Healthy Shopping

Heart Healthy Tips

While it’s generally healthier and cheaper to buy groceries at the store and prepare your meals at home, sometimes the sheer number of food choices at the supermarket can seem overwhelming. Here are some tips to help you be heart-smart at the grocery store and choose good-for-you foods.

Now, let’s go shopping..


Vegetables and Fruits

Be sure to buy and eat plenty of fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables that are deeply colored throughout – such as spinach, carrots, peaches and berries – tend to be higher in vitamins and minerals than
others, such as potatoes and corn.

When fresh foods aren't available, choose frozen or canned vegetables and fruits in water without added sugars, saturated and trans fat, or salt.

Buy more fruits and vegetables that are good sources of fiber, including beans, peas, oranges, bananas, strawberries and apples.

Stock up on raw vegetables for snacks such as carrot and celery sticks, broccoli, cherry tomatoes and cauliflower.

For desserts, buy fresh or canned fruits (in water without added sugars), dried fruit (without added sugars), and gelatin that contains fruit, instead of baked goods and sweets.

Don’t buy lots of fruit juice. It doesn’t provide the fiber whole fruitdoes and it’s not as good at satisfying hunger.

Some cholesterol-lowering medications may interact with grapefruit, grapefruit juice, pomegranate and pomegranate juice. Please talk to your health care provider about any potential risks.


Milk, Cheese, Butter & Eggs

Avoid milk that contains added flavorings such as vanilla, chocolate or strawberry. They usually have added sugars and calories.

Choose fat-free, low-fat or reduced-fat cheeses.

Use egg whites or egg substitutes instead of egg yolks. (Substitute two egg whites for each egg yolk in recipes that call for eggs.)

Choose soft margarines that contain “0 grams trans fat” instead of buying butter. (These margarines usually come in tubs.)

Don’t buy a lot of butter, cream and ice cream. Save those for special occasions and, even then, limit how much you eat. These foods have more saturated fat than whole milk.

Watch out for the saturated and/or partially hydrogenated fats hidden in casseroles, bakery goods, desserts and other foods. Read the Nutrition Facts label to determine the saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol content of foods you’re considering.


Meat, Poultry, Fish and Nuts

Buy and prepare more fish. You should eat one serving of grilled or baked fish at least twice a week. (A serving is roughly the size of a checkbook.) Good examples of fish to buy include salmon, trout and herring.

Choose lemon juice and spices to eat with fish. Don’t add cream sauces.

Stay away from fried fish. It’s usually high in fat — often trans fat.

Choose cuts of red meat and pork labeled “loin” and “round”; they usually have the least fat.