{"id":445517,"date":"2026-02-02T23:48:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-02T23:48:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/445517\/"},"modified":"2026-02-02T23:48:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T23:48:08","slug":"6-easy-grocery-store-swaps-doctors-recommend-to-improve-your-heart-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/445517\/","title":{"rendered":"6 easy grocery-store swaps doctors recommend to improve your heart health"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the month of February marking American Heart Month, doctors say improving cardiovascular health doesn\u2019t require an expensive diet overhaul or strict food rules \u2014 just a few smart,\u00a0heart-healthy grocery-store swaps.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cFocus on the additions,\u201d said Tara Schmidt, lead dietitian for the Mayo Clinic Diet in Rochester, Minnesota. \u201cI like to shift the focus more toward, \u2018I\u2019m going to eat more fish\u2019 \u2014 that, in turn, will naturally decrease my red meat intake, for example.\u201d<\/p>\n

Small changes can add up, experts say \u2014 from cooking with olive oil or other unsaturated fats instead of butter or coconut oil, to swapping sour cream or mayonnaise for low-fat\u00a0Greek yogurt or cottage cheese\u00a0and seasoning foods with herbs, spices or citrus instead of added salt.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Heart healthy\u2019 or even \u2018low sodium\u2019 does not mean bland,\u201d Schmidt said.<\/p>\n

The goal isn\u2019t perfection, experts added, but rather, changes that people can realistically maintain over time.<\/p>\n

\u201cAny changes that someone makes should be incorporated gradually, as these changes are more likely to stick,\u201d said Dr. Sean Heffron, a preventive cardiologist at NYU Langone Health in New York.<\/p>\n

In addition to simple swaps, experts recommend adding the following heart-healthy foods<\/a> to grocery carts.<\/p>\n

1. Fatty fish<\/p>\n

Fatty fish deserves a regular spot on the plate, experts say.<\/p>\n

\"BeansNutritionists recommend eating beans and lentils for better heart health. Olga Kriger \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

\u201cTinned fish<\/a> are a great pantry staple,\u201d Heffron said. \u201cRich in omega-3 fatty acids and full of flavor, they are a versatile, quick and heart-healthy staple.\u201d<\/p>\n

Convenience matters, said Schmidt, noting that \u201cgood old cans or those pouches of salmon and tuna can come in handy.\u201d<\/p>\n

2. Beans and lentils<\/p>\n

Experts emphasized\u00a0beans and lentils\u00a0<\/a>as affordable, heart-healthy foods Americans often overlook.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeans are a super food that gets forgotten about,\u201d Schmidt said. Even canned beans are acceptable, especially when rinsed to reduce sodium, she added.<\/p>\n

Fiber intake remains a major gap for many Americans, despite its well-established role in supporting heart health, said Dr. Jeremy London, a cardiothoracic surgeon in Savannah, Georgia.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cFiber is best obtained from whole, minimally processed foods such as beans, lentils, oats, quinoa, fruits, leafy greens and vegetables,\u201d London told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n

3. Whole grains<\/p>\n

These play an important role in heart health, particularly when they replace more heavily processed carbohydrates.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI challenge people to swap out some typical grains for whole grains,\u201d Schmidt said, pointing to bread, rice, pasta and crackers as easy places to start.<\/p>\n

She advised shoppers to ignore front-of-package marketing. Instead, look for the word \u201cwhole\u201d in the ingredient list.<\/p>\n

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London also emphasized whole grains as\u00a0key fiber sources,\u00a0naming oats and quinoa among foods that support digestion and lipid regulation.<\/p>\n

4. Fruits and vegetables<\/p>\n

The experts agreed that fruits and vegetables form the foundation of a heart-healthy diet<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf fruits and vegetables are out of season or too expensive, the next best thing, if not better, is the frozen variety,\u201d Schmidt said.<\/p>\n

Going by what is in season can also help guide choices, Heffron noted.<\/p>\n

\u201cI encourage people to eat seasonally and February is the heart of winter,\u201d he said. \u201cOranges, grapefruit\u00a0and pomelos are full of vitamins and minerals, low in calories and a good source of fiber.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added that cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, kale and other greens share similar benefits.<\/p>\n

5. Nuts and seeds<\/p>\n

Nuts were yet another food category experts consistently recommended.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnother healthy fat would be things like nuts, seeds and avocados,\u201d Schmidt said, noting they provide\u00a0heart-healthy unsaturated fats.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want everyone to have healthy fats in their diet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Heffron encouraged patients to use nuts as a snack swap, recommending unsalted roasted nuts for chips as a way to cut back on sodium and saturated fat.<\/p>\n

6. Lean protein<\/p>\n

Rather than eliminating animal products altogether, experts emphasized choosing leaner, less processed protein sources.<\/p>\n

\u201cShifting grocery choices toward fiber-rich plants and lean proteins like fish, skinless poultry and\u00a0lean cuts of meat\u00a0can meaningfully improve diet quality and reduce disease risk,\u201d London said.<\/p>\n

Heffron shared three simple rules of thumb: Minimize land animals, aim to\u00a0eat a rainbow\u00a0of fruits and vegetables each day, and choose foods grandparents would recognize as real food.<\/p>\n

Overall, he encouraged lasting changes. \u201cA diet is something consumed over a lifetime, not just a short period of time,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With the month of February marking American Heart Month, doctors say improving cardiovascular health doesn\u2019t require an expensive…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":445518,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[61],"tags":[97,24847,146793,269],"class_list":{"0":"post-445517","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-health-food","10":"tag-hearts","11":"tag-nutrition"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/445517","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=445517"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/445517\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/445518"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=445517"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=445517"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=445517"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}