Our Heart Healthy Grocery List for Women Over 40

Preparing dinner is anything but easy. From the planning down to the last minute needs-more-flavor adjustments, whipping up a lovely dinner, even for your husband, requires more effort than most women can actually think of. But preparing a special dinner date for your hubby can be really quite challenging not only because you seemed to have run out of recipe that your hubby will find exciting but most importantly because you have your body and health to care for.

Sure it wouldn’t be too much to indulge in some king-sized cut steaks on a special night. But caring for your health, and most importantly your heart’s health, requires determination and willingness to stick to what’s really good for you. Your special night shouldn’t really be your “cheat” day, the time of the year when you can savor juicy steaks, flavorful Mexican dishes (read: high in sodium tortilla chips), and the rich, velvety haute cuisine of Paris; it should be really about challenging your limits: Making heart-healthy decisions no matter how tempted you are to forget about your doctor’s advice and just plainly sticking to what you know is best for you and your heart.

While the challenge of cooking healthy heart foods can be really overwhelming, knowing that you will be making your heart and your sweetheart a favor, you know that the efforts that you will put into making this will be all worth it. To ease the pressure a bit, we’re giving you this shopping guide to help you choose healthy heart foods when planning for your menu.

In preparing heart healthy dishes, you may want to keep in mind this uber simple rule: The more veggies and fruits you have in your plate, the better for your heart. And because Mother Nature is one colorful chick, it is definitely easier to pull off a colorful dinner plate for you and your husband. We have prepared in advance a heart healthy grocery list so you can confidently stroll down the aisle knowing that what you have in your basket will satisfy both your taste palate’s and heart’s desire.

fruits and vegetables

Your doctor will tell you that the more veggies and fruits you have, the better for your health. But having fruits and vegetables daily can be downright boring. And we know that the least thing you want to do is to share the very salad you’re having for the rest of the year. Excite your senses by sticking to bright and deeply colored fruits and veggies throughout. Your shopping list should include peaches, spinach, berries, and carrots. These items pale in comparison to light-colored items as they are packed with vitamins and minerals that will be good for you and your hubby.

1. Canned or frozen vegetables are great substitutes to fresh options. Make sure that you check the label; only choose those that are in water. Fruits and veggies diluted in sugary syrups or water with iodized salt are like floating in trans and saturated fat. When it comes to shopping for canned items, what will save you from the many unhealthy-pretending-to-be-healthy items is reading the label.

2. Sure, cranberry juice is a colorful addition to your table, especially to keep you hubby’s mind away from the fact that it’s taking you so long to prepare the antipasti. Promise that you’ll never drop a pack of fruit juice in your basket. Aside from the fact that they’re essentially useless to controlling carvings and satisfying your hunger, these fruit-in-a-box don’t even come close to its fresh counterparts when it comes to weighing its fiber content.

3. For your carbs, you may want to stick to items that will offer you the greatest amount of fiber in lesser serving portion. Our best bets include beans, brown rice, wild rice, quinoa, bananas, apples, and peas.

4. Healthy desserts call for creativity. We know that a bowl of fruits is like a staple to your every dining experience but will it help if we tell you that it is really the tastiest option for heart health-watchers like you? Soy-based cream cheese will exactly look like that but the taste really doesn’t come close. And no, opening a chocolate pudding on this special night shouldn’t even come to your mind.

To put a sweet ending to your dinner date, we simply love this less than 15 minutes recipe from EatingWell.com: Strawberries Dipped in Chocolate. This low cal, diabetes-appropriate, and super heart healthy dessert is perfect for those who want a no-fuss and no-bake recipe. With only two ingredients and less than 10 minutes prep time, this recipe is definitely for women over 40 who want to be hands on the kitchen without looking it.

yummy protein

Protein diet is one of the most favored weight loss methods of the Hollywood A-listers and socialites. The reason is that you get to eat and lose weight at the same time. But for your special night, we know that the last thing you want your hubby to feel is that you are putting him into some sort of diet.

Putting protein in your dinner plate is definitely one sumptuous idea. Aside from increasing satiety (Read: Being satisfied after a meal), protein actually decreases hunger pangs, which is good given that you will be sharing a five-course meal.

