- File

What we bring into our homes from the supermarket can make a huge difference in just how healthily we eat. Registered dietitian, Dave Grotto of Elmhurst, Ill, author of 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life, led a tour through the supermarket to help consumers eat healthy.

"A good healthy diet doesn't have to break you," said Grotto. "The battlefront is here and in your homes."

People think shopping the perimeter of the store is the best place to get healthy foods, but Grotto says that is not always the case.

"It may take you down the wrong path," he said. "Look at the deli - there are a lot of great, fresh items, but I don't have a clue what treasures or dangers are hidden inside the deli food. If you have high blood pressure, you don't know the amount of salt or calories in many of the prepared foods. Take spinach dip - a little dab will do you at 110 calories per tablespoon."

Canned foods are ok

Grotto recommends asking the deli manager for the nutrition facts on a product before you purchase it. Some foods not on the perimeter aisles can offer healthy choices, such as canned vegetables and soups.

"The assumption is that unless it's fresh, it's not good for you, but if you look at the literature, there's not a lot of difference nutritionally between fresh, frozen and canned. For canned veggies and beans, you just need to rinse them 30 seconds in a colander before using to reduce the sodium by 50 per cent."

Nearby shelves now offer whole grain pastas and grains, healthy cereals and oatmeal. Whether you buy instant or steel-cut oats, both have the same amount of fibre. The problem comes if the packets have a lot of sugar. "It's much more economical to buy the instant or steel-cut oats in bigger containers and add your own fruit."

Heart-healthy walnuts

Dr Emilio Ros is the lead researcher on walnuts and their protection in heart disease. He is also head of the Lipid Clinic at Hospital Clínico in Barcelona, Spain. He admits that his work on walnuts came by accident. After reading an article 15 years ago about the heart-healthy benefits of walnuts, he contacted the researcher to express his disbelief.

"He challenged me to do the research myself," said Ros from his home in Spain. "That's how I got started."

He is now a believer that an ounce of walnuts a day can protect the body's arteries. His studies include one in October 2006 - published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology - that suggests walnuts, rich in polyunsaturated fats, may protect the body's arteries from the harm associated with eating a meal high in saturated fat.

"Many people forget that walnuts are an important part of the Mediterranean diet, providing numerous health benefits," said Ros. "Walnuts, unlike olive oil and other nuts, contain significant amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids, specifically alpha-linolenic acid, an essential plant-based omega-3. They also provide antioxidants and L-arginine, components identified in past studies as potential nutrients that improve artery function."

In a second study, his team found that the Mediterranean diet may reduce the risks of heart attack and cardiovascular disease by up to 50 per cent. That study was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, also in 2006. In the study, participants who improved their diets with vegetables, legumes, olive oil or walnuts showed lower blood pressure, improved lipid profiles, decreased insulin resistance and reduced concentrations of inflammatory molecules compared with those on a low-fat diet.

Source: www.creators.com