If you want to eat a heart-healthy diet but are not sure what staples you should keep in your home, check out this heart-healthy kitchen essentials guide. With the help of this guide, you can start stocking up on nutritious foods to help you reduce your risk of heart disease.
Fresh fruits and vegetables
- Fresh seasonal fruits—These include berries, oranges, apples, pears, bananas, mangoes, and grapes.
- Dried fruits—Some of these are raisins, dried cranberries, dates, and dried apricots.
- Fresh seasonal vegetables—Among these choices are yellow, green, and red bell peppers; cucumbers; broccoli; kale; escarole; cauliflower; tomatoes; dark leafy greens; celery; eggplant; zucchini; yellow squash; acorn squash; spaghetti squash; and many others.
Dairy and dairy alternatives
- Skim or 1% milk
- Soy milk (plain, unsweetened, vanilla, or chocolate)
- Low-fat or non-fat buttermilk
- Non-fat half and half or non-fat creamers
- Non-fat or reduced-fat cheese (bricks, slices, or shredded)
- Soy-based cheeses (bricks, slices, or shredded)
- Non-fat or light cream cheese
- Non-fat or 1% fat cottage cheese or ricotta cheese
- Non-fat or 1% fat yogurt (includes fruited, vanilla, or plain)
- Soy-based yogurts
- Non-fat sour cream
- Egg substitutes, egg whites
Fats, cooking oils
- Assorted raw nuts and seeds (almonds, walnuts, peanuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds)
- Whole or ground flax-seeds
- Assorted cooking oils (olive, canola, walnut, grape-seed, peanut, and sesame)
- Non-fat cooking sprays (e.g. Spectrum Naturals, PAM)
- Baking fat replacements (e.g. pureed prunes, applesauce, or Smucker’s Healthy Bake)
- Non-hydrogenated shortening (e.g. Spectrum Naturals)
- Trans-free liquid or tub margarine (e.g. Take Control, Benecol, Fleishmann’s Light, Smart Balance)
- Reduced fat or non-fat salad dressings
Herbs, seasonings and spices
Leave the salt container on the counter top. Here are some fabulous seasonings that everyone should stock in their kitchens:
- Allspice, basil, bay leaves, black pepper, caraway seeds, cayenne and chili powder
- Chinese five-spice, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, and curry powder
- Dill, garlic powder, ground ginger, Italian seasoning, marjoram, and mint
- Nutmeg, onion powder, oregano, paprika, and parsley
- Red pepper flakes, rosemary, and reduced-sodium soy sauce
- Assorted sodium-free Mrs. Dash seasonings
Sweeteners
- Splenda, Equal, Nutra Sweet, Sugar Twin, and/or Brown Sugar Twin (sugar substitutes)
- Sugar-free or "light" maple syrups
- Honey
- Brown rice syrup for a sweetening alternative to use when baking
Pantry essentials
- Dried beans (lentils, split peas, garbanzo beans, black beans)
- Assorted canned beans such as lentils, kidney, garbanzo, pinto, and black beans (Note: Choose low- or reduced-sodium if you have high blood pressure.)
- Reduced-sodium soups with beans (e.g. Health Valley)
- Vegetarian chili beans (e.g. Westbrae Naturals or Health Valley)
- Vegetarian or non-fat re-fried beans
- Rolled, steel cut, or Irish oats
- Oat bran
- Whole-grain cold cereals (Note: Choose cereals that contain 5 or more grams of dietary fiber and fewer than 8 grams of sugar per serving.)
- Barley
- Brown rice, wild rice, and/or brown basmati rice
- Grains such as wheat berries, couscous, polenta, millet, bulgur, or quinoa (pronounced keen-wa)
- Whole wheat, spelt, or kamut pastas (Note: These whole grain pastas come in bow-tie, fettuccine, lasagna, spaghetti, fusilli, spiral, elbow macaroni, and ravioli varieties.)
- Baking potatoes, red potatoes, and sweet potatoes
- Whole grain breads, tortillas, pitas
- Whole grain, trans-fat free crackers (such as Health Valley whole wheat crackers, Kashi TLC crackers, Reduced Fat Triscuits, Fat-Free Rye Crisp, Wasa)
- Baked, trans-fat-free tortilla chips
- Brown rice cakes, popcorn cakes
- Whole grain pretzels (such as Snyder’s oat bran or honey wheat)
- Plain popcorn or light (98% fat free) microwave popcorn
- Wheat germ
- Whole-wheat flour and whole-wheat pastry flour
- Soy flour
- Cornmeal
- Reduced-sodium canned diced tomatoes, whole tomatoes and tomato sauce
- Tomato paste
- Low-fat or fat-free pasta sauce
- Reduced-sodium soups
- Reduced sodium chicken, beef, and vegetable broths
- 98% fat-free cream of mushroom or chicken soups (e.g. Campbell’s Healthy Request)
- Assorted vinegars: rice, red wine, balsamic, apple cider, raspberry
Frozen foods
- Frozen vegetables and vegetable blends without added sauces, gravies, and added sodium
- Frozen fruits without added sugar (e.g. frozen blueberries, strawberries, or raspberries)
- Frozen soybeans (edamame)
- Frozen meatless burgers, ground meat, sausage patties or links (e.g. Boca, Yves, Morningstar Farms or Gardenburger)
- Reduced fat and sodium frozen entrees like Lean Cuisine, Smart Ones, or Healthy Choice (Note: These products should be used sparingly.)
- Reduced-fat and sodium vegetarian chili, burritos, and entrees (These include Amy’s Organic and Health Valley.)
- Whole grain breads, tortillas, and pitas
Condiments
- Reduced-sodium ketchup
- Assorted mustards: whole grain, honey, Dijon, yellow
- Reduced-sodium soy sauce
- Reduced-fat or non-fat mayonnaise
- Barbecue sauce
Meat, poultry, fish, and meat substitutes
- Skinless, boneless chicken or turkey breasts and tenders
- Skinless, white breast meat ground chicken or turkey
- Pork tenderloin, trimmed of fat
- Lean ground beef such as ground round or ground sirloin (Note: When buying beef, look for words like "round" or "loin" and choose lean cuts—the less marbling, the lower the fat content.)
- Assorted fish: salmon, mackerel, tilapia, trout, herring, and tuna
- Tofu – silken, firm, or extra firm
- Tempeh
- Seitan
Stocking your cupboard with these heart-healthy items will encourage you and your family members to eat more heart-healthfully. Having these items on-hand will also make menu and meal preparation a snap.
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This information is provided by the Cleveland Clinic and is not intended to replace the medical advice of your doctor or health care provider. Please consult your health care provider for advice about a specific medical condition. This document was last reviewed on: 10/25/2004...#11916
