Often times when we think about improving our eating habits we immediately focus on the choices we know we should be cutting back on. Instead, I encourage you to focus on the positive choices you are making and how to build upon these. Below are a few things we can include more of to benefit our heart health.
Try a new source of unsaturated fats
Fat is a necessary component of our diet- it is a source of energy and helps in the absorption of vitamins and minerals. Sources of the unsaturated fats that we want to focus on consuming include nuts and nut butters, seeds, vegetable oils such as canola or olive oil and certain types of fish such as salmon, trout, oysters and sardines. If you have a good routine of including fish in your meals, challenge yourself to try a new variety (sardines are supposed to go great on pizza!). If you find yourself grabbing for pretzels or chips as an evening snack, swap these out for some pistachios or any other nut variety a couple days per week.
Aim for 150 minutes of movement per week
Guidelines recommend 150 minutes of moderate activity such as brisk walking per week as well as two days of strength training. These 150 minutes of moderate activity can be swapped for 75 minutes of vigorous activity such as jogging weekly. Do these numbers sound overwhelming? Start with a small goal and once you are confident in achieving that, slowly add in more activity working towards those bigger numbers. Start with 10 minutes at a time at whatever capacity you are able- some exercises from a chair could include seated marching, leg extensions, or overhead presses with light objects around your home.
Eat more of your favorite high fiber foods
Most of us should be aiming for somewhere around 25-35g of fiber per day. This can be tough to reach; keeping a journal to identify your starting point can be useful information. One of the best sources of fiber is dried beans such as black beans or garbanzo beans (also knows as chickpeas and what hummus is made out of). Try sprinkling some beans into your salad or replacing some of the meat in a recipe with beans to up the fiber content. Fruits that contain seeds or a peel tend to be the options highest in fiber (raspberries have about 8g per cup) so be sure to eat the skin or peel on your produce after washing! If cereal is a go-to breakfast option in your house, spend a few minutes the next time you are grocery shopping to compare labels and choose an option that contains more fiber such as a shredded wheat.
If you are interested in discussing your specific nutrition concerns, please reach out to our Registered Dietitian at: 636-797-3737 x 124
