Do you need to be on a heart healthy diet, but aren’t sure what food qualifies? Come see how to shop for heart healthy foods! It’s easier than you think.
When you find out you need to start on a heart healthy diet, it can seem so overwhelming! How do you know what you can eat and what you can’t? There’s a lot of information out there that’s good, and some that’s not so good.
I have spent a lot of time researching information from the American Heart Association. So, I would love to share with you what I learned about heart healthy foods.
I’ve already written several posts about that, so I decided it would be easier for you if I summed them all up in one place. Of course, you can click on the links to the posts if you want to read more detailed information about that topic.
Heart Healthy Foods – Egg Whites & Omega 3 Eggs
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When we had to switch to a heart healthy diet, at first I thought we had to stop having eggs all together. Thankfully, I learned we didn’t have to stop eating eggs! Luckily, egg whites and omega 3 eggs are heart healthy!
Egg Whites
The first thing we did was switch to liquid egg whites that come in a carton. It’s much easier and less messy to pour an egg from a carton than crack a real egg and try and separate out the egg whites.
We use “All Whites 100% egg whites.” I buy them from Walmart.
Thankfully, they have the American Heart Association Heart Check on the carton, so I know they’re okay to use.
Everything I baked using egg whites turn out just fine. Also, all of the recipes I’ve tried in the New American Heart Association Cookbook use liquid egg whites.
Omega – 3 Eggs
I was talking to our primary care physician about how we really miss having deviled eggs for Easter. He said, we don’t have to miss them anymore! They have Omega – 3 eggs that we can use as part of our heart healthy diet! My kids and I were ecstatic! That meant we could color eggs and eat them!
We also use them for making egg salad sandwiches, and for making scrambled eggs.
Lately, the omega – 3 eggs that they’ve had at our local Sprouts store have been brown. I thought they would taste different, but they don’t. I even served them to my oldest son without telling him they were brown eggs. He couldn’t tell the difference!
Related Post: Heart Healthy Egg Whites and Omega 3 Eggs
Heart Healthy Foods – Whole Grains
Whole grains and high-fiber foods are an important part of a heart healthy diet. You need to aim for 6 servings of grains each day, with at least 3 from whole grains.
Whole grains contain important vitamins, minerals, soluble and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber has been show to help lower blood levels of harmful LDL cholesterol.
You should try to eat a variety of whole-grain breads and rolls, cereals, and pastas. Choose high-fiber breads and rolls, such as whole wheat, oats, and oatmeal. Make sure that whole grains are listed as the first item in the ingredient list. Melba toast and whole wheat pita bread are good for snacking.
Some good whole grain side dish choices are brown rice, wild rice, barley, and quinoa. These choices are good for you, and add flavor and texture to your meal. They are also low in calories and are affordable. You can prepare them in fat-free, low-sodium broth for a delicious side dish or part of an entree.
Whole Grains Nutrition Label Requirements
- Total Fat: Less than 6.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g or less and 15% or less calories from saturated fat
- Trans Fat: Less than 0.5 g (also per label serving)
- Cholesterol: 20 mg or less
- Sodium: 480 mg or less (also per label serving)
- Beneficial Nutrients: 10% or more of the Daily Value Of 1 of 6 nutrients (vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, calcium, protein or dietary fiber)
My post, How to Read and Understand Food Nutrition Labels, helps you understand how to read this information on the labels.
Related Post: How To Make Whole Grains Part Of A Heart Healthy Diet
Here are some other heart healthy whole grain products:
Do you need to be on a heart healthy diet, but aren't sure what food qualifies? Come see how to shop for heart healthy foods! It's easier than you think.Click To TweetHeart Healthy Foods – Dairy Products
We love dairy products in our family, especially me, so we were so happy to find out there’s a way to still include dairy products in our heart healthy diet!
Dairy products, like milk, cheese and yogurt, are an essential part of a well-rounded diet, as long as they’re fat-free or low-fat(1%). They give you much needed calcium, protein and other vital nutrients, and have less artery-clogging saturated fat than whole-milk or full-fat products.
When you are looking for milk at the grocery store, you should select fat-free(also called skim), or low-fat 1%. If you drink whole milk, you can make this transition gradually. You can start by switching to 2% for awhile, then as you get used to it, switch to 1%. After you’re used to that, switch to fat-free milk for the fewest calories, the least amount of fat and cholesterol, and the greatest benefit for your health.
Make sure you buy fat-free, low-fat, or reduced-fat cheeses, like Cheddar, mozzarella, American and Swiss. I like having the Laughing Cow Light Cheese on whole wheat crackers.
Choose soft margarine that contain 0 grams trans fat instead of butter. The margarine often comes in a tub. We used a light version of Country Crock.
When you buy other dairy products, like yogurt, sour cream and cream cheese, select fat-free or low-fat. I also recently discovered Greek yogurt, and I really like it.
Guess what? You can still have desserts! Just make sure you buy fat-free and low-fat dairy desserts, like frozen yogurt and ice cream. Once a week, for our afternoon snack, we have a low fat ice cream novelty. Our favorite brand is Skinny Cow.
You can still use creamer in your coffee too, just make sure to buy fat-free nondairy coffee creamers and whipped toppings, instead of products loaded with coconut, palm, or palm kernel oil. Thank goodness for this one, because I like to have “a little coffee with my creamer.”
