Choosing nutritious food is a great way to enhance your heart health. Plenty of fresh produce (vegetables and fruit) and whole grains are staples for boosting cardiovascular wellness.
A helpful tool to stay on the right track for heart health is the USDA’s MyPlate site. It divides food into five groups:
- Vegetables. Choose a variety of vegetables with a spectrum of colors, including dark green, red, and orange; legumes (peas and beans); and starchy vegetables.
- Fruit. Fruit can be fresh, frozen, dried or canned (in water, not syrup).
- Grains. Whole wheat, brown rice, oats, barley, or another cereal grain are grain products.
- Dairy or dairy substitutes. Calcium-rich selections from this food group include fat-free or low-fat milk or food made from fat-free/low-fat milk. Soy, rice, and almond “milk” drinks (130 or fewer calories per 8 ounces) are good alternatives too.
- Lean protein. Choose low-fat or lean meats and poultry. Vary your protein routine — choose more fish, nuts, seeds and beans.
Join me for our Nourish Your Heart Health Chat next Wednesday, May 15, at 7 p.m., at the Long Island Marriott in Uniondale. We’ll chat about cardiovascular health and enjoy a wine and chocolate tasting and healthy refreshments. Registration is required and admission is $35. To register, visit the North Shore-LIJ events calendar and enter “Health Chats” in the search field. For additional questions, call the Katz Institute of Women’s Health Resource Center at (855) 850-KIWH (5494).
This post was written by Stacey Rosen, MD, vice president of cardiology at the North Shore-LIJ Health System.
For more North Shore-LIJ Health Blog posts, go to http://blog.northshorelij.com/
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