Heart Healthy Recipes
Author: Hannah Hall, Challenge America Program Coordinator
Your diet can have a large impact on your heart health. What you eat, how much you eat and how it is prepared all have an impact on your heart and overall health. In addition to sharing some yummy, heart healthy recipes, this post is also going to go over some tips to keep your heart happy when it comes to food. 😀
Here are some tips to keep your heart healthy through your diet:
Portion Control - My mom always used to tell me “remember your eyes are bigger than your stomach!” It is common, especially in America, to eat more than we really need. Whether it’s because it tastes so good, or because “I was taught to eat everything I was given!”, we often eat too much. Try to lessen your portions and even use a measuring cup or scale to measure until you get comfortable. They also make pre-portioned plates and containers that make it easier to portion your food out.
Eat more fruits and vegetables - This seems like a no brainer, but it’s definitely easier said than done! Fruits and vegetables are a great source of natural vitamins and minerals. You can incorporate them into your diet easily by making sure you always have fresh fruits and vegetables portioned out for snacks, putting them on your counter to make them visible and try adding fruit to your salad for extra nutrients!
Plan Ahead - Try planning out your meals to help you get more nutrition! Planning out meals can help you avoid eating fast food, get more nutrients and help you budget by knowing exactly how much things will cost!
Limit your sodium - Healthy adults don’t have more than about a teaspoon of salt a day (2300 milligrams). This one can be difficult because oftentimes, there is a lot of sodium in processed meals, or ready-to-eat meals, which are very convenient!
Treat Yourself - It’s all about balance! It's perfectly okay to get ice cream or have a cookie every once in a while.
Here is a list of Heart Healthy recipes! This list includes side dishes, main courses and some smoothies!
