February is American Heart Month and a reminder for everyone to focus on our cardiovascular (heart) health! Here at Citrus Pear, we like to think that we celebrate all year long because our meals are always heart-healthy. You likely know that Citrus Pear is a healthy, freezer meal prep company, but did you know that our founder is a Registered Dietitian (RD) and we now employ over 20 dietitians? Our dietitians plan each recipe to make sure they are delicious, while also balanced and healthy. Our priority has always been the health of our customers and heart-health is a major part of that.

Why live heart smart?

Heart health involves the health and function of the heart muscle and blood vessels. The heart and blood vessels play an important role by delivering oxygen and nutrients to the body’s cells, tissues, and organs, and in removing waste from the body. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death in the world. CVD isn’t just one type of illness, but a group of conditions that affect the heart and blood vessels. Poor cardiovascular health can lead to many things including heart disease, heart attack, stroke, coronary arterial disease, and peripheral arterial disease. So it’s a big deal.

It’s time for a heart to heart

There are multiple things that can increase your risk for heart disease. While some may decrease with lifestyle, diet, and medical treatment, other risks cannot be removed. The more risk factors you have, the higher your likelihood of developing heart disease. Some key risk factors are hypertension (high blood pressure), high cholesterol, high blood sugar/diabetes, obesity, physical inactivity, and smoking. Risk factors out of your control include age, gender (men have a greater risk of heart attacks and usually have them earlier in life), and heredity (family history and race).

Healthy eating keeps your heart beating

A heart-healthy diet is essential to reduce your unhealthy or “bad” cholesterol levels, manage high blood pressure, and lower your risk for heart disease.

The basics of a heart healthy diet include:

• Whole grains
• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Lean proteins

To break it down even more, you should focus on:

• Decreased intake of saturated fats, trans fats, and cholesterol - aka “bad fats”
• Replace “bad fats” with “good”: unsaturated fats and plant-based proteins.
• Focus on whole, unprocessed foods
• Limit refined carbohydrates (especially sweets and sugar-sweetened beverages)
• Limit sodium (salt) and added sugar
• Lastly, if you choose to drink alcohol, a heart-healthy diet recommends only doing so in moderation.

Let's get a pulse on each of these recommendations and how to shape your heart's health.

Fats That Give Back

Choose foods with heart-healthy fats, aka monounsaturated & polyunsaturated to help lower cholesterol levels. Foods that are high in unsaturated fats include nuts & seeds, avocados, olive oil, vegetable oil, and fatty fish (e.g. salmon). While unsaturated fats should be substituted for those high in saturated fat, remember that all fats are high in calories and should still be consumed in moderation.

• Choosing lean protein and low-fat dairy will help reduce your intake of saturated fats, which are mostly found in animal products. To incorporate more lean proteins, choose  plant-based protein (beans, legumes, & soy) and less fatty cuts of meat more often.
• Poultry and fish are much leaner than pork, beef, and other red meats. Your Citrus Pear meals use very lean cuts of meat to help reduce the amount of saturated fat in your diet.
• Avoid trans fats as much as possible. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned adding artificial trans fats to our foods in 2020; however, trans fats can still be found naturally in some animal products such as butter, cheese, and meat products. Limiting your intake of saturated fats will also limit your intake of naturally occurring trans fats.

Ways to My Heart: Carbs

Not all carbohydrates are created equally. Carbohydrates are the body’s main source of energy and should not be avoided. They have a lot of essential nutrients that are required for a balanced diet. There are three types of carbohydrates: starches, sugar, and fiber. Many carbohydrates are found naturally in food, such as starches in potatoes or rice, or the sugars in fruit and dairy products. These are all great options to include in your diet as they have important nutrients and fiber. On the other hand, refined carbohydrates are foods that have been made with simple sugars (e.g. sweets & treats, table sugar, and sugar-sweetened drinks). These foods can increase your triglyceride levels which are then associated with heart disease.

