Shopping Smarter For A Healthier Heart
MIAMI (CBS4) -- Heart disease is the leading cause of death in America for both men and women. With February being designated as American Heart Month, there are things you can do at the supermarket to make sure you're shopping smarter for a healthy heart.
Steven Glueck of North Miami Beach shopped with registered dietitian Lillian Craggs-Dino from Cleveland Clinic of Weston.
It wasn't long ago Glueck's diet was creating a number of medical problems for him.
"Metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, high cholesterol and that certainly drove me to want to improve my life," Glueck said.
He made improvements and so can you, starting with a better choice of bread, one with more fiber.
"Try to shoot for about 25 grams of fiber a day and a good way to do that is to look at whole grains. You always want to look for the word 'whole' because that indicates that the product is made from the entire grain," said Craggs-Dino.
Cereal is another way to get whole grain into your diet and so is pasta.
"That means it's a less refined product. It's going to have more B-vitamins. It's going to be higher in fiber."
Cheese and lunch meat aren't off limits. Craggs-Dino said you just have to pick the right ones, for instance those that are fat-free or reduced fat.
"Anything that's reduced will give you about 25% less of what that ingredient would be."
About 2-3 servings of dairy is heart healthy. Skim milk or reduced fat milk are good choices. So is Greek yogurt. Plain is best and add fresh fruit.
Most importantly, read nutrition labels on everything you buy including those buttery spreads. Some spreads claim to reduce cholesterol, "because it has something in it called plant sterol," explained Craggs-Dino.
- Extra olive oil is good for salad dressings but be careful because they can have a lot of calories.
- Eggs are high in cholesterol so egg substitutes are a great alternative and full of protein.
- Limit red meat to twice a week and choose fish and turkey as heart healthy alternatives.
"Eating is a pleasure but it is all about portion control not overindulging and having a variety of foods," added Craggs-Dino.
Glueck made healthy changes in his diet and gained a healthier heart.
"It really isn't hard to eat healthier. There are so many choices and they're good choices," Glueck admitted.
