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Make “Heart Healthy”
Food Choices Every Day!
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by Anna Dawson
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What I Choose to Buy at the Co-op ... and
Why A series of monthly articles by members of our Nutrition &
Education committee
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Here
at HWFC, in February for Valentine’s Day, you will see fruits dipped in
chocolate and heart shaped treats for gifts. Unlike other stores, we’re
uniquely committed to loving your heart every day of the year by
offering “Heart Healthy” food choices throughout the Co-op. To help you
see heart shapes everywhere, you can use your imagination as you walk
the aisles in this article.
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Fresh
and Frozen Produce
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We
start by picking up an imaginary heart shaped basket that we want to
fill with Heart Healthy food choices. First stop is the fresh produce
area. Farmers have no Heart Healthy label symbols stamped on their
products, so you must use your imagination here. The natural
antioxidants, vitamins and fiber in fresh fruits and vegetables are
Number One on our shopping list. Fat and cholesterol molecules can get
caught in the “3-D spider web-like” fiber matrix in the gut, thus
decreasing absorption, and removing it from the body. Interior fruit
pectin reduces LDL cholesterol production from your liver. Think about
a Red Delicious apple as a heart shape and you get the picture. Keep
the skin on— peeled fruit has half the fiber.
Don’t forget the whole fruit and vegetable products on the freezer
shelves. These quick and easy to prepare products are equally
nutritious. They are easier to eat for those times in our lives when
baby teeth fall out, and times when braces get in the way of munching
an apple, or when false teeth challenge us. Frozen produce stretches
that local fresh produce window from a few days to months of eating
pleasure and Heart Healthy healing that fights inflammation and
infection.
The Grocery Aisles In recent years, largescale food processors have
joined the Heart Healthy bandwagon by placing symbols on boxed grocery
items. Companies pay a fee to the certifying agency and the Heart
Healthy symbol can be placed on their products. Try Kashi “Heart to
Heart” cereal or whole-wheat pastas the next time you shop. Wheat germ
adds nutrients to baked products “made from scratch.”
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Bulk
Food Bins
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Farmers
do not have Heart Healthy stickers for the whole foods in the bulk food
aisles, either. This is another area in the Co-op where consumers need
to use their Heart Healthy imaginations. Grains and seeds that are
whole, minimally chopped or rolled add fiber and nutrients that highly
processed grains have lost. Morph those whole food shapes into heart
shapes in your mind. Don’t forget to check out the dry beans for a
great source of fiber and vegetable protein to add to Heart Healthy
recipes. Dried fruits abound in our bulk bins. They add a fiber bonus
to your Heart Healthy shopping basket, too.
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Healthy
Fats
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When
you’re shopping for Heart Healthy fats, look to plant fats first. You
will find them in almonds and walnuts (serving size 6–10 pieces),
avocados, olive or canola oil (1 tsp), and seeds (especially in flax
seed meal). Other options are fish that are high in omega 3 fatty acids
(salmon, tuna and herring, to name a few). In the meat case, explore
the nutritional benefits of grass-fed meats in small quantities. And
visit the Wellness department for omega 3 fatty acids in supplemental
capsules. Remember, though, that encapsulated omega 3 fatty acids are
in a form that is not used by the body as well as that in food. The
adult dose is no more than 3,000 mg daily. Be sure to let your doctor
know if you use supplements, since they can influence medical care.*
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Let’s
have many more Valentine’s Days together!
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Selecting
Heart Healthy food choices is not easy when you are rushed. So take
your time when shopping in February and look for those imaginary and
pictured heart shapes as you walk through the store. Take time to care
about your heart and the hearts of the people you love. We want you to
love your heart as much as we do. Fill your grocery basket with Heart
Healthy food choices at HWFC every time you visit the Co-op.
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References
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T.
Colin Campbell, The China Study (Benbella Books, 2004)
American Heart Association and the American Dietetics Association
websites
*This article was reviewed by dietitian Jennifer S. Ellsworth, MS RD,
of Ann Arbor, Mich.
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