February  2008

Love and Care for Yourself

Express love for your heart as well as your taste buds by making heart-smart food and activity choices. The list of tips below may look lengthy but you don’t have to put them all into action. Pick the easiest one or two as a starting point. Once you’ve mastered those, move onto another, then another. Enjoy and celebrate every success!

• If you smoke or use tobacco in any form, stop. Whether it’s cigars, cigarettes or spit tobacco—all of it is hazardous and addicting. Even if you have tried to quit before and failed, try, try again. Your health and the health of those you love depends on it.

• Eat more fruits and vegetables. Start by bringing a piece of fruit with you to work or school for a snack. Add a side salad to your burger for lunch, a dish of peaches for dessert after dinner.

• Likewise, go for whole grains more often. Whole grain versions of your favorite breads, cereals and pasta contain more vitamins, minerals, and most of all, fiber than refined (or white) versions. Look for brown rice, 100% whole wheat bread and pasta, bulgur, barley and popcorn.

• Drink lowfat or fat free milk. To make the transition to a lower fat milk easy, switch first to one lower in fat like 2% or 1%.

• Try reduced-fat versions of other dairy products like cheese and sour cream in recipes. You will probably not notice any difference in flavor or quality.

• Select lean cuts of meat whenever possible and cut off visible fat before cooking.

• Go for baked instead of fried versions of chicken, fish, chips and so on. When you do choose fried foods, use paper towels or napkins to blot away as much surface grease as possible. Every drop matters.

• Serve yourself moderate portions. If you are hungry for more after eating that, have more. Numerous studies have shown that we tend to eat whatever is on our plate no matter how hungry or full we feel. Too often that means eating much more than we need or even want, and we gain weight as a result. When eating out where food is served already on your plate, split orders with table companions. Or, ask for a ‘to-go’ container when your meal is served and put at least half in it before eating. Take the extra portion home for a quick meal the next day.

• Choose packaged foods with lower sodium content. Compare the sodium content on the Nutrition Facts part of the label. Use reduced sodium versions of broth, soy sauce and vegetable juice. Lowering the amount of sodium you eat will help your blood pressure.

• Use herbs and spices instead of salt to add flavor. Take note of herbs in recipes you
  already like, then use them in similar recipes. For example, basil and oregano are frequently used in Italian cooking, garlic and ginger in Asian, and so on. Use small amounts to start and make notes on your recipes of what worked and what didn’t.

• Cut the salt by half or leave it out entirely. For example, salt can be left out of the cooking water for pasta, rice and frozen vegetables. If your recipe has high salt ingredients like sausage, canned soup or vegetables, wait until you taste the finished product before adding more salt.

• Balance high fat or high salt foods with those leaner and lower. For example, with fried chicken, choose rice instead of mashed potatoes and skip the gravy altogether.

• Make time to be physically active every day. These activities can be things that need to get done like cleaning or yard work, as well as things for fun like playing sports, walking, and dancing.

• Get enough sleep, about 8 hours for most of us. Chronic sleep deprivation has been linked to poor mental and physical health. Make it a priority to get the rest your body needs.