Boost Your Heart Health with Easy Fiber Tips

Heart disease is on the rise, and by 2050, 60% of Americans could be affected. But there’s good news: you can take control of your heart health by focusing on what you add to your diet, not just what you cut out! Join Lisa Fligor, a Wellness Dietitian at Tahoe Forest Health System, as she shares practical tips on boosting your fiber intake for a healthier heart. Lisa discusses simple ways to incorporate high-fiber foods, like chia seeds, whole grains, and beans, into your meals without a drastic diet change.

Learn how easy tweaks, like checking food labels for fiber content and adding beans as a side, can help lower cholesterol and support heart health. Ready to get started? For personalized nutrition guidance, reach out to our Tahoe Forest dietitians for support tailored to you.

Hi, I’m Lisa. I’m a registered dietitian nutritionist with Tahoe Forest Hospital, and I also support the cardiac rehab program. I want to talk to you about heart disease today.

The American Heart Association recently came out with a prediction that by 2050 over 60% of Americans will be dealing with heart disease in some form. When we talk about heart disease or having a heart attack, most people think of foods that they need to restrict or cut out of their diet. There are some foods that increase their risk for heart disease, but I really like to turn the table and think about what are some healthy foods we can add into our diet.

Fiber is the number one nutrient that I encourage people to increase in their diet. Statistics show that most Americans don’t reach the recommended amount of 25 grams a day. We specifically want soluble fiber. That’s kind of that stickiness that happens if you let a bowl of oatmeal sit too long.

I have some easy, quick tips for you to increase fiber in your diet. The first one would be to include more chia seeds. This is kind of an unusual food, but it packs a big punch. For just 2 tablespoons of chia seeds, you get over 8 grams of fiber. So again, we’re increasing fiber without really changing much in our diet. You can throw chia seeds on top of a salad, into smoothies, on your cereal. You can even make some tapioca-like pudding with chia seeds.

My next tip is to read your food labels. Any product that comes from grains, especially bread, rice, crackers, cereals, things like that, I really want to make sure you have at least 3 grams of fiber per serving. You can glance at the nutrition facts label, and dietary fiber is always found on there.

My next tip is to include more beans or legumes. A lot of people have a hard time digesting beans. You don’t have to go for the huge cup of bean soup, but you can start by just adding a couple scoops to your salad or as a side dish. A little bit goes a long way with legumes, so start adding them as a side to every meal.

If you want more support in lowering your cholesterol or just improving your heart health, give us a call at Tahoe Forest. We have dietitians that will help individualize recommendations and make it really practical for you.

Breaking the Cycle of Late-Night Snacking

Are you often reaching for snacks late at night without even realizing it? Lisa Fligor, Wellness Dietitian at Tahoe Forest Health System, dives into the common habit of mindless evening snacking and what may be driving it. Lisa shares key questions to help you determine whether you’re actually hungry or just seeking comfort from stress, boredom, or fatigue. She suggests practical ways to tune into your hunger cues, like asking yourself if a balanced meal, such as chicken and rice, would be just as appealing as that bag of chips. If not, it might be time to address underlying feelings with healthier actions, like a quick walk or a chat with a friend.

Lisa’s tips also include nutritious snack ideas and the benefits of a good night’s sleep to curb the desire for empty calories. Want more personalized support? Reach out to our registered dietitians at Tahoe Forest Health System to start building healthier habits.

Hi, I’m Lisa. I’m a registered dietitian nutritionist at Tahoe Forest Hospital, and I have a question for everyone today. Do you regularly find yourself grabbing snacks and treats in the evening, mindlessly eating? We all know you can’t eat just one.

I regularly have people ask me what they can do about it, and I have a few tips for you. A couple questions I want you to think about. I want you to get really curious about what’s going on.

The first question is, did you eat enough during the day? Often we find ourselves running out of the house and skipping breakfast. Work’s too important during the day to stop for lunch. We get home at night, maybe eat a healthy dinner, but by 9:00 again we’re hungry, because we really haven’t fueled enough during the day. At 9:00 at night though, I don’t have the energy to make a salad.

The next question I want to ask is, are you actually hungry? Maybe you are feeling well during the day and something else is going on. So checking in with yourself when you find yourself wandering into the pantry, opening that freezer drawer. Am I really hungry, or maybe I’m feeling tired, stressed, bored, anxious, like I need a reward because I survived my day?

One thing that helps me determine if I’m hungry or not is if someone was going to take away that bag of chips from me and replace it with, say, a plate of chicken and rice and broccoli, would I still eat it? If the answer is yes, I want you to feed yourself some healthy food. I love the idea of a protein-carb combo snack at night, like Greek yogurt and fruit.

If the answer is no, then maybe we need to dig a little bit deeper about what’s going on. Maybe we’re feeling anxious, and going for a walk, or calling a friend, or taking some deep breaths will actually help. Food can temporarily make us feel good, but in the long run, most of us can relate to how it actually makes us feel worse.

Maybe you’re actually feeling really tired and exhausted from the day. What would it feel like to go to bed early and get a good night’s sleep? That would actually make a difference.

If you want to get curious about your relationship with food, I really encourage you to reach out to our registered dietitians at Tahoe Forest Hospital so that we can support you.