If you prepare most of your meals at home, creating a heart healthy diet begins at the grocery store. Stock your kitchen cupboards with the right foods and the decision about what to eat each day becomes easier. Here is a rundown of foods to put on your weekly grocery list:

Fruits and Vegetables

It’s been shown over and over that eating lots of fruits and vegetables protects against diseases like heart disease and helps us to live longer. Stock up on produce every time you shop to reach the goal of eating five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day. What are the best fruits and vegetables for heart health? There are lots of claims and reports from groups trying to sell more of one type of produce. But the key is variety. Choose your favorites each week but also choose at least one new item to try.

But don’t let those fruits and vegetables go to waste because you forget about them or don’t find the time to use them before they get rotten. Have a plan for using the produce in recipes or as snacks within a few days of bringing them home. Fruits and vegetables don’t help your heart if they turn to slime in the refrigerator. But if you haven’t had a chance to prepare the produce in time, there is still hope. Most soups and stews can stand off-recipe vegetable additions. Or, make a vegetable or meat broth using leftover veggies. When it comes to fruit, most types do well in the freezer if the ‘best-by-date’ is getting close to expiration. Use the frozen fruit in smoothies and in baked goods.

Frozen vegetables are a good substitute if you can’t find the time to use fresh produce before it goes bad. The nutrition is often locked into frozen veggies and they make eating healthy meals quick and convenient.

Bread and Cereal

Whole grains are key to heart healthy breads and cereals. Eating more whole grains and fewer refined grains (like white bread) is a heart healthy habit and can reduce your risk of heart disease. Breads and cereals made using whole grains and whole grain flours have more fiber and nutrients than those using refined grains.

For an everyday bread, choose whole wheat sandwich bread. Finding a healthy whole grain breakfast cereal is a little harder. Many use refined wheat flour. Single grain cereals like oatmeal are a heart healthy choice. If you prefer ready-to-eat cereal from a box, read the ingredient listing for whole grains like whole wheat flour, oats and barley.

Fish

Eating fish two or more times per week is recommended by the American Heart Association. The reason is that fish provides omega-3 fatty acids which are linked to fewer heart attacks and overall heart health. Fish with the most omega-3 fatty acids include salmon, tuna, herring and mackerel.
Lean Meat, Dairy and Cheese

Meat and other animal products like milk and cheese can be part of a heart healthy diet. Be sure to choose versions that are lowest in saturated fat like most chicken, pork and lean cuts of beef, and low fat, reduced fat or fat free milk. Reduced fat and fat free cheeses are available. If the taste and texture is not for you, simply eat cheese less often.

Choose processed meats like sausage, bacon and high fat cuts of beef less often due to high levels of saturated fat.

Sodium high meats are known to contribute to high blood pressure. People with certain heart conditions need to restrict sodium intake as well. Many deli meats are high in sodium as is bacon.

Other Heart Healthy Staples

In addition to fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish and lean proteins, a few other food round out a heart healthy kitchen.

Beans are packed with protein, fiber and nutrients making them one of the most nutritionally complete foods. Bagged beans are usually cheapest and usually have no added ingredients. If you buy canned beans, be careful not to overload on sodium which is often added for flavor.

Nuts and seeds, like beans, are also high in protein, fiber and several nutrients. Unlike beans, though, most nuts are high in fat. However, enjoying nuts and seeds in moderation is heart healthy because most of the fat is healthy unsaturated fat and helps maintain a healthy heart diet.

Snacks and Packaged Foods

The healthiest kitchen stocks basic whole foods like those mentioned above. Processed foods like salty snacks, packaged meals and caloric drinks may be tasty and convenient, but it’s best to go easy on these foods.

The number one killer of both men and women in the United States is cardiovascular disease (CVD). One CVD that affects Americans daily and kills more Americans than any other is coronary heart disease.

The FDA authorized the use of health claims about the role of soy foods in reducing the risk of coronary heart disease on labeling of foods containing soy protein in October, 1999. Scientific studies show that a daily diet containing at least 25 grams of soy protein can lower cholesterol.

One such study conducted on 5,000 men and women living in Japan showed that those with the highest soy intake had the lowest cholesterol levels. Other studies have shown that cholesterol can be reduced as much as 9% with the intake of 30-40 grams of soy protein in place of daily animal protein.

Eastern countries have benefited for centuries from the diet of soy foods. Many studies have been done on the relationship between Asian populations who routinely eat soy foods (up to 55 grams per day) and their low heart disease rates. Typical Western diets usually contain only around 5 grams of soy protein. Also, Americans tend to eat diets high in animal protein and fats while the culinary diets of Eastern countries are just the opposite.

So, what’s in soy that’s so great? Or better yet, what’s not in soy that’s so great? First, soy and most soy products are very low in fat, and soy contains no cholesterol. Couple that with the fact that soy contains high fiber and high protein, and you have one of the best foods you can eat.

Let’s take fiber for instance; most Americans think of roughage when they hear the word fiber. That’s true, but there are many fibrous foods, including soy, that can also be digested, unlike roughage or insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber, like that found in soybeans, has been proven to reduce triglyceride levels.

As many vegetarians and vegans know, soy products are an excellent source of protein. Because non-meat eaters usually find themselves looking for high protein foods, soy products have long been a staple in their diet. In fact, soybeans are higher in protein than any other legume and most other plant foods. About 35% of all the calories in soybeans are proteins. These plant proteins have also been proven to help lower blood cholesterol levels. Studies have shown that eating soy products high in proteins can also increase HDL; the good cholesterol in the blood.

The fats in soybeans are mostly polyunsaturated, such as Omega-3 fatty acids found in soybeans and soy products. These polyunsaturated fats have been proven to reduce risks of cancer as well as heart disease. Other studies have shown that soybeans are rich in B-vitamins; one such B-vitamin is folacin. Many people who do not get enough of folacin in their diets may be at risk for heart disease.

The relationship between heart disease and soy products continues to be studied throughout the world. Thankfully, the FDA and other professional organizations have seen the benefits that soy foods can have on a healthy heart.