Begin addressing concerns about heart health with your diet. Keep your pantry and refrigerator stocked with healthy essentials and snacks to avoid succumbing to junk food temptations! Redner’s Markets would like to provide some heart-healthy grocery shopping tips for our valued customers.
Tips for Heart-Healthy Shopping
The foods you choose to enjoy have a direct effect on every single body system, including the cardiovascular system. Whether you have already had a cardiovascular event or would simply like to protect your ticker for as long as possible, you can eat well, raise your energy levels, and spend less than you might think by choosing these strategies and Redner’s Markets.
The Secret of the Perimeter
The first point should be considered the most important of all tips when shopping for healthy food: shop from the perimeter of the store. The unprocessed, whole foods are located here. Fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, and dairy are found here. You’ll find most of the items on your list without entering the grocery store aisles.
Remember the Rainbow
Prioritize produce on your grocery list. This zone is usually the first you’ll encounter upon entering the store, and it should be where you focus your choices. At least half of your diet should be fruits and vegetables. We understand the hesitance to purchase an overabundance of fresh produce, but frozen is always an option, especially when items are out of season, and frozen vegetables and fruits without added sauces and salt are as nutritious as fresh choices.
As you choose to produce, consider the rainbow and strive to include fruits and vegetables of every color in your diet. Plenty of color in your diet means that you’ll gain more of the key vitamins and nutrients needed for heart health.
Items to include in your shopping list:
- Dark, leafy greens like spinach, kale, turnips, and collards
- Berries like blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, and grapes
- Citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, limes, and tangerines
- Drupes like peaches, cherries, plums, and apricots
- Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower
Opt for Whole Grains
Refined, processed grains offer few nutritional benefits and cause insulin levels to spike. Examples of healthy whole grains you should definitely choose for your pantry include brown rice, quinoa, oats, whole grain whole wheat bread and pasta, and barley. Make sure to read the ingredients; choose whole grains rather than refined ones.
Choose Lean Proteins
Muscle formation requires protein consumption, but all proteins aren’t created equal. Heart-healthy proteins include fish, poultry, beans, and legumes; they offer the protein needed without unnecessary saturated fats.
Canned beans without added salt and dry lentils are budget friendly options, and salmon and tuna are ideal for both healthy protein and healthy fat. The protein gained from nuts and seeds is also paired with healthy fats, but they should be consumed in moderation.
Include Healthy Fats
Healthy fats will protect your heart, but unhealthy fats will have the opposite effect. Incorporate olive oil, avocado oil, avocados, nuts, seeds, and fatty fish to gain the healthy fats needed for heart and brain health. The fats you should do your best to avoid include saturated and trans fats.
Skip the Added Salts and Sugars
While shopping, read the ingredients and nutrition labels. Choose products with as little sodium and sugar as possible. Your diet will include enough of these elements naturally without adding them.
Click here to begin filling your cart at Redner’s Markets, using the tips we’ve provided for heart-healthy grocery shopping.