Food is Medicine: Celebrating American Heart Month 2017
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February is American Heart Month, the ideal time to commit or recommit to a healthy lifestyle and adopt habits that will reduce your risk for heart attack, stroke, and the like. While there is no shortage of medications that target either the side effects of or risk factors for heart disease, there are also many options for prevention and treatment right on the grocery store shelves. Dietitians at The Little Clinic work with patients every day to help them find these foods with function. Take a ?walk? through a few aisles with us to learn how food is medicine when it comes to a healthy heart.
Dairy: Calcium is an important nutrient for maintaining a healthy blood pressure, and in turn a healthy heart. Look for low-fat dairy options such as skim milk and reduced-fat cheeses and yogurts to provide calcium, protein, and a variety of other nutrients. When it comes to selecting a spread, Benecol is a highly-unique product that incorporates plant stanol esters. These are plant-based molecules that have a similar structure to cholesterol and work to inhibit cholesterol absorption in the intestine. When consumed regularly, plant stanol esters can help to lower LDL or ?bad? cholesterol levels in the blood.
Produce: Eating patterns that include high levels of fruit and vegetable intake are consistently associated with improved heart health, especially as it pertains to maintaining healthy blood pressure levels. Aiming for just one or two additional servings of fruits and vegetables throughout the day is a positive step towards improved heart health. One unique produce item, avocados, even contains heart-healthy fats that can further improve cholesterol levels as part of a balanced diet.
Seafood and Meat:You don?t have to avoid this are of the grocery store to eat heart healthy. The American Heart Association recommends that fish be consumed twice weekly for optimal heart health. Look for convenient choices such as ?Easy for You Seafood? where the fish is pre-seasoned and bagged for the oven. Also, remember that even beef can fit into a heart-healthy eating pattern. Look for lean cuts that contain either ?loin? or ?round? in the name, and remember a serving of meat/fish is about 3 ounces or the size of the palm of your hand or a deck of cards.
By Sarah Koeninger, registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN), LD
The Little Clinic inside Kroger, Cincinnati, Ohio. Benecol provided sponsored content for this blog.
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