Heart Healthy Eating on a Budget
You may already know that a heart healthy diet can reduce your risk for cardiovascular disease the nation's number one killer, but you may also have the misconception that eating healthy is too expensive for your tight budget. The truth is, you can have a heart healthy diet AND stretch your food dollars. Here are 3 tips to help you make affordable heart healthy choices:
Tip #1: Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. These foods are low in calories and filled with vitamins, minerals, and fiber, all of which aid in weight control, lower blood pressure, and decrease the risk for cardiovascular disease. Try to get a variety of deeply colored fruits and veggies, because these are higher in nutrients. Winter can be a challenging time to find good produce, but it can be done! Shop for produce that's in season -- these will taste better and cost less. Some good choices during the winter months include apples, oranges, grapefruit, pears, sweet potatoes, kale, and winter squash. You can also try canned or frozen varieties, just keep these tips in mind when filling your cart:
- Choose unsweetened frozen fruit rather than sweetened varieties, which can have high amounts of added sugar and calories.
- If you pick up canned fruit, make sure it says "packed in its own juice," "packed in fruit juice," "unsweetened," or "in light syrup" on the label. Fruits "packed in heavy syrup" have lots of added sugars and are higher in calories.
- Frozen veggies are another great option, but if you choose canned vegetables, make sure you rinse them off before cooking. If you do this, you can get rid of up to 40% of the sodium.
Tip #2: Stock up on whole-grain, high fiber foods. These help with weight management, cholesterol reduction, and decrease your risk for heart disease. High fiber foods include fruits, vegetables, legumes (beans, peas, and lentils), and whole-grains. With all of the marketing on grain packages, it can be tricky choosing whole-grains. To make sure you're really buying a whole-grain, read the food label. Check to see if the words "whole" or "whole grain" appear before the grain ingredient's name. The whole-grain should be the first ingredient listed. Other whole-grains include brown or wild rice, oatmeal, popcorn, graham flour, and bulgur. Another indicator is the fiber content. Grains that have a higher percent daily value (%DV) likely contain more whole-grains. Some whole-grains may cost a little more than its refined or enriched version, but they are still very affordable and the extra nutrition you get is worth the cost. Here are some of my favorite low cost, high fiber foods: whole wheat breads, whole-wheat pasta, oatmeal, whole-grain cereals, beans (any variety), frozen fruits and vegetables, and brown rice.
Tip #3: Watch your fat intake. The American Heart Association recommends keeping your total fat intake between 20 - 35% of total calories. An easy (and free) way to do this is by reducing the amount of fat you use when cooking and at meals. For example, instead of frying food in oil, try low-fat cooking methods such as grilling, baking, broiling, roasting, or steaming. At meals, you can top your baked potato with salsa instead of butter or sour cream. When you do use fats, be sure to use polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, which can be beneficial to health when consumed in moderation. Monounsaturated fats are found in olive, canola, and peanut oils, as well as nuts. Polyunsaturated fats are found in fatty fish, such as salmon, herring, tuna, and trout, as well safflower, sunflower, corn, and flaxseed oils. Overall, vegetable oils are inexpensive, with the exception of olive oil, which can be a little pricey. If you're looking to save some cash, stick to one of the less expensive types of vegetable oils, such as canola. Canned tuna (chunk light in water) is also a great source of protein, full of heart healthy fats and inexpensive. Another easy way to lower fat intake and save money is to eat out less often. Restaurant meals are often high in calories, fat, and sodium, none of which is good for your ticker. Instead, prepare healthy meals at home more often and limit eating out to 1-2 times each week. In addition to watching your overall fat intake, limit your intake of saturated and trans fat. These fats raise LDL cholesterol, which can increase the risk for heart disease. Saturated fat should be kept to less than 7% of total calories and trans fat kept as low as possible. To keep your intake low, choose lean meats or meat alternatives and low-fat and fat free dairy products. Many times, meat is one of the most expensive things you buy at the grocery store. One way to save money and lower the fat and calories in your diet is to try eating a meatless meal once or twice a week, such as vegetarian chili, or tacos made with black beans and a side of brown rice. You can also lower your intake of saturated and trans fat by minimizing your intake of partially hydrogenated fats, which are found mostly in baked goods, snack foods, some margarines, and fried foods. The simplest way to do so is by limiting or avoiding these types of food, which will be good for your heart and your wallet. Another easy way to lower saturated and trans fat is by replacing these fats with mono- and polyunsaturated fats.
Now that you know how to eat healthy on a budget, head to your nearest Super Saver to stock up on lots of heart healthy items!
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