Fun, Heart-Healthy Eating
"Healthy" Doesn't Have to Mean Boring
Have you been motivated by National Heart Month (February) to change your eating habits? With the proven link between diet and heart disease, we all have to think more about how we’re preparing our food and what we’re putting on our plates. SignUp is here to get you going in the right direction – we’ve got some great suggestions for fun ways to shift to healthy eating habits.
Fun Ways to Eat Heart-Healthy
Eating heart-healthy doesn’t mean boring, and shifting to a heart-healthy diet doesn’t have to be difficult. Make it fun! Here are some ideas to spark your imagination. (Pro Tip: As the Covid pandemic persists, keep gatherings small and limited to family and close friends – and/or turn them into virtual events to keep everyone safe. Be sure to check out your local government's website or the CDC's site for the latest guidelines.)
1. Kick off your healthy eating habit by researching heart-healthy alternatives of your favorite indulgent dishes and picking a date for a taste-testing potluck. Check out popular recipes for cauliflower-and-cheese (instead of mac and cheese) or host Taco Tuesday with a meat-free filling and non-fried shells. Set up a free, online SignUp to invite friends to each make a new heart-healthy dish and to join you for a deliciously good time.
2. Throw a dark chocolate-dipped party. (Yes, we said chocolate! Dark chocolate has a number of heart health benefits.) Cut up a variety of fruits like strawberries, apples, oranges, bananas and pineapples to serve with skewers and melted dark chocolate. Ask your guests to bring other foods that they think would also be yummy dipped. (This could get interesting!)
3. Engage everyone in the family in healthy menu planning. Make flashcards with heart-healthy foods and recipes and work as family to puzzle together a healthy menu for the week ahead.
4. For you power-planning moms and dads, think about healthier alternatives for the foods involved in your events. Consider swapping out the hot dog eating contest or the cake walk for a home-grown vegetable contest or a carrot-eating contest at the next community or school carnival. (Can you imagine the kids trying to chomp down multiple carrots in a given amount of time (bunny ears optional)?! LOL)
5. Gather your family and friends and have a Snack Round-Up. Read all the labels on cereals and snack foods in your pantry and refrigerator and eliminate those high in starch, sugar and saturated fats. Look up healthy snacking options, store them in snack-size portions in the fridge and on a prominent shelf in your pantry.
20 Heart-Healthy Foods
As a first step, it’s good to learn which foods are considered heart-healthy and to start thinking about how to incorporate them into your diet. Here are some of the top foods that help keep our hearts in tip-top shape.
Leafy green veggies (Popeye knew what he was doing!)
Red, yellow and orange veggies (Think sweet potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, bell peppers, squash, etc.)
Whole grains
Berries
Fruit (Avocado, oranges, grapefruits, cantaloupe, and papaya are some of the best.)
Chili peppers
Fatty fish and fish oil (Salmon and tuna, specifically.)
Nuts (Walnuts and almonds are the best.)
Beans (Remember that old schoolyard chant? “Beans, beans - good for your heart!”)
Brown rice
Seeds (chia, flax, hemp)
Oats
Garlic
Olive oil
Edamame
Tofu
Soy milk
Green tea
Dark chocolate
Red wine (A 4 oz. glass a day keeps high cholesterol at bay!)
Heart-healthy doesn’t have to mean bland. Spice it up! Here is one of our favorite sites - Low Carb Africa - that provides healthy, easy-to-make, DELICIOUS foods that will motivate you to stay on track.
