Heart Healthy Meal Preparations
Posted in Senior Health Care Tips
February is recognized as American Heart Month – a time to consider our daily habits and their impact on our long-term cardiovascular health.
Maintaining good cardiovascular health not only extends our life expectancy, but improves the quality of the time we have, resulting in better sleep, a stronger immune system, better cognitive function, more energy and better cognitive function. 
Like most elements of our long-term health, cardiovascular health is not dictated by single choices, but rather the choices we make day over day. To that end, this article will look at something we all do every day – preparing and eating meals – and good habits you can adopt in the kitchen to lower your risk of cardiovascular disease.
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Portion Control
The amount of food you eat can be just as important as the types of foods on your plate. At the most basic level, slowing down the pace of your meal allows you to get a better sense of just how full you are before diving into another bite or going for seconds. If you feel stuffed after a meal, chances are it is time to reconsider how you approach portioning.
One of the easiest ways to start managing portion size is to get in the habit of using a smaller plate or bowl when serving yourself meals. This will create a natural pause in your meal and allow you to better assess just how much food you need in a single sitting.
Another key step is to ensure that you eat smaller meals consistently through the day. Skipping a meal like breakfast might be convenient, but sitting down hungry for lunch can lead many to overcompensate with huge portions.
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Use the Nutritional Facts Panel
The nutritional facts panel on the back of most packaged food is a great way to get a sense of how each part of your meal may impact your health. While the daily recommended amounts listed are good guidelines, keep in mind that your unique health needs may be different from those described on this panel. Consulting with your doctor for your specific needs is a great first step to eating smarter.
When evaluating the nutritional facts panel, do your best to pick foods with low sodium, low trans fats, low saturated fats, low cholesterol, and high fiber.
When it comes to portioning, remember that the adage “too much of a good thing” exists for a reason: eating huge amounts of even the healthiest food can be bad for our bodies.
While many shoppers are quick to look at the daily recommended intake percentages on a nutritional panel, remember that the suggested serving size is just as important. If you are new to reviewing these fact panels, don’t be afraid to break out a measuring cup/spoon, or even a food scale to ensure your portioning matches the suggested serving size.
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Fruits and Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables tend to have lots of valuable nutrients your body needs while offering relatively low calorie counts, resulting in a fuller belly with less excess calories you need to work off.
One great way to reduce snacking on unhealthy food is to keep fresh vegetables pre-cut in your refrigerator, or a bowl of fruit you like on your kitchen counter. Having healthier snacks quick to hand is particularly valuable for people who tend to snack between meals.
Keep in mind, not all fruits and vegetables are equal when it comes to a healthy diet. Fresh or frozen vegetables, low-sodium canned vegetables, and canned fruit packed in 100% juice or water tend to be healthiest.
While they may “feel” healthy, vegetables served in creamy sauces, fried or breaded vegetables, frozen fruit with sugar added, and canned fruit packed in syrup can actually set you back on your goal for a healthier meal.
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Be Wary of Salt
Sodium is a mineral found in or added to many foods that can increase blood pressure, putting additional strain on your cardiovascular system. The American Heart Association recommends never ingesting more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium a day (about a teaspoon), but says for best results to aim for less than 1,500 milligrams daily whenever possible.
Salt is a common item in most recipes, and while good judgement should be used when preparing meals with fresh food, the biggest jump in sodium intake happens when your menu includes lots of canned or processed foods. These premade items tend to use sodium as a preservative and can absolutely skyrocket your sodium intake with just a few servings a day.
While switching to cooking and eating predominantly fresh foods and carefully adding small amounts of salt is a nice goal, you may still find yourself occasionally eating processed foods due to their convenience. If this is the case, carefully check the nutritional panels of items while at the grocery store and keep in mind that “reduced sodium” does not mean “low sodium,” rather, it simply means that there is less than in the original recipe.
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Choose Whole Grains
The American diet tends to be very bread-heavy, but choosing whole grains over refined grain products can greatly increase your intake of fiber and other nutrients that promote good blood pressure and heart health. As a general rule of thumb, if a bread is sweet, chances are it is not great for your long-term health.
When possible, choose whole grain flours, breads, and pastas instead of white flour, white bread, egg noodles, cakes, pies, and high-fat crackers.
As an added benefit, brown rice tends to feel more filling than white rice while also being healthier, making portion control a much easier process.
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Choose Low-Fat Proteins
Protein is a valuable building block of any nutritious meal, but the fat content of protein-heavy foods can vary greatly. Lean meat, poultry, fish, low-fat or fat-free dairy products, and eggs are all great options that balance high protein content with low overall fat.
High-protein foods are often the ‘star’ of a meal, but choosing heart healthy options do not need to make a meal any less fun. Items like skinless chicken breasts or ground meat with less than 10% fat content can still be seasoned to accommodate any palate. Furthermore, opting to grill or bake these products can result in a lighter feeling, less greasy meal.
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Plan meals before you shop
Making heart healthy meals begins at the grocery store. When preparing for a shopping trip, consider the above guidelines and try to plan out the meals and snacks you will eat in the coming days, then break those dishes down into the ingredients you’ll need to buy.
Not only will this ensure you have an easier time preparing fresh meals rather than searching your freezer, but this will allow you to create a better rotation of the types of foods (and thus nutrients) that you will get at each meal.
February might be American Heart Month, but enjoying fresh, well-rounded, properly proportioned meals is important all year.
If planning and preparing healthy meals is becoming a chore for you or a loved one, now might be the time to learn about how home health care can help. SelectCare home caregivers assist with shopping, meal preparation, and have extensive experience building menus that adhere to a client’s unique dietary needs.
To learn more about how SelectCare helps, call SelectCare today, request a free in-home care guide, or read firsthand client experiences on our testimonial page.