This post is sponsored by United Supermarkets.

This week, Brenda Garcia, corporate dietician for the United Family, came into the radio station to talk about something that's near and dear to her heart...no pun intended.

 

"February is American Heart Month, and the reason I want to keep talking about it is because nearly half of all U.S. adults have some type of cardiovascular disease," Garcia said. "This year, the American Heart Association wants to raise awareness that one in three women are diagnosed with heart disease annually."

That's a lot of men and women suffering from a disease that actually can be prevented, Garcia noted.

"Often, [heart disease] can be preventable with a healthy lifestyle. That means no smoking, exercising and eating a healthy diet," Garcia said. "But that's where it gets kind of confusing. What does that mean, 'a healthy diet'? There's lots of interpretation."

There are a few tips that are not up for interpretation, however.

"One is to cut the salt and watch the salt," Garcia said. It's easy to not add salt to your food, but she noted that often salt is already added. So even if you don't pile on more salt, your meal could already have a lot on it. One way to avoid highly-salted foods while shopping at United Supermarkets is to look for the special low-sodium health tags found at the bottom of price tags. Those tags can help steer you toward food that is healthier and contains less salt.

Fish is a great choice, too.

"Omega 3s are always popular, and salmon is kind of the star of the show," Garcia said. Thankfully, for folks buying salmon or other seafood, United Supermarkets can actually steam and season seafood before you buy it to help control your sodium intake, she explained.

United Supermarkets' HappyAndNourished.com has more low-sodium recipes and other tips for keeping your heart beating right, so head over there now.

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