A recent survey shows that eating a heart-healthy diet is on the minds of many Americans, but that making the right food choices can be a challenge, especially for busy parents who are already limited on time. Many Americans find heart-healthy eating to be a challenge. Cleveland Clinic registered dietician Kristin Kirkpatrick tagged along on a shopping trip with mother of two Kristin Stuckart, to help sort out and simplify endless product choices.
"I see you've got a full cart of items, a lot of interesting things," said Kirkpatrick. "Right off the top here there's some organic grass fed beef. definitely a better choice than beef that is grain fed. it's got a little bit higher omega-3's but it's still higher in saturated fat than something like lean turkey breast."
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Next, Kirkpatrick notices Stuckart's selection of avocados.
"These avocados you picked, what an awesome choice," Kirkpatrick said. "They're one of the most heart healthy foods around. they are full of monounsaturated fats, we know helps reduce heart disease and stroke."
"I picked up a few of these pasta lunch items for my daughter, what do you think?" asked Stuckart.
Kirkpatrick replied, "Alright, anytime we have a real quick cook convenient food, sometimes that can spell a little bit of trouble so let's see how we're looking here. The biggest concern that I would have would be the 750 milligrams of sodium. I would say make your own pasta if you could, make it whole grain, in our own tomato sauce."
Next the pair turn down the bread aisle and Stuckart makes her selections.
"The bread aisle can be one of the most confusing aisles to find heart healthy choices and you've done really well here. You've found 100% whole grain bread which is loaded with fiber. 4 grams for just one serving. this is going to be a great choice for your whole family," said Kirkpatrick.
Finally, it's time for Stuckart to pick items in the fresh produce section of the store.
"When it comes to keeping your heart healthy, fruits and vegetables are one of the best things that you can give to your family," said Kirkpatrick. "Look at these wonderful choices you have. they are just loaded with color and that means they're going to be loaded with benefit."
Kirkpatrick says remember when shopping for your heart you want to focus on fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean sources of protein and healthy fats, and of course with all of that some portion control.
She adds, large amounts of sugar aren't healthy for your heart and recommends avoid high sugar cereals for breakfast. Instead, opt for plain old-fashioned rolled oats. You can even add your own fruits and nuts for flavor.