Heart-Healthy Grocery List

Our family doctor has asked us to lower our cholesterol through diet. Since both Beez and I have high blood pressure, both could stand to lose some weight, and one of us has a diabetes issue, I started looking at information about the best foods for us to eat. Planning out the best meals to answer all of our needs can be complicated--foods to include daily or weekly, foods to avoid, etc. etc.

I decided that I should just dive in and start somewhere, so I started with diets believed to be "heart-healthy." For my past three posts, I've given us all an outline of heart-healthy foods from three sources: HowStuffWorks, WebMD, and the Mayo Clinic.

I've done this mainly to de-mystify the whole thing for myself, but thought that I would share what I found through this blog. Now, combining the foods from these three sources, plus a few suggestions from our doctor, I've made a list of recommended foods. The list, printed up and taken with us to the grocery store, will serve as a reminder of the foods we need to include in our weekly diet, and we can add other grocery "needs" at the bottom of the list.

I must share this with you: Since we started our attempt to eat a more healthy diet, the blood sugar levels have dropped from "borderline acceptable" to "good"--and, very exciting for me--we have both started dropping a few pounds.

alcohol (red wine)

asparagus

blueberries

broccoli

carrots

cholesterol-lowering margarine (like Smart Balance, Benecol, or Promise Activ)

dairy (fat free milk, yogurt, and cottage cheese)

eggs (maximum of 4 eggs per person a week)

fruit (fresh and dried)

lean meat

legumes

nuts (especially walnuts and almonds)

oatmeal

olive oil

peppers

poultry

seafood (salmon, pollock, tuna, herring, mackerel and swordfish) - 2 servings per week

soy protein

spinach

sweet potatoes

whole grains (whole wheat flour, ground flaxseed, brown rice)

Heart-Healthy Diet from the Mayo Clinic

Here are 7 steps to a more heart-healthy diet from the Mayo Clinic staff. The complete article can be seen here.

1. Limit solid fats (like butter or shortening); use olive, canola, and nut oils; and choose cholesterol-lowering margarine (like Smart Balance, Benecol, or Promise Activ)

2. Choose low-fat protein sources: Lean meat, poultry, fish, legumes (dried peas and beans, for example).

3. Eat more vegetables and fruit (avoid canned fruit in heavy syrup, coconut, vegetables with a creamy sauce, fried or breaded vegetables).

4. Select whole grains (oatmeal, whole wheat flour, ground flaxseed, brown rice).

5. Reduce the salt in your food (avoid soy sauce, canned soups, prepared foods, table salt).

6. Practice moderation--know serving sizes. One serving of pasta is just 1/2 cup, for example. Measure that out sometime and you will be surprised at the huge servings we've come to think of as normal.

7. Plan ahead, create daily menus.

Five Heart-Healthy Foods from WebMD

Here is a short list of "super-foods," and their attributes, that will help you eat your way to a healthy heart. This information comes from an article called 5 Heart-Healthy Foods, by Kathleen M. Zeiman on WebMD.

1. Blueberries: Blueberries top the list as one of the most powerful disease-fighting foods. That's because they contain anthocyanins, the antioxidant responsible for their dark blue color. [Blueberries] are packed with fiber, vitamin C.

2. Salmon: A great source of protein and is also packed with heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. The American Heart Association advises eating salmon and other omega-3 rich foods twice a week for benefits that go beyond heart health.

3. Soy Protein: Fiber, vitamins, and minerals -- all the ingredients for a heart-healthy meal. Also, a diet rich in soy protein can lower triglycerides, which help prevent cardiovascular disease and keep your heart strong and healthy.

4. Oatmeal: Vitamins, minerals, and cholesterol-lowering fiber.

5. Spinach: Multiple phytochemicals, vitamins, and minerals.

To read the entire article and for recipe suggestions for these foods, click on the link above.

Top Heart Healthy Foods from HowStuffWorks.com

This is information gleaned from an article called Top Five Foods for a Heart Healthy Diet, by Charles W. Bryant. To read the whole article, just click on the above link.

Here are the top five heart healthy foods that should make up a part of your diet:

1. Seafood: Salmon, pollock, tuna, herring, mackerel and swordfish. At least two servings a week. 

2. Nuts, especially walnuts and almonds. A handful a day.
3. Alcohol--amazing, no? A glass of red wine a day for women; two glasses for men.
4. Legumes. Beans of all kinds--kidney, black, garbanzo, soy, pinto, etc.--plus lentils and dried peas. Try to avoid the canned varieties.
5. Whole grains. Eating whole grains vs. refined can cut your risk of heart disease by 15%. Oatmeal, high fiber whole grain cereal, whole grain bread.

The following ten foods are part of a bonus list that you should make part of your weekly diet:

Tofu, flaxseed, soy milk, blueberries, carrots, spinach, broccoli, peppers, sweet potatoes, asparagus