So if you’re on a budget, it might be a good idea to prepare some grilled protein surprise to lessen what the dishes that you need to spend on. This may be seemed to good to be true since you haven’t had a piece of juicy steak since you cared for your heart health but protein doesn’t necessarily translate to devouring pork or beef. Here’s our shopping list for your V-day protein:

1. In preparing heart healthy food, it is always wise that you go for white meats. And what could be healthier than preparing a low-fat and omega-3 fatty acid-rich fish-based dish? No matter how healthy your source of protein is, always make sure that you follow your recommended food portion because going beyond your food meter can actually lead to weight gain. 

A healthy portion of fish dish should be roughly the size of a checkbook. If you’re still on the market for heart-healthy fish, head to the section where they pride themselves with cold water fishes. Our list greatly favors trout, snapper, herring, and, of course, salmon.

2. Fish can be really good for your heart. So don’t try to strip all its nutrients and omega-3 fatty acids by dropping it in the frying pan. For our recommended prep methods, boiling and steaming always top our list.

3. Reward yourself for being so heart healthy-conscious all year long. If you want to surprise your hubby with the reds, we recommend that you narrow your choice with those that are labeled with “round” and “loin” as these items contain the least of fat in their category.

4. Do you miss pork but the Doc insists that you stay on the white? Here’s good news: Experts recently labeled pork tenderloin as white meat. And what’s even better that the cuts being sold at the market today is 31 percent leaner than those that are being sold to your mom. Who says you have to miss the good things when heeding your doctor’s advice?

5. Protein shouldn’t mean meat. When it comes to practicing vegetarians and those who want to follow their footsteps, plant-based protein is the best and tastiest substitute to animal meat. If you haven’t been so non-meat eater last season, this month when everything turned red, we dare you to just think green. Instead of splurging on premium cuts, go for meat substitutes like tofu (known for its unpopular term, soybean curd), peas, or dried beans.

6. Thinking of more incentive to let go of your desire to devour red meat? Going for plant-based proteins not only supplies you with protein but loads you up with fiber as well. Be really good for your body and heart. Serving a half-cup of beans will not only lower your cholesterol but will also make you feel fuller for longer.

7. Prepare to go nutty and your heart will thank you for it. Serving seeds and nuts for a special night will not only boost your memory so you can take your hubby down at lover’s lane but will also supply the “good” fats that your body needs. However, nuts and seeds are also loaded with calories, so enjoy them in moderation.

filling breads

While waiting for the antipasti, nothing shortens the waiting time better than two to three slices of bread. When it comes to shopping for bread, whether you’re choosing something special for this special night or the ordinary sweet days, choosing whole-grain breads over refined grains gives the biggest bang for your money.

Though they are really quite expensive, whole-grain breads gives you more than just fiber. Serving your hubby whole-grain slices are loaded with minerals, vitamins, and, hear this, antioxidants. All these benefits essentially come from three major component of whole-grain: Germ, endosperm, and bran.

So when it comes to shopping for whole-grain breads, make sure that the label says “whole grain” and their ingredients have grain topping their list. Also double check the following items in the label: 0 g of trans fat and the word “partially hydrogenated” is not on their ingredients list.

1. Nothing sweetens a special date better than cookies, cakes, and pies. But make sure that you limit your shopping to a sort-of sample portions instead of buying the whole box. If you’re quite unsure of what you need to shop, we recommend low-fat or fat-free and low-sodium varieties of cookies and crackers.

2. Can’t squeeze in baking time in your sched? Drop by your next door bakery and choose items that are made with monounsaturated oils, egg whites, and reduced-fat or skim milk. If your fave goodies store is quite upscale, then check the Nutrition Facts label so you can see how much cholesterol, trans fat, and saturated fats are in it. Always, always, check the label.

3. Raisin bran really tastes good and can sound healthy too. But if you’re really extra careful about your heart health, shop for a loaf of raisin bread instead.

bits and extras

1. Need butter? We recommend shopping for soft margarines that have virtually 0 trans fat than fatty butter. Yes, butter may give your dish that savory and, of course, buttery flavor but experts know that margarines can give off that extra special taste too. Remember, making heart healthy dishes doesn’t end with choosing the star of each plate but everything that goes behind and in it.

