Behind Closed Doors | Is your fridge stocked with these heart-healthy picks?


People who have diabetes or heart disease should eat three yolks a week. Choose egg whites or egg substitutes if you're exceeding these recommendations.


Deli meats

Stock your deli drawer with low-sodium turkey and ham, which are entire pieces of muscle meat, rather than meat mixes, such as bologna and salami.


Meat and seafood

Twice a week, serve up salmon, tuna or mackerel. On other days, lean cuts of beef, pork tenderloin and skinless chicken are good choices. The recommended portion is 3 ounces, about the size of a deck of cards.



Keep water and nonfat or low-fat milk within easy reach. Skip sugar-sweetened beverages such as soda and sports, energy and fruit drinks. If you drink juice, make it 100 percent fruit juice. And eating the whole fruit instead of juice is even better.



Along with milk, nonfat and low-fat yogurt and cheese are better for your heart than their full-fat counterparts. Good choices are part-skim mozzarella, nonfat cottage cheese and string cheese.


Fruits and vegetables

Keep those drawers well-stocked. The American Heart Association recommends four to five cups of produce a day. Varied, vibrant colors are more rich in healthy phytonutrients.


The cardiac rehab program, located at Parrish Health & Fitness Center, helps heart patients get back on their feet towards good health through regulated exercise and educational classes. Helping cardiac patients get into better physical condition is an important aspect of the program, but the cardiac rehab care partners know they must also heal the mind and the spirit along with the body in order to be successful.

Many cardiac patients have never been taught how to eat the right kinds of food or even how to read a food label. So how are they expected to suddenly comply with a new, more restricted diet?

PMC care partners lead grocery store tours at the Garden Street Publix each month. They work with each person to review their personal meal plan and the calories prescribed each day for them. They teach them to read food labels, and compare healthy food choices to poor food choices. And, maybe most important, they help them with meal planning, so the patients do not have to try to figure it out all on their own.

For more information on tours please call 321-268-6726 (space is limited)