Your food choices greatly impact the health of your heart. Whether your doctor recommended a heart-healthy diet due to a diagnosis of coronary heart disease, congestive heart failure, heart arrhythmias, or hypertension, or you’re just feeling ready to eat with heart health in mind, trying to make the right food choices day after day can feel overwhelming. There are a variety of nutrients to consider when you’re looking for heart-healthy recipes. But let’s try to simplify the process a bit.
In general, when you’re considering whether a dish will work for your needs, the first step is to review the recipe’s ingredient list to make sure it contains whole foods rather than processed items, which can contain preservatives, higher levels of sodium, sugar, and saturated fat, and lack some of the vitamins, minerals, and fiber found in whole foods. Second, keep an eye out for ingredients that aren’t called salt but still add sodium to the dish, including soy sauce, miso, or achiote paste. Third, identify ingredients that increase added sugars, such as maple syrup, honey, or agave nectar. You don’t need to avoid these ingredients entirely, but I guide my clients to make sure these sources of salt and sugar are used in small amounts. Finally, look at the source of fat used in the recipe. The key here is to find unsaturated fats: nuts, seeds, avocado, and olive oil. Food full of saturated fats, such as red meats, full-fat dairy, and poultry skin are the ones to avoid or eat less often when you’re eating with heart health in mind.
For this recipe collection, I did the work for you, using nutrition analysis software to ensure each recipe falls within heart-healthy guidelines for a meal. Each recipe contains no more than 700 mg of sodium per serving, no more than 6g of saturated fat per serving, and has 0g of trans fat per serving. In addition, many of these recipes are good sources of fiber and potassium, which are nutrients associated with a decrease in heart disease risk. You’ll find lots of easy-to-prepare—and totally delicious—meal choices in this collection. Before you start cooking, discuss these recipes with your health care provider to make sure they are appropriate for your specific heart condition.—Meghan Goodman, MS, RDN, CDCES, CDN
