They didn’t stop at the cakes or the donuts. They passed right on by the Twizzlers, skipped the soda and ignored the Zesty Taco Doritos.

Instead, they focused on other foods that can be beneficial to heart health.

Austin Hy-Vee hosted a healthy heart event Wednesday, complete with a tour to identify products that may help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease.

“You have to take care of yourself so you’ll have a better quality of life,” said Jen Haugen, Hy-Vee dietician, who led the tour.

Haugen leads a variety of themed tours each month and focused on heart health this week in honor of February being American Heart Month.

Throughout the hour-long event, shoppers were told six key items that can help take care of their heart, all of which were complemented with product examples from Haugen.

The six items include: plant sterols, flax seed, soy, nuts, soluble fiber and seafood.

Plant sterols

Haugen said plant sterols can help reduce cholesterol and are found in products such as Corazona’s heart healthy slightly salted chips, Minute Maid Orange Juice and Benecol butter-like spread.

Flax seed

Flax seed may help lower cholesterol and has been linked to preventing heart disease. Products include types of granola and apple sauce.

Audrey Hallum of Austin sampled some granola that was made with flax seed, cinnamon and  other unique ingredients.

“It was really good,” she said. “The pumpkin seeds were special.”

Soy

Eating soy has been linked to reducing heart disease and to lowering cholesterol. Products range from cheese to yogurt to milk.

“One to three sources of soy in your daily intake is very heart healthy,” Haugen said. “Soy milk is a great source of soy.”

Nuts

Haugen said the best related heart-health nuts are walnuts and almonds. She warns, though, to watch how much you eat, as a serving is about a quarter of a cup.

“Eat more nuts as a heart healthy measure and as a weight-control measure,” she said.

Soluble fiber

Ten to 15 grams of soluble fiber can help reduce cholesterol seven to 10 percent.

One good source of soluble fiber is oatmeal, and Haugen recommends the old fashioned kind, not the flavored stuff in the packets.

“The soluble fiber is important because it latches on to cholesterol and acts like a sponge,” Haugen said.

Other good sources of soluble fiber include broccoli, carrots and blackberries.

Seafood

“Everybody should be eating it twice a week for heart protection,” Haugen said. “Eating a plethora of seafood is very beneficial.”

At the end of the tour, Hallum said she enjoyed it and appreciated the information.

“It’s something you wish you knew more,” she said, whose favorite food is an avocado.

For more Hy-Vee tour information, www.hy-vee.com.