Navigating nutrition for heart health

Could a short diet questionnaire encourage patients to make better food choices and improve heart health? In the past, your health care team had to rely on lengthy surveys to better understand what you were eating. But that's all changed with the Mini-EAT assessment tool.

Dr. Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, a Mayo Clinic cardiologist, explains how this free, relatively new technology is helping patients and healthcare professionals.

Eating habits play a significant role in your health. So how much and what kinds of foods do you eat in a week? Health care professionals often ask these questions during an exam, which can sometimes be tedious.

"Very extensive surveys of 110 questions or 120 questions pretty much asking you about every single food you had," says Dr. Lopez-Jimenez.

Mayo Clinic simplified the process by creating the Mini-EAT assessment tool. It consists of nine dietary-specific questions and takes about two minutes to complete.

"When the person is telling you that he's eating fruits and vegetables every day and avoiding fast food, you know just by having those responses that that person very likely is doing the right thing," says Dr. Lopez-Jimenez.

Being mindful of your diet could help prevent heart disease and high blood pressure.

"Blood pressure might be affected by the quality of our foods, and cholesterol too, which we know leads to heart disease," says Dr. Lopez-Jimenez.

With the Mini-EATS tool, health care professionals will be able to give patients more accurate, individualized information so they can make healthier nutritional choices.

Tribune News Service