Nourishing Our Minds & Bodies | Nourish Your Heart
Nourishing Our Minds & Bodies
Nourish Your Heart
Featuring: Kara Strum
Sanford Health is a proud partner of BIO Girls. Sanford Health is a remarkable organization dedicated to sharing God’s love through the work of health, healing and comfort. This January, they are focused on the importance of nourishing both our minds and bodies. We are excited to feature insights from Kara Strum, who, in this blog will share her expertise on some key strategies to build heart-healthy habits.
Kara Strum, RD, LRD
Kara Strum is a Pediatric Registered Dietitian at Sanford Health. Kara grew up in small town Ada, MN and attended the University of North Dakota before starting her career as a Registered Dietitian. Kara is passionate about food and nutrition especially in the pediatric population. When she isn’t cooking or baking, she enjoys spending time online shopping, golfing, watching hockey, and nurturing her houseplants. Kara enjoys spending her time with her lovely husband Kody, their cat, Kipper, and dog, Kiba. Kids at heart, both Kody and Kara work in pediatrics. They have lived on both sides of the river but are happily settled into their new home in Moorhead, MN.
Nourish Your Heart
Kara Strum, RD, LRD
There are a variety of ways to incorporate heart healthy eating into your diet. I often meet with children and families who have had an elevated blood lipid panel. There are different types of cholesterol levels such as HDL, LDL, or triglycerides. The good cholesterol in our body is HDL or high-density lipoprotein. Often times being less physically active will lower your good cholesterol.
It is a good idea to try and incorporate heart healthy fats into your diet such as avocado oil or olive oil. Watch out for saturated fats, these are often solid at room temperature. Foods such as butter, whole milk, full fat yogurt and fried foods can be eaten in moderation but are high in saturated fats. Unsaturated fats are heart healthy and can be found in olive oil, avocado oil, avocado, nuts and fish. Omega 3 fatty acids are great for heart health and aim to reduce inflammation in the body. I often recommend a fish oil supplement such as Nordic Naturals to make sure that omega 3 fatty acid needs are met. If able the capsule will be better absorbed compared to gummy options. Liquid options can be flavored and put into your favorite beverage such as a small juice box or flavored water.
Fiber is another factor to increase in your diet. Sources of fiber can be found in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, plain popcorn, etc. Easy ways to increase fiber in your favorite foods are by adding beans to soups, taco meat, or casseroles. Veggies can be added to any food such as mac and cheese, soups, scrambled eggs.
Salt or sodium is another factor to keep in mind regarding heart health. Sodium often increases your blood pressure, causing the heart to work harder to move blood to smaller vessels like fingers and toes. Choose low sodium canned vegetables, beans, deli meats, gravy, seasonings etc. Mrs. Dash is a great sodium free option. Herbs and spices can be incorporated to add flavor to foods without additional sodium. Watch out for added sugars as excess carbohydrates can be converted to adipose tissue or fat. This can cause elevated cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
A great visual guide to follow is MyPlate, where half of the plate is fruits and vegetables, ¼ of the plate is protein foods and ¼ of the plate is whole grains. Dairy options should include low fat varieties. Incorporating a few of these tips and tricks over time will build healthy habits to truly nourish your heart!