2. In dishes that require eggs, we recommend switching to egg substitutes or eggs whites instead of egg yolk.

3. For your olive oil, choose the dark greens instead of the yellow ones. The dark color may put you off first but it’s definitely the healthiest and least processed than the seemingly clean, yellow varieties.

4. Need a more affordable but equally healthy oil variety? We recommend those that have lower cholesterol and trans fat. Our shopping list essentially includes soybean oil, safflower oil, canola oil, sesame oil, and sunflower oil. But what about other vegetable oils like coconut oil and palm oil? Cross out these items from your grocery list as they are really high in saturated fats.

Heart Healthy Guide to Dining Out: Dishes that will Satisfy Both Your Taste Palate’s and Heart’s Desire

Whether you want to go Mexican or Chinese for the night, there is really no reason why you can't find joy in your plate and not follow your doctor’s advice at the same time. We all love to eat, and that doesn’t mean that eating out couldn't be friendly to your health, particularly your heart health. We are sure there are dozens of restos that serve good food that pleases both your taste palate and heart’s desire. In fact, there are restos that offer sumptuous and seemingly-sinful meals without the guilt of putting your heart health at the backseat. And we tell you, these items are unbelievably low in cholesterol, trans fat, and saturated fat.

So how come we know why it’s a guilt-free pleasure? Because everytime we dine out, we simply follow these heart healthy-eating out guidelines:

Be straightforward about it.It is important that you choose a resto served by staff who understands that special needs of their patron. To get what you want, and we mean in the most courteous way, experts recommend that people with special needs must be forthright about what they want and, of course, really need. There’s no point of being shy about making special requests. After all, you’re not making a fuss about a menu because it’s a special night; remember, with every bite, it’s really your health that’s on the line.

With today’s advances in the food industry, most items that are printed on their menu will still qualify as heart healthy dishes. By simply preparing it with less salt and low-fat ingredients, a rich and sinful course menu can be easily spun into heart healthy by any chef who knows his fundamentals. There’s no point of hunting for a resto that advertise that they are the only place that serve healthy heart foods because we’re sure every chef in your area knows how to alter their dishes to meet your needs and expectations.

A simple pre-dinner tip: Say, you’re on the phone, are you going to book a reservation right away just because a friend recommended it? We say no. Before you look forward to having a healthy heart complete course with your hubby, ask this crucial question first: Can the chef alter the preparations without sacrificing the taste? If they say that they have, indeed, accommodated a lot of special requests in their kitchen, then, go ahead and pay in advance. However, when you came and end up doubting what you are served with, never hesitate to send it back.

If, however, you’re surprised by your hubby with a lovely dinner – yes, imagine you eating without all the fuss of reserving a table and detailing what you’re expecting – DO take your time in studying what’s on the menu. DO choose heart healthy; don’t make unhealthy decisions just because your hubby has moved heaven and earth just to get the best spot for the evening. Again, ask the kitchen to do some altering; after all, a special evening calls for special menu.

What To Choose For…

Breakfast. If you have planned a special getaway with your hubby, make sure that you bring with you a pocketful of determination to steer clear of sumptuous and fatty breakfast items. If you think that you can get away with eating high in fat and calorie-laden breakfast menu since, well, you’ll burn it at the end of the day, you thought wrong. Eating the wrong menu can always lead to an elevated blood sugar and cholesterol, which means you’ll be spending the whole morning in bed, and not in a good way.

Strive to just walk away from breakfast menus that are loaded with baked goods and high in fat items like sausage and, yes, bacon. But who says you can’t have a healthy breakfast that also tastes good? Experts recommend saying yes to choices that include a lot fresh fruits and fiber.

Quick heart healthy tips:

• Is breakfast your favorite meal of the day? Instead of getting too conscious about your food portions, start your breakfast by drinking a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. This can help you curb your appetite by making you feel full even before you finish what’s on your plate.
• Go for whole-grain breads instead of picking up that white toast. To help you enjoy this heavy weight bread, spread a little sweetness with the help of preserved jam and your choice of low-fat cream cheese.
• Need to warm up a bit? We recommend heading to that oatmeal station before you head to that honey jar to get some brrr off your body.

Chinese food. These items are really one of the most popular menus on every American’s food wish. While the dish portions can be quite large, Chinese food is definitely one healthy flair you can really devour. If you and your hubby are craving for some Oriental feast, head straight to an upscale, family-oriented Chinese restaurant in your area – not the fast food and take out types. Fancy Chinese restaurants do accommodate special requests and orders, especially those that need some adjustments in terms of their main ingredients. Most Chinese dishes are high in sodium, that’s why they are really savory and you often end up asking for more. Call for fewer entrees. And, oh, don’t forget your fortune cookie.

Quick heart healthy tips:

• One no-brainer choice is to skip everything that’s fried. Noodles, dumplings, and even duck meat that are fried should give way to a bowl of stir-fry vegetables.
• Duck meat is, indeed, a tasty option. But with the flavor comes all the fat that it isn’t too healthy for the heart. Limit your desire for meat with light ones like chicken, fish, and seafood. But don’t throw all your efforts of committing to healthy heart foods by dropping these light meats to the frying pan. Again, stick to healthy prep methods like steam, light stir-fry, broiled, and boiled.
• If given the option of munching some nuts and have been advised by your doctor to lose weight, a safe choice comes in the form of water chestnuts. Chinese food is popular for their nutty texture, an attribute that can be credited to their fondness of peanuts and cashews. These two nutty staples of Chinese cuisine cross are dietary DON’Ts to women working to shed extra pounds.

French food. French cuisine is always associated with rich, creamy, and velvety dining experience. And what does it take to have all those words ending up on your plate: Lots and lots of butter. And that only boils to another unhealthy heart word: Fat. But good news to all those who have amour for French cuisine, Nouvelle cuisine shows that French cooking has definitely a lighter side.

Can’t find nouvelle cuisine on the menu? Ask for restos that proudly present haute cuisine and you’ll find an interesting and highly favored fusion of nouvelle cuisine and cuisine classique.

Quick heart healthy tips:

• We all know how not easy it is to pass an item on the menu, especially when French cuisine tells us the story of the whole course as it progresses from one item to another. If you and your hubby can’t help but say Oui to your heart’s desire to go French, strive to skip, ugh, rich entrees, sauces, and, yes, even desserts. So days before the big day, exercise your willpower and determination to pass everything that looks sinfully delicious.
• Sauces play a vital role not only to French menu but to all distinguished members of the world cuisine. Play safe and opt for not-too flamboyant dishes. As much as possible, hold the sauce, especially the thick and creamy ones.

Mediterranean food. If you have read about our earlier post about Mediterranean diet, you know that following Zorba the Greek’s diet is really good for you. But before you finish that plate that’s really recommended for two, hear this: Mediterranean dishes are really prepped with lots and lots of olive oil. Though olive oil is really a healthy and safe option, these dishes can add up some serious calories when you weigh in. Olives and feta cheeses are great appetizers but make sure that you keep tabs of what you’re munching before the main dishes arrive as these two yummy seemingly-innocent appetizers are high in sodium.

Quick heart healthy tips:

• When asked if you would want fillo pastry, hold yourself and just say no. These flaky items may be light and really savory but fillo pastries are also known for using loads and loads of butter. No matter how small these delicate pastries look, just skip them.
• Ordering for low fat and low in sodium Mediterranean dishes can be quite hard, especially if you’re in a, well, Greek-themed resto. But be straightforward about your request, ask for something that is heart-friendly, and you know that your heart will thank you for it.
• V-day is, after all, a once-a-year event. If you and your hubby want to finish the whole course, with all the harmonious transition and all, ask the wait staff for a favor: Split the single serving to two. There’s really a lot of benefit in splitting each dish; aside from looking really sweet (oh, look there sharing their food), you instantly cut the calories in half plus you get to make sure that you have enough room to savor everything, from antipasti down to that velvety dessert.
• Don’t we all love meat-stuffed appetizers? Though these tiny meat-full pockets seemed healthy at first, we still recommend asking for antipasti that involves rice or eggplant.

Indian food. Grains filled with fiber? Check. Lots of veggies and legumes? Great. All these points make Indian cuisine really a heart healthy choice. But all these good points can go down drain when these healthy items are prepared the wrong way. Remember, Indian food can be smothered with ghee, or butter, before they are sautéed or thrown in the fryer. Another not-so good fact about Indian cuisine is that they use a lot of milk and coconut oil. Sounds healthy? Not really. Dishes that feature milk as its base may please your taste palate but not your heart.

Quick heart healthy tips:

• Start the evening right. Instead of ordering for samosas, or fried veggie turnover, we recommend starting with yogurt topped with chopped vegetables.
• Whether you call for vegetables or protein, here’s a good rule of thumb: Make sure that the kitchen will prepare your dishes without gee.
• For your protein, stick to seafood or chicken. These are tasty substitutes for lamb or beef, which are essentially staple proteins in all Indian restaurants. And because protein are essentially sautéed or fried, we recommend that you ask for a bowl of vegetable dish so you can cut down all unwanted calories and tons of saturated fats found in your meat plate.

Mexican food. Nothing says go eat and be merry than a Mexican family table. Expect nothing but saturated fats as most Mexican dishes are generously topped with cheese and deep fried with lard. Another feature that drives almost everyone who watches their heart health away is sodium, which seemed like the secret “ingredient” to most every Mexican soup we know. But there’s no reason to contain your desire when you and your hubby are just tempted to go Mexican that night. Given the right menu and the basics of healthy heart foods, you can find that Mexican cuisine also boast of tasty, fresh, and really healthy dishes.

Quick heart healthy tips:

• If you’re waiting for your plate to be served, just do exactly that: Wait. Almost every family I know goes to Mexican restaurants because of the free tortilla chips that they are served with when waiting for their orders. Enjoy the evening, savor the festivity, and ask that the wait staff do not bring the bowl of tortilla to your table.
• Salsa is really one of the healthy heart foods that you can enjoy to any Mexican restaurant. So instead of asking for sour cream, dance to the beat of healthy heart foods and just go for salsa. If you’re in for some genuine Mexican flavors, ask for tomato-based sauces or Veracruz for a healthier, tastier treat.

Steaks. A lovely night calls for a great bottle of red wine and, of course, a juicy, grilled-to-perfection steak. But is it really safe to include steak to your list of heart healthy foods? As long as it’s served in a reasonable portion and it’s lean beef that you chose, then, definitely, yes.

If you’re on a dinner date with your hubby, make sure that you have prepped for a 6-ounce lean beef steak by savoring only non-meat treats from breakfast down to the last minute before you arrive at the steakhouse. A good of rule of thumb is to never, ever, order king-sized cuts. When ordering, specifically request that all visible fats be removed from the meat before the kitchen throws it on the grill. But if you don’t want to devour a slab of meat but your hubby specifically wants to, order for a dish of seafood. It’s a well known fat that all steakhouses offer amazing seafood plates; fish is always a favored meat of heart health-watchers, so ask for the catch of the day while your hubby orders the place’s best steak.

Heart Healthy Foods: The Key to Living the Life You Love

Women over 40, we, at MissVanderbilt, think that it's high time to literally talk about your heart: About the things that matter for your health and heart health. So wear your heart on your sleeves as it’s time we discuss how you can improve your heart health, lowering cholesterol naturally, and really just all about the things that really matter to you an your heart.

The Bottom Line: Aim Low

If you have finally made that visit to your doctor’s office last month, we congratulate you. But if you have had your doctor writing hypercholesterolemia a.k.a high cholesterol all over your paper, then you know that it’s time to modify how you eat, what you eat, and what you do. In other words, even if your doctor has prescribed you that cholesterol drug, you still need to get up and modify how you live your life. If you truly love your health and want to improve heart health – like the people who love you – these simple tips are essentially designed by Mother Nature and approved by experts to lower cholesterol naturally.

Know the Good from the Bad

The first thing that you think need to be out from your diet is fat. Well, there’s a truth in that. But before you get on removing all the fats in your healthy heart, it’s time that you know what is really good and downright bad for your heart health.

The truth is that our body needs cholesterol to function normally. But how much cholesterol and what type of cholesterol? Good question. The reality is most Americans consume way too much cholesterol and saturated fat, which essentially do bad things for your heart health by raising LDL cholesterol (we’d like to call them just bad cholesterol). And LDL is bad for you because it’s the leading cause of plaque build-up in your arteries that lead to the big H disease. On the other hand, there’s what we call the good cholesterol, or the HDL cholesterol. Their function: Help free our heart from all the plaques that clog our arteries. To improve your heart health, the only logical thing to do is to, therefore, raise your HDL cholesterol. How? Simply by prepping up meals loaded with healthy heart foods.

Practicing portion control

Before we head straight to the buffet table, let’s go over one important detail: Knowing your portions. To improve your heart health it’s not enough that you eat the right thing. It’s really also about eating right.

Eating too much of a good thing, yes, even healthy heart foods, can lead to an escalating cholesterol and, worst thing for dieters, weight gain. So whether you are dining out or preparing a special meal for your family, always have time to remember that you still need to watch your portions – no matter how heart healthy your food is. A good rule of thumb is to use your hands. But we’re not telling you to count everything you put to your mouth. Here’s our quick measuring tool: Your rice, veggies, or pasta serving should fill your cupped hand, for fruit it should be the size of your fist, and, meat (whether you go for white or red) should be as small as the size of the palm of your hand.

Knowing healthy heart foods

The great thing about taking care of your heart health is that the right tools come cheap. It is really inexpensive to serve you and your family healthy heart foods like fruits and veggies everyday – even if your doctor requires you to meet at least five servings of these items per day. And the best thing about serving fruits and veggies is all the antioxidants that you can harvest just by including them in your diet. And the thing is, the more veggies and fruits we eat, the less fat we actually consume. So instead of picking on snack bars, we encourage you to stay on the fresh side and be friendly to your heart.

Fish be with you

Lowering your cholesterol and getting your daily dose of omega-3 fatty acids can be easily achieved by simply including fish to your list of healthy heart foods. Omega-3 fatty acids, one of the most priced nutritional fats, are known to not only help lower cholesterol but also drive down trigylcerides, a type of fat that can be found in the bloodstream. So for managing cholesterol and fishing omega-3 fatty acids, we recommend you set your eyes on fatty, cold water fishes like trout, tuna, snapper, and our all-time fave salmon. But don’t fry your catch, no matter how tempting to just drop these items in the deep fryer. Opt to savor the freshness of these fatty yet healthy plate items by limiting your prep methods with the healthy ones: Grill, boil, or better yet, steam.

Have a healthy breakfast

When it comes to breakfast, nothing beats a super filling and healthy bowl of your favorite whole-grain cereals or good ol’ oatmeal to jumpstart your day. A bowl-full of cereals contains all the complex carbs and fiber that you need to keep you going from morning ‘til noon. And if you’re planning to loose some weight, pouring milk to your bowl of cereal can help you curb your appetite by making you feel fuller longer, making you less tempted to guzzle down that slab of beef steak at lunch.

If you feel bored with the mere sight of oatmeal, you may want to squeeze in some variety. Instead of yawning your way through your breakfast, we recommend going wild with wild rice, brown rice, and even popcorn.

Go nutty

Craving for a mid-day snack? Why not go for heart healthy item that does not only lower your LDL but also replaces all the “bad” cholesterol with truckload of HDL, or “good” cholesterol. Though nuts are heart healthy snacks, make sure that you still keep tabs of everything that you much. A bowl of nuts contain more fats and calories than you could actually imagine; so make sure that you only eat a handful. Another reminder: Limit your intake with plain nuts; as much as possible look for the ‘less grease and less salt’ variety. Though it is equally tempting, targeting your daily nuts portion with a snack pack of chocolate and nuts is definitely a health DON’T.

Carbs for the heart

You think that a serving of white potato is a safe choice. But if you’re after your daily servings of carbs, go for the filling and high-fiber variety. Our expert-recommended list of carbs includes quinoa, wild rice, or brown rice.

When dining out, make sure that you stay away from these un-friendly heart health foods: White bread, pasta, white potatoes, and even white rice. Including these items on your heart health menu only puts you at risk of type 2 diabetes and can even elevate your blood sugar faster than you can imagine. A good rule of thumb: Anything that’s too processed and ends up being white as snow is a definitely a DON’T for the heart.