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Here are the top myths Centegra dietitians hear from patients and the most current heart-healthy recommendations.

Don’t eat eggs (or shrimp or shellfish)

Patients are always excited to learn they can eat eggs. When looking at cholesterol levels, it’s the LDL (bad) cholesterol to keep low and the HDL (good) cholesterol to keep high. The types of dietary fat selected are the most important factors affecting these numbers, not the amount of dietary cholesterol found in foods. The current cholesterol recommendation is less than 300mg per day and the average large egg contains about 185mg. The American Heart Association states that an egg a day fits into a healthy lifestyle. Eggs (yolks) are a good source of vitamin D and contain high-quality protein. Shellfish is very low in fat, just don’t fry it or add a lot of additional fat.

If you don’t use the salt shaker, your intake of sodium is low

The average American intake from sodium is 4,200mg per day. The recommended daily intake is 1,500mg per day for adults older than 51 years, African-Americans, people with high blood pressure, diabetes or kidney disease. Everyone else is allotted 2,300mg per day. Most of the sodium we consume comes from convenience foods like canned soup, lunch meat, cheese, boxed items and dining out. Choose reduced-sodium foods when possible and keep a sodium journal to tally your day’s intake.

Take a fish supplement if you don’t eat fish

Fish oil supplements may be beneficial, however most people don’t understand the correct amount of fish oils to take or what to analyze on a bottle of fish oil. Go to page 8 on the American Heart Association journal and see if you’re a candidate for taking fish oils. If so, there are specific amounts to take based on your condition. When you look at the fish oil bottle, look specifically for how much EPA and DHA it contains. These are the two components you add together to get your correct dosage. If EPA or DHA are not listed, or are very low, then select another brand. As always, check with your physician before taking any new supplements. They also may recommend prescription-strength fish oil supplements.

You have to switch to eating turkey bacon

Pick up a package of turkey bacon and a package of center-cut bacon and compare the two. For example, the fat content of a well-known brand of turkey bacon is 3 grams versus 3.5 grams in the well-known brand of pork bacon. Saturated fat is 1 gram versus 1.5 grams and sodium is 180 milligrams versus 210 milligrams for the same serving size. So yes, the turkey bacon is a half gram better for you in total fat and saturated fat and 30 milligrams better in sodium. However, these differences are negligible. If you love pork bacon and dislike the taste and texture of turkey bacon, there’s no need to switch. Limit your portion size and enjoy the center-cut bacon.

Eat butter instead of margarine or eat margarine instead of butter

The life-long battle between butter and margarine continues. No matter your preference: don’t use stick margarine. It is loaded with bad-for-you trans fats. Bake with butter instead (since tub margarine contains too much water and typically doesn’t produce an acceptable product). When it comes to what you want to spread on toast, ask yourself how much and how often you use it. If you’re not using much and not very often and really prefer the taste of butter, then go ahead and enjoy butter. Yes, butter contains saturated fat, but again, it’s about how much you use. If you’re using a spread on a daily basis, then you’ll want to use an unsaturated margarine spread. To learn more about fats, visit the American Heart Association’s website.

Source: Top Five Cardiac Nutrition Myths Debunked – Centegra Health System

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