Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Some risk factors for heart disease you cannot control, like your age or family history. Others you can, like your diet and lifestyle. Did you know that the science behind Guiding Stars aligns with many diet recommendations from the American Heart Association? Shopping with the stars is a simple way to shift towards a more heart-healthy diet.
Guiding Stars is a resource you can trust to navigate you through the supermarket.
Whether in person or online, shop with the stars to move towards the more nutritious foods you need to meet your heart-healthy goals. Foods and beverages with one, two, or three Guiding Stars have more fiber, whole grains, omega-3s, vitamins, and minerals. They have less saturated and trans fat, cholesterol, added sodium, added sugars, and artificial colors. The more stars a choice earns, the more nutritious it is. As you shop for heart-healthy foods, look for those that earn one, two, or three Guiding Stars as the foundation of your diet.
Let’s discuss two key diet recommendations from the American Heart Association and how they align with Guiding Stars’ approach to nutrition guidance.
Eat a variety of nutritious foods from all the food groups.
Guiding Stars does not rank foods as “good” or “bad.” Simply stated, foods with stars deliver more nutrients per calorie or more “bang for your buck.” Eating more nutrient-dense foods is important for almost everyone. It’s especially valuable for individuals focused on controlling their weight, cholesterol, and blood pressure. The overall pattern of choices in a diet is most important in terms of health. Guiding Stars is a shopping partner that can guide you towards more nutritious choices within what you’re able to eat and interested in eating.
Eat less of the nutrient-poor foods.
Diets high in saturated fats, trans fat, and cholesterol have been linked to heart disease and related conditions, such as atherosclerosis. Also, too much sodium in the diet can raise blood pressure. These are among the nutrients we consider in the Guiding Stars algorithm. Foods that earn Guiding Stars have less of these nutrients to limit. They have more heart-healthy nutrients to encourage like vitamins, minerals, fiber, whole grains and Omega-3s.
Follow heart-healthy lifestyle recommendations.
Other factors including portion size, food preparation techniques, variety, balance, fitness, weight, and health status all help to define an individual’s heart-healthy diet and lifestyle. However, small progressive changes toward your bigger heart-healthy lifestyle goals is best. Guiding Stars is here to help. After all, your shopping cart should reflect what you want your diet to look like. If you fill your cart with foods that match your diet goals, then your kitchen will be aligned with them too. A heart-healthy home kitchen begins with heart-healthy shopping. And with Guiding Stars it’s as simple as 1, 2, 3.