Eating for a

Healthy Heart
Mackenzie & Courtney
February 21, 2023
Learning Objectives
Did you know?
February is Heart Health Month!
 Heart Health
● The heart is a muscle
● Pumps oxygen rich blood and
nutrients through your entire
body
● It beats 100,000 times a day
and on average more than 2.5
billion times over your life
Fruits & Veggies
What are your favorite fruits and vegetables?
Fruits & Vegetables
● Eat a wide variety - fresh, frozen, canned or dried!
● Great source of vitamins and minerals
● High in fiber
● 2 ½ servings of vegetables & 2 servings of fruit per day
○ 1 cup cut-up fruits or vegetables
○ 2 cups raw leafy salad greens
○ 1 cup 100% fruit juice
○ ½ cup dried fruit Examples
○ One medium whole fruit
○ Veggies and low sodium dip or
○ Salad with fruit in it
○ Fruit cups with no added sugar
○ Fresh and frozen are both great options!
○ Low sodium canned veggies
 Vitamins & Minerals

Vitamin C Vitamin A Potassium

Helps fight infection Important for normal Potassium plays a
and helps wound vision, the immune key role with
healing; protects the system, and growth
sodium to maintain
body against free and development; also
a healthy BP
radicals – free radicals helps your heart,
can contribute to heart lungs, and other
disease organs work properly

Fruit & veggies have phytonutrients that help prevent and fight disease by reducing
inflammation in the body. This keeps our blood vessels smooth and better for blood flow.
 Grains
What are some examples of grains?
Grains
Make half your grains whole!

● 6 servings of grains per day

○ 1 slice bread
○ 1 small tortilla
○ 1 cup cereal
○ ½ cup cooked rice, pasta, or oatmeal
Whole Grains
 Whole Grains
Check the label! Look for:
“Whole grain” “whole wheat” “whole corn”

● Good source of fiber, vitamins, and

antioxidants
● Helps regulate blood pressure and heart health
● Switch some whole grains for some of those
refined carbs
○ Why? Because all the nutrients are stripped
from the “white/refined” products
** careful with “multigrain products”
these are tricky!
Whole Grain Examples
Brown rice & Fiber rich cereal
quinoa and oats

Whole grain
pasta/breads
 Fiber
Improves digestion Prevents heart Can aid in certain Improves
& fills you up disease by lowering types of cancer blood sugar
Keeps you feeling blood cholesterol & prevention such
full longer! blood pressure as colon cancer

Look for brands with AT LEAST 3-5 grams of fiber per serving.
 Protein
What foods are in the protein food group?
Protein
● 5 ½ oz of protein per day
○ 1 oz cooked meat, poultry, or seafood
○ 1 egg or 2 egg whites
○ ¼ cup cooked beans, peas, or lentils
○ ¼ cup or 2 oz tofu
○ ½ oz nuts or seeds
■ or 1 tablespoon peanut butter
Stick to Lean Protein Lean / less processed
animal protein
Low fat
OR
Non fat dairy Plant protein

Nuts/ legumes

Fish / seafood
 Dairy
Move to low-fat or fat-free dairy milk, yogurt, & cheese
(or lactose-free dairy or fortified soy versions)

● Provides calcium, potassium, vitamin D, and protein

● Milk, Yogurt, Cheese
● Do not include cream cheese, sour cream, cream, and butter
● Adults need about 3-4 servings per day
○ 1 cup low-fat or fat-free milk or yogurt
○ 1 oz of reduced-fat cheese
Importance of Calcium
● With age we start losing calcium
● We NEED calcium for:
○ Bone health
○ Muscle contractions
○ Blood pressure
● 1200 mg calcium per day (about 4 servings/day)
● For milk alternatives be sure it has calcium added
● Lactaid milk just has lactose removed
○ It has same nutrients as regular milk and sometimes they add even more
calcium.
Limit Saturated & Trans Fats
● Helps reduce blood cholesterol levels
○ We have happy cholesterol (HDL) and lousy cholesterol (LDL)
○ We want to have more happy cholesterol and limit the lousy
cholesterol
● Saturated and trans fats would fall into the lousy category and should
be eaten in moderation
● High blood cholesterol can lead to plaque build up in the arteries
resulting in medical conditions such as heart attack and stroke
 Fats to Choose vs Fats to Limit
● Olive oil ● Butter
● Canola oil ● Lard
● Bacon fat
● Vegetable and nut oils
● Gravy
● Margarine, with plant based ● Cream sauce
oils ● Cream
● Nuts, seeds ● Non-dairy creamers
● Avocados/avocado oil ● Hydrogenated margarine
and shortening
● Cocoa butter, found in
Easy ways to increase healthy fats such as chocolate
omega 3’s are to add foods like fatty fish ● Coconut, palm, cottonseed
(salmon), flaxseeds, avocados, nuts, and and palm kernel oils
seeds to your diet!
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-disease/in-depth/heart-healthy-diet/art-20047
Limit Salt
● Recommended no more than 2300 mg a day (about a teaspoon)
○ For those on a low-sodium diet no more than 2000 mg per day
● Most of the salt we eat comes from processed or canned foods so choosing
low- sodium options is a great first step
● Choose lower sodium condiments
● Flavor foods with herbs and spices
Salty Foods Snack food
(chips, crackers,
Canned Soups pretzels)
(can look for low sodium options!)

Processed Meats

Frozen Meals
Budget Friendly Tips
● Plan, plan, plan ● Buy in Bulk
○ Make a grocery list that includes staples ○ Think ahead - buy on sale, bulk or
and perishables family-sized items to freeze for
○ Buy only what you need later!
● Cook once, eat twice! ● Look for on-sale produce
○ Bake chicken for dinner, use leftovers for
○ Buy produce in-season
○ Choose canned and frozen when
chicken salad the next day
not in season
● Compare similar products ● Consider low cost protein options
○ Store brand is usually less expensive ○ Canned chicken, tuna, salmon, or
● Stretch your food dollars sardines
○ Add beans and canned or frozen ○ Canned beans
vegetables to bulk up your meals ○ Eggs
○ Coupons and loyalty cards ○ Peanut butter
Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance
Program-Education
(SNAP-Ed)

SNAP-Ed
Non-Discrimination
Statement

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Resources:
▪ https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-disease/in-depth/
heart-healthy-diet/art-20047702
▪ https://www.myplate.gov/eat-healthy/food-group-gallery
▪ https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/nutritio
n-basics/suggested-servings-from-each-food-group

For more fact-based food and nutrition information and tasty, low-cost
recipes, visit https://healthyfamilyct.cahnr.uconn.edu/
Or scan the QR code at the right using your phone camera to visit our site
and social media platforms 27
 Thank you!
If you need financial help with your
healthy food budget, consider
applying for SNAP. Find out if you are
eligible at www.connect.ct.gov, or call
the DSS Client Information Line &
Benefits Center toll-free
at 1-855-6-CONNECT
(1-855-626-6632).

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