I just had a personal experience with an affair of the heart. It was shocking, depressing and just plain scary. I am not talking about a “love” affair of the heart, I am talking about an “attack” of the heart.
My husband had a heart attack. It was a shock. But, he admits that there were several factors leading up to the heart attack: Obesity, poor eating habits, high blood pressure, lack of exercise, and high stress.
In his case he was blessed, this heart attack was mild, but at the same time a strong warning. He is now working out, using methods to decrease the impact of stress on his body, and eating heart-healthy. Oh and did I mention, listening to his live-in Holistic Health Coach…Me!
Eating heart-healthy is really not that hard. Eating heart-healthy does mean not always indulging in some of our guilty pleasures that you “know” are not good for you.
Indulging in a constant stream of high fat, high salt, high carb, is not showing your heart love. Eating foods that are low in fat, low in salt, not fried and prepared in a healthy way is a great way to show your heart love.
It is especially important to eat heart-healthy after 40. For women, heart disease is the number one killer!
Here are some important statistics from the American Heart Association :
- In 2012, 56 percent of women identified heart disease as the leading cause of death compared with 30 percent in 1997.
- In 1997, women were more likely to cite cancer than heart disease as the leading killer (35 percent versus 30 percent); but in 2012, only 24 percent cited cancer.
- In 2012, 36 percent of black women and 34 percent of Hispanic women identified heart disease as the top killer – awareness levels that white women had in 1997 (33 percent).
- Women 25-34 years old had the lowest awareness rate of any age group at 44 percent.
It is important for you to take charge of your life and eat heart-healthy. There are some great recipes that are heart-healthy and are easy to make.
The recipes below are from the Food Network and I totally love them. I found all of them easy to cook and very tasty. Enjoy! Start a “love affair” with your heart today and prepare one of these tasty recipes.
3 Delicious Heart-Healthy Recipes
1. Heart-Healthy Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 12 cups water
- 1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed
- 5 pickling cucumbers, peeled, ends trimmed, and