Webinar Series

Eating Heart Healthy

2022

10 min read

HGF Nursing Team

Learn about heart-healthy foods, tips for grocery shopping, and how to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into your daily meals.

We Need to Eat More Fruits and Vegetables

• About 75% of the U.S. population has an eating pattern low in fruits and vegetables
• Only 1 in 10 adults meet the recommendations for fruit and vegetable consumption
• Men and young adult males eat the fewest fruits and vegetables

Helpful Tips When Purchasing

• Fresh, frozen, canned and dried all count towards your daily servings
• Goal: make half your plate fruits and vegetables
• Look for fruits packaged in their own juice with no added sugar
• Look for low-sodium or no-salt-added canned vegetables

How to Include More Variety

• Dip them, sip them, and freeze them
• Chop raw veggies and dip in hummus or low-fat dressing
• Make smoothies with fruits and vegetables
• Freeze 100% fruit juice in ice cube trays for mini popsicles
• Freeze fruit (grapes, banana slices) for refreshing snacks

Eat the Rainbow

• Red & Pink: Beets, berries, red apples, bell peppers, strawberries, tomatoes, watermelon
• Orange & Yellow: Squash, apricots, cantaloupe, carrots, oranges, peaches, sweet potatoes
• Green: Asparagus, broccoli, collard greens, green beans, kale, spinach
• White: Bananas, cauliflower, mushrooms, onions, parsnips, potatoes, turnips
• Blue & Purple: Blackberries, blueberries, eggplant, figs, grape juice, plums, red cabbage

Daily Goal

Eat 2 to 2½ cups (4 to 5 servings) each of fruits and vegetables every day. Challenge yourself to add ½ cup (one serving) more per day.