthy, high-fiber sweet snack, try this brownie batter dip recipe!
Ingredients:
1 can Black beans, drained & rinsed well
¼ cup Maple syrup
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
¼ cup Cocoa powder
2-4 tablespoons Water
1/3 cup Mini chocolate chips
Other Cut up fresh fruit (apples, strawberries)
and pretzels
Directions:
1. Place black beans, maple syrup, vanilla extract, cocoa powder, and 2 tablespoons of water into a food processor
(or high powdered blender).
2. Blend until mixture is very smooth. Add a little more water, if needed – should be a thick dip though.
3. Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in mini chocolate chips.
4. Serve with pretzels and cut up fresh fruit such as apple slices, banana, or strawberries.
If you’d like to set up an appointment with a registered dietitian for support in your nutrition and health goals or for assistance in planning a heart healthy diet, please give the diabetes program a call at 701-627-7931!
And please join us in celebrating American Heart Month at the Go Red Event on Thursday February 13th from 4:30-7:00 pm at Northern Lights in New Town. A healthy meal will be served. Blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol screenings will be available and healthy discussions & information about heart disease will be provided!