Grocery Shopping With A Lot Of “Heart” (NAPSA)—There’s good news for women whoare trying to balance concerns about nutrition with a busylifestyle. Trying to make every minute count, even when shoppingfor groceries, is not always easy. A recent study indicates that the average consumer spends about 47 min- utes in a grocery store, pertrip. That doesn’t always allow a lot of time to check labels for nutritional value—and that can be important since research shows that shoppers who read food labels cut about twice the amount of fat from their diet. Cutting saturated fat and cho- lesterol is an important way to fight heart disease—the number one killer of men and women. But many consumers mayfind reading nutrition labels time consuming and confusing. Fortunately, the American Heart Association has a shortcut that helps identify low-fat, low-cholesterol foods quickly andreliably. The association’s Food Certifi- cation Program andits highly vis- ible red and white heart-check mark is on the labels of hundreds of food products. Products bearing the mark are low in saturated fat and cholesterol and can be part of a heart-healthy diet for healthy people over the ageof2. According to Rebecca Mullis, Label reading short-cut makes heart healthy shopping quick and reliable. milligrams), have moderate sodi- um and contain at least 10 percent of the Daily Value of one or more of these naturally occurring nutrients: protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, cal- cium, iron or dietary fiber. Dietary changes based on selecting foods low in saturated fat and cholesterol can lower blood cholesterol by 10 to 15 percent. That, in turn experts believe, can reduce the risk for heart disease by 20 to 30 percent. Mullis also cautions consumers to “keep their eyes on serving size.” Said Mullis, “One of the most important healthy eating habits is to watch the amount you eat. For example, 3 ounces is a Ph.D., head of the University of Georgia’s nutrition department, “The American Heart Association’s heart-check mark is a great way to portion of cooked extra lean meat —that’s about the size of a deck of playing cards.” American Heart Association meet physician or registered dietitian easily find heart-healthy foods.” All products certified by the the organization’s nutrition criteria. That means they are low fat (no more than 3 grams), low saturated fat (no more than 1 gram), low cholesterol (no more than 20 The American Heart Association also advises that if you have a medical condition, contact your about yourdiet. Visit www.americanheart.org, or call 1-800-AHA-USA 1 for a free copy of the “Shop Smart with Heart” brochure.
