Log in

Help your Patients get Heart Smart in Their Cart!

February is American Heart Month. Heart disease is the number one cause of death for men and women in America, so a good majority of the patients we serve, regardless of the settings we work in, are faced with managing heart disease every day. One of the best ways we can arm our patients for successful shopping is to help them understand the Nutrition Facts panel and ingredient lists. As recent as the past year, I had a patient tell me she didn’t realize “sodium” referred to salt, and once she learned that relationship, she began reading ingredient lists throughout the store to make better choices. Here are three heart-y topics to cover with patients to help them all make better selections:

1. Figure out fats. Many people are more familiar with trans fat, but a good majority still struggle with saturated fat and cholesterol when reading a label. While patients do a great job looking at the label, they may check out just the trans fat or perhaps take a peek at the cholesterol – not realizing saturated fat is also an important piece of information when managing blood cholesterol. Have a product package on hand to talk them through how to read a label and also explain the legal definitions of terms like “fat free” so there is a baseline understanding of these terms.

2. Find the fiber and positive nutrients. Many label readers do their due diligence on what to avoid, but sometimes forget that labels can be useful to find positive nutrients such as Vitamins A & C as well as iron and calcium. Helping people understand the concept of nutrient-dense, or nutrient-rich, foods is a great way to help get the nutrients they need for good health on the menu, too.

3. Shop for meals – not just individual foods. Now that people are returning to the kitchen and eating at home more often, they need some help with how to put together a balanced meal.
 

Simple Suggestions:
1. Aim for at least three of the five food groups per meal, and two out of five food groups per snack – this helps give a bit of direction without sounding too complicated.

2. When grocery shopping, take a moment to look at the items in the cart- all food groups should be represented at home in the kitchen, so most times, having more than one food group in the cart will help flush out pantry, freezer, and fridge selections so building better meals is a snap.

3. Plan meals ahead – even if it means bringing a recipe to the store and shopping to it, for starters. My favorite way to begin is see what is on hand, check those items off the list, and shop for the remaining items. Shopping with the actual recipe ensures all items needed for the dish in proper quantities actually make it into the kitchen.

4. A great teaching tool can be a simple recipe that shows how easy it can be to make a balanced meal. Even something as simple as a scrambled egg dish can squeeze a vegetable in at breakfast. Suggest serving with a piece of whole grain toast, which makes that meal incorporate 3 out of 5 food groups and becomes a realistic, easy (and delicious) solution. Since eggs are an economical source of protein they’re great for the budget too. Check out this Mrs. Dash scrambled egg recipe!



Scrambled Eggs with Red Pepper & Onion
Ingredients:
4 large eggs
1 Tbsp. Mrs. Dash® Original Blend
1/2 medium red pepper
1 small onion
vegetable oil spray
Directions:
1. Spray heavy non-stick pan with vegetable oil spray.
2. Chop red pepper and onion finely.
3. Sauté red pepper and onion in non-stick skillet over medium heat until tender.
4. Break eggs into medium bowl, whisk.
5. Add Mrs. Dash® Original Blend to bowl.
6. Add eggs to skillet and reduce heat to low. Stir eggs gently, until eggs are set, about 3 to 4 minutes.
7. For extra zip, add or substitute Mrs. Dash® Extra Spicy.
Recipe Summary:
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 3 min to 4 min

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 94, % of Calories from Fat: 48 %, Total Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 2g,
Unsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat:0 g, Cholesterol:212 mg, Sodium:64 mg, Potassium:149 mg, Carbohydrates:5 g, Fiber:1 g, Protein:7 g
 

BACK TO ARTICLES >