Related Post: How to Shop for Heart Healthy Dairy Products
Heart Healthy Foods -Meat and Nuts
Are you a meat and potatoes family too? Well, learning to eat the right meat and nuts can help lower cholesterol.
Meat and nuts are a great source of vitamin A, B vitamins(niacin, thiamin, riboflavin, and B6), vitamin C, vitamin E, iron, calcium, zinc, magnesium, protein and dietary fiber. Protein functions as building blocks for bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood. Vitamin E may help stop the development of plaques in your arteries, which can narrow them.
Nuts have polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, omega-3 fatty acids, plant sterols, and L-arginine; all of which are heart-healthy substances.
Fish is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, and has protein and vitamin D (a nutrient most people are deficient in). It’s considered one of the best foods you can eat for a healthy heart.
Meats
When looking for meat at the grocery store, you should choose cuts of red meat and pork labeled, “loin” and “round,” because they usually have the least amount of fat. Also for beef, you should buy “choice” or “select” grades and not “prime.” Ground beef should be extra-lean, which is 95% lean or only 5% fat. Don’t pick meat that’s heavily marbled with streaks of fat. Make sure you trim off any fat before cooking.
When buying poultry, it’s best to choose the leaner light meat, like breasts, instead of the fattier dark meat. Also, you can remove the skin yourself, or just buy the skinless version. Lean ground turkey is another good choice.
Pork tenderloin and loin chops are also good choices. I like to make a pork tenderloin roast in the crockpot and use the leftover meat for sandwiches. Center cut thin pork chops are more tender than the thicker versions. You can also buy lower-sodium ham and Canadian bacon, or turkey bacon.
You can still eat lunchmeat, just look for the ones low in sodium and fat. They have good choices at Costco that have the heart check on them.
If you cook a turkey, make sure you don’t buy a prebasted turkey because they usually have extra sodium and saturated fat injected into them. It’s best to baste it yourself with unsalted fat-free broth.
Nutrition Label Requirement:
- Total Fat: Less than 5 g (also per 100 g)
- Saturated Fat: Less than 2 g (also per 100 g)
- Trans Fat: Less than 0.5 g (also per label serving)
- Cholesterol: Less than 95 mg (also per 100 g)
- Sodium: 480 mg or less (also per label serving)
- Beneficial nutrients: 10% or more of the Daily Value of 1 of 6 nutrients (vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, calcium, protein or dietary fiber)
Fish
You should eat one serving of grilled or baked fish at least twice a week. Salmon, trout, herring, tuna and halibut are good choices to buy. We also eat tilapia. You shouldn’t buy fried fish because it’s usually high in trans fat.
Instead, you can buy fresh and frozen fish. You can keep individually wrapped fillets in the freezer(the fish we buy from Costco already comes this way). They are convenient because you can either defrost them in the refrigerator the night before or quickly defrost them in a bowl of cool water.
I like having cans of tuna packed in water around for sandwiches or tuna noodle casserole. Make sure to buy the brand that qualifies for The Heart Check Food Program. You can even buy cans of salmon.
If you’re worried about mercury, just know that the risks from exposure in fish depends on the amount eaten and the levels of mercury in the individual fish itself. Salmon, catfish, and canned light tuna have lower levels of mercury. Pregnant or nursing women, and young children, shouldn’t eat fish with high levels of mercury, like shark and swordfish(those aren’t the ones recommended anyway).
Nutrition Label Requirement:
- Total Fat: 16 g or less
- Saturated Fat: 4 g or less
- Trans Fat: Less than 0.5 g (also per label serving)
- Cholesterol: Less than 95 mg (also per 100 g)
- Sodium: 480 mg or less (also per label serving)
- Beneficial nutrients: 10% or more of the Daily Value of 1 of 6 nutrients (vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, calcium, protein or dietary fiber)
- EPA & DHA: More than 500 mg or more per 85 g (3 ounces cooked)
Nuts
The best heart healthy nuts to buy are almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, pecans, pistachios, walnuts and some pine nuts. One of our favorite kinds of mixed nuts is Planters Nut-rition. It’s a really delicious combination of nuts and has the heart check on it. We also really like nuts covered in dark chocolate. Dark chocolate is considered heart healthy, thank goodness! Our favorites are dark chocolate almonds and dark chocolate peanut clusters.
Nutrition Label Requirement:
- Total Fat: No limit
- Saturated Fat: 4 g or less (per 50 g only)
- Trans Fat: Less than 0.5 g (also per label serving)
- Cholesterol: 0 mg per label serving
- Sodium: 140 mg or less (also per label serving)
- Beneficial nutrients: 10% or more of the Daily Value of 1 of 6 nutrients (vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, calcium, protein or dietary fiber)
Here are some other heart healthy nuts:
Heart Healthy Foods
Isn’t it great that you can still eat lots of foods and still be heart healthy? You just have to know which ones to pick. We’ve gotten used to our new eating habits, and it is really helping. My husband has been able to cut back on his cholesterol medicine, and an added benefit is it’s helping my eyes – I don’t have to use my eye drops as much anymore.
What’s your favorite type of heart healthy foods to eat?
Also, if you like reading my posts and learn from them, please share them. I would really appreciate it. I would love for more people to learn how to live heart healthy.