• Choose foods rich in soluble (viscous) fiber. Soluble fiber is only found in plant-based foods and reduces LDL cholesterol in the bloodstream. Foods high in soluble fiber include oats, barley, oranges, mangoes, apples, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, flax seed, and legumes.
• The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends adults eat 25-30 grams of fiber a day from food, not supplementation. At least 5-10 grams of this should be from viscous fiber each day.

Why so Salty?

Salt is an important and essential nutrient for your body to function properly, but too much of it can be harmful. The reason for this is that sodium and fluid can build up in your tissues and bloodstream and increase your blood pressure. High blood pressure may cause damage to your blood vessels and other organs and increase your risk of a stroke. Even if you do not currently have high blood pressure, it is still a good idea to limit high-sodium foods in your diet.

• Keep your salt intake to 2,300 mg or less per day. This is equal to 1 teaspoon of salt. However, the AHA recommends a stricter guideline of no more than 1,500 mg for most adults to lower the risk of hypertension and heart disease.
• Limit processed and packaged foods. The majority of salt intake comes from these foods instead of home-cooked meals.
• Choose low-sodium or salt-free items when shopping. Your Citrus Pear meals are always made with low-sodium broth and soy sauce. The meals are generally low in sodium, but if salt intake is a major concern for you, let us know the next time you sign up and one of our dietitians will discuss other ways of limiting salt in your meals.
• Leave the salt shaker off of the table. Make it inconvenient to add more salt to your meals and this can help reduce your intake.

Put Your Heart Into It

Nutrition labels can be handy tools to stay informed of what you’re putting into your body. While you don’t always have to look at a nutrition label, it is there if you need it! When shopping, compare two similar foods and choose the one that has less saturated fat, sodium, and/or added sugar.

• Nutrition labels are provided on all of Citrus Pear’s meals; they reflect the food that was provided to you by Citrus Pear and anything required to go in the meal (i.e. sour cream in our Beef Stroganoff). However, it does not include any sides or carbohydrates you may pair with the meal.
• Our dietitians have already done the heavy lifting to insure the meals provided meet heart-healthy recommendations. This allows you to foster a healthy relationship with your food and approach nutrition intuitively.

Move the muscles that move you

Another important aspect of heart-health is moving your body. While the AHA recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise each week, any movement is better than nothing. Remember to set small, simple goals that you can achieve. Try to find natural ways to increase your daily movements, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator, going on small walks, or even doing household chores. Even simple activities can improve your health and reduce your risk for heart disease.

What the Doctor Ordered

Make sure you are visiting your doctor annually and getting your blood pressure and lab values checked. While prevention of heart disease is the goal, it’s also very important to have an early diagnosis and treatment for any CVDs. It is never too late to make small and simple changes to your lifestyle to prevent or treat heart disease. If needed, medical treatments can help lower your blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar. Some of these treatments may be temporary, especially when paired with lifestyle changes. Additionally, your doctor can advise you on ways to reduce other risk factors including quitting smoking and limiting alcohol intake.

If you are interested in making some major changes to your diet, seeing a Registered Dietitian is always a good idea. Most insurance companies cover a few visits per year with an RD. A dietitian can help set small, realistic goals that can improve your health and help prevent or treat heart disease. Additionally, they can work with you to find ways to improve your diet or help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight for your body.

When you sign up for a class, our dietitians at Citrus Pear are more than willing to help you make any adjustments to your meals if needed.

While heart disease is the number one killer globally and in the United States, and needs to be taken seriously, it shouldn’t be challenging or overwhelming. With a few tweaks to your diet and lifestyle, you can shape your heart’s health. Citrus Pear is here to assist you in following a heart-healthy diet and making dinnertime quick & easy.

Resources:

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Nutrition Care Manual. www.nutritioncaremanual.org.

World Health Organization. www.WHO.int

U.S. Food and Drug Administration. www.FDA.gov

American Heart Association. www.heart.org

‍