February is Heart Healthy Month
Healthy eating starts with healthy food choices. Now you don't need to be a chef to create heart-healthy meals. Making small simple changes will overall change the way you eat.
Eat less saturated fat. Cut back on fatty meats and high-fat dairy products. Limit foods like pizza, burgers, creamy sauces, or gravies.
Cut down on sodium (salt). Look for foods labeled "low sodium" or "no salt added" - like some canned soups, canned vegetables, packaged meals, and snack foods.
Get more fiber. Eat vegetables, fruits, beans, and whole grains to add fiber to your diet.
Below are some suggestions for those changes:
Vegetables and Fruits
Fresh vegetables like tomatoes, cabbage, and carrots
Leafy greens for salads, like Romaine lettuce, spinach, and kale
Canned vegetables that are low in sodium
Frozen vegetables without added butter or sauces, like broccoli or cauliflower
Fresh fruits like apples, oranges, bananas, pears, and peaches
Canned, frozen, or dried fruit without added sugars
Dairy
Look for fat-free or low-fat options.
Fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk
Fat-free or low-fat plain yogurt
Fat-free or low-fat cheese or cottage cheese
Soy milk with added calcium, vitamin A, and vitamin D
Almond Milk
Whole Grains
For products with more than 1 ingredient, make sure whole wheat or another whole grain is listed first in the ingredient list. Look for products that say 100% whole grain.
Whole-grain bread, bagels, English muffins, and tortillas
Whole-grain hot or cold breakfast cereals with no added sugar, like oatmeal or shredded wheat
Whole grains like brown or wild rice, quinoa, or oats
Whole-wheat or whole-grain pasta and couscous
Proteins
Seafood — fish, and shellfish
Poultry — chicken or turkey breast without skin, or lean ground chicken or turkey (at least 93% lean)
Lean meats — like pork shoulder, beef sirloin, or lean ground beef (at least 93% lean)
Beans, peas, and lentils — like black beans and garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
Eggs
Unsalted nuts, seeds, and nut butter, like almond or peanut butter, sun butter
Tofu
Healthy Fats and Oils
Replace saturated fat with healthier unsaturated fats like seafood, nuts, seeds, avocados, and oils. Try these healthy swaps:
Vegetable oil (canola, corn, olive, peanut, safflower, soybean, or sunflower) instead of butter for cooking
Low-fat or light mayonnaise instead of full-fat mayo
Oil-based salad dressings like balsamic vinaigrette or Italian instead of creamy dressings like ranch
Vegetable oils are usually healthy choices — just avoid coconut and palm oils, which are high in saturated fat. And margarine and other soft spreads may have less saturated fat than butter — check the Nutrition Facts label and look for options with less saturated fat.
For more ways to get healthy in 2023, check out our Healthy tips in our BLOGS here at Decena Home Care. To learn more about us, follow our social media accounts FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, and TWITTER.
At Decena Home Care, We are passionate and committed to providing excellent quality in-home services to help seniors enjoy their "golden years". Our company provides competent, trustworthy, and compassionate caregivers.
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