If you haven't already, I highly recommend that you schedule an appointment with a registered dietitian. She can create a personalized meal plan that contains the exact number of calories you need to eat each day that contains the optimal ratio of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Following this kind of detailed, heart-healthy menu plan for at least several weeks can "hold your hand" and introduce you to new kinds of foods and what your new healthier meals should consist of.
A detailed menu plan that's limited in daily calories can also help you get a jump start on losing fat, lowering your cholesterol and blood fats, and controlling your blood sugar if you have borderline or full-blown type 2 diabetes.
For now, get a pen and paper so you can craft a new healthy grocery list that will get and keep your heart in good shape.
Heart-Healthy Meat and Protein Choices at the Grocery Store
1. Ground turkey vs. ground turkey breast
You may have already started buying ground turkey instead of ground beef. However, be sure to read the label on your ground turkey product and check the fat content. Many ground turkey products are not much healthier than lean ground beef. That's because they may be made with dark meat or other parts of the bird that are high in saturated fat. Look for ground turkey that's labeled "ground turkey breast".
In order for a meat to be a good choice for a low-fat diet, less than 30% of the calories per serving should come from fat. You can figure out whether any grocery item meets this test in a glance. Simply take the calories from fat and multiply by three. If the result is more than the total calories then it's too high in fat.
Calories per Serving = 100
Calories from Fat =50
50 x 3 = 150
150 > 100 so this food has more than 30% of it's calories from fat so it doesn't pass the fat test.
This example is obviously easy since you know that 50 is 50% of 100. Still, now you've practiced how to glance at a nutrition label to see if a food passes the fat test. There's no more room for excuses about not reading food labels! It's quick and easy.
2. Frozen, processed and pre-made fish vs. fatty fish
If you're already buying fish products, you may be thinking you're doing your heart a favor, but you may be wrong. If you're buying frozen fish patties, fish dishes in sauces or creams, or just plain types of non-fatty fish, then you could be doing much better. As a rule, any food that's been processed and pre-made is full of salt and fat and low in many other nutrients. Not to mention the fact that they're very expensive.
You should be eating at least two servings of fatty fish each week or taking fish oil capsules (see recommended dose ). Fatty fish contains omega-3 fatty acids that are very healthy for your heart. Here is a list of fish that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids:
-Cod
-Tuna
-Mackerel
-Salmon
-Herring
-Fresh sardines
-Shad
-Smelt
Should Shellfish Be on My Grocery List?
If you're wondering whether other types of seafood, like crab and shrimp, should be in a heart healthy diet, this article explains their link to cholesterol and heart health.
3. Chicken vs. tofu
Before you panic, there's nothing at all wrong with chicken. Boneless, skinless chicken breast is a very healthy option for someone with heart disease. If you're savvy enough to be reading this blog, then you probably already knew that. :-) However, one challenge that people face when they start eating healthier is boredom and feeling as though there's not enough variety in their diets.
There are endless ways to prepare boneless, skinless chicken breast but at some point, it's time to mix it up a bit. Why not explore an option that not only adds variety, but can lower your bad cholesterol while raising good cholesterol? That option is tofu.
The Basics of Cooking With Tofu
-Tofu is available in soft and firm varieties. If you're using it to replace part or all of the meat in any recipe, buy firm tofu.
-Tofu takes on the flavor of whatever you pair it with. Start by reducing the meat in your recipes by half and replacing it with tofu. You won't notice a difference in the way the food tastes since there's still meat included.
-Tofu is made from soybeans. In countries where soy foods are a staple (soybeans/edamame, miso, soy milk), people have fewer incidences of heart disease and menopausal symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats.
-The consistency of tofu is similar to very, very tender chicken breast. Imagine if you marinated chicken breast for 24 hours, how soft and wet, yet firm it would be. That's pretty much like the texture of firm tofu in a recipe.
-Firm tofu comes in a block that's packaged in water. You don't have to use all of it at once. Unused portions stay fresh much longer than meat and poultry. All you have to do is change out the water every so often according to the instructions on the package.
4. Breakfast meats
This one can be tricky depending on your personal tastes. If you don't mind the taste of a low-sodium turkey bacon or turkey sausage, then go for it. Use those items in place of pork bacon and pork sausage. However, if you're like me, nothing replaces the taste of a real piece of bacon that's cooked just right. I would rather have one or two slices of real bacon a few times a week than turkey bacon any day of the week and I know that I'm not alone.
Another way to compromise on breakfast meats if you don't like the taste of substitutes is to simply skip meat at breakfast time. Egg whites contain plenty of protein and when they're paired with a whole grain or whole wheat carbohydrate, they'll fully satisfy you.
5. Soy Protein & Meat Alternatives
Another protein option you may enjoy are meat alternative products. Now, before you skip down to the end of the page ('meat alternative' sounds unappealing, right?), stay with me for a moment! I won't eat anything that doesn't taste good, no matter how healthy it is. Period. Several food manufacturers have come up with several lines of products made from soy protein instead of beef, pork and poultry.
I have personally tried a few. Some I enjoyed so much that I prefer them to the traditional product. Others, I could barely stand to eat. Below is one that I thoroughly enjoy and highly recommend. They're corn dogs made from soy protein, but the taste, consistency and flavor are EXACTLY like real hot dogs. I don't know how they do it but I love it.
Eager to put your new label-reading skills to work? For your first assignment, here's a link to the nutritional information for these corn dogs.
What I don't recommend is the Morning Star Farms veggie sausage links and patties. I thought the texture was too soft to be passed off as a meat alternative and the flavor didn't appeal to me. However, the links might taste pretty good if they were sliced and added to a casserole or quiche. That would probably disguise the things that aren't appealing about it.
Next:
Look for the next posts for healthy alternatives in other parts of the grocery store. Subscribe here to be alerted when new posts are added.
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