Celebrating Mom – She’s All Heart

by Sylvia Geiger MS, RD, CD, Price Chopper Community Nutritionist

Flowers, breakfast in bed, and dinner at her favorite restaurant are traditional ways to celebrate our mothers. This year, it’s time to show our love for mom in a new way by supporting her efforts to care for her own health.

In their role as caregivers, moms are likely to put their own health on the back burner or at risk while providing for loved ones. These generous actions can have serious consequences—especially on heart health.

We’ve long known that women are just as likely to suffer from cardiovascular disease (heart attack & stroke) as men, but the myth that women don’t need to actively work towards preventing heart disease prevails. Nothing could be further from the truth. Women of any age will benefit from exercise, diet, and lifestyle choices that promote heart health.

Check out these tips to help mom take positive steps toward eating for a healthy heart:

Heart-healthy eating means selecting plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes & beans, lean meats and fish, and low-fat dairy foods everyday.
Use NuVal shelf tags numbers to find foods with the highest NuVal scores; these foods will be more heart healthy. The American Heart Association recommends limiting added sugars, sodium, cholesterol, and saturated and trans fat. All of these undesirables lower the NuVal scores for a food.
Look for whole grain breads, crackers, rice, and cereals. Again, the higher NuVal score, the better for your heart. These foods will have more fiber, a lower Glycemic Index, and less sodium and added sugars.
Aim for eating fish twice a week and choose lean meats and poultry.
For more information see our Healthy Heart Wellness Center or visit the American Heart Association for more tips on preventing heart disease.