8 food swaps your heart will thank you for

Read time: 3 minutes

When it comes to improving our heart health, most of us know that it includes getting regular exercise, drinking alcohol moderately (if at all), not smoking (or quitting if you do), and eating a heart-healthy diet.

What’s a heart-healthy diet? One that includes more of these …

Fresh fruits and vegetables
Whole grains
Fish and poultry
Low-fat dairy
Healthy fats from foods like seeds and nuts

And less of these …

Salt
Sugar
Processed or packaged foods

Listed below are a few common culprits that are so darn delicious, we might think we can’t do without them. But deliciousness and a healthier heart can still go hand in hand with these simple food swaps.

Chips

The problem:

High in sodium
Often contain unhealthy fats (saturated fat and trans fat) that can contribute to the buildup of plaque on the inner walls of your arteries

Try

Eating a small handful of nuts instead (about 1 ounce) to satisfy your craving for a crunchy snack. Nuts contain heart-healthy, unsaturated fats along with fiber and nutrients.

Cheese

The problem:

A big source of saturated fat

Try

Reduced-fat cheese (Same great flavor and melting qualities as “full-fat” cheese, but with much less fat. It’s better than fat-free cheeses, which don’t melt well and have little taste.)

Mayonnaise

The problem:

High in saturated fat.

Try

Avocado (Rich in healthy unsaturated fats. Mash it and substitute for mayo as a sandwich spread, and in egg salad or potato salad.)
Sliced hard-boiled eggs (Get the familiar taste of mayo — which is made up of egg yolks and soybean oil — but with more protein and less fat.)

Sour cream

The problem:

High in saturated fat.

Try

DIY sour cream (Puree equal amounts of low-fat cottage cheese and nonfat yogurt.)
Yogurt (When baking, substitute an equal amount of low-fat or nonfat yogurt for sour cream.)

Refined grains (examples: white bread, white flour, white rice)

The problem:

Fiber isn’t added back to enriched grains after milling.

Try

Boosting your whole grain intake. Read the labels and look for “100% whole grain” or “100% whole wheat” on breads and pastas. Diets rich in whole grain have been shown to reduce high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels and the risk of stroke.

Baked goods

The problem:

High in trans fats because they get their flavor from sugar and white flour, as well as butter, margarine or hydrogenated oils.

Try

Satisfying your sweet tooth with a piece of dark chocolate. Its main ingredient — cocoa — is high in flavonoids, antioxidants that are also found in fruits and vegetables. Flavonoids may lower heart disease risk by helping to lower blood pressure and improve blood vessel function. Choose dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa. It contains more heart-healthy flavonoids and less sugar and saturated fat than milk or white chocolate.

Salt

The problem:

A high-sodium diet can negatively affect kidney function, as well as lead to high blood pressure, the top risk factor for stroke.

The FDA recommends adults eat less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium a day — about one teaspoon of table salt. Most Americans consume about 3,400 milligrams a day.

Try

Going low-sodium. Read the labels of prepared, canned and frozen foods. Many of them contain a ton of extra salt.
Adding herbs and spices (The flavor of fresh herbs fades when cooked, so add them just before serving.)

(But don’t go no salt. In small amounts, it helps your nerves and muscles function properly, and balances fluid in your body. You need a minimum of 1,500 milligrams of sodium a day.)

Ground beef

The problem:

Fatty cuts of red meat are a major source of saturated fat.

Try

Skinless poultry (lower fat than red meat)
Fatty fish like salmon (great source of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids)

And when recipes call for ground beef, try these swaps:

Turkey
- Ground turkey breast (lower saturated fat than the thigh and leg varieties) for chili, pasta sauce and casseroles
- Turkey sausages: a low-fat, delicious replacement
- Turkey-beef burgers: mix equal parts lean ground turkey breast and grass-fed, lean ground beef
Mushrooms: a tasty, heart-healthy replacement for beef in Bolognese sauce

When it comes to heart health, sometimes it’s the little daily choices you make that can have the biggest impact on your future well-being. These food swaps can help.