Heartwise Habits

A Running List of Helpful Hints to Keep Your Heart Healthy

• ONCE A DAY, swap out one of your beverages for a big mug of green tea. Research suggests that the antioxidants in green tea reduce your risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, including plaque rupture, and help control blood pressure. A Japanese study conducted at the Nippon Medical School concluded that "the more green tea patients consume, the less likely they are to have coronary artery disease."
• ON THE WEEKEND, find a little time to prepare healthy meals and snacks for the busy week ahead. For instance, make a large salad and store it in plastic bags or containers so you have salad on hand for lunches or dinners during the week.
• WHENEVER SHOPPING, always check ingredient labels for "partially hydrogenated vegetable oil" or "shortening," because this means the product contains trans fats, which are extremely un-heart-healthy. While the FDA requires food manufacturers to reveal the trans fat content on labels, they don't have to if the product contains less than 0.5 gram per serving. And the only safe intake of trans fat is zero.
• WHEN DOING THE WEEKLY SHOPPING, consider going to a different grocery store or market. As you begin to eat better to promote optimal heart health, sometimes such a simple change can help break certain patterns, particularly if you find it difficult to avoid the temptation to buy cookies, chips, and other non-nutritious foods when you shop.
• WHILE AT THE GROCERY STORE, stay on the perimeter of the store, or "shop the edge." Generally, most groceries are arranged so that the really heart-healthy foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy products, poultry, and fish are found along the perimeter of the store. The interior aisles tend to be stocked with the processed foods you should avoid.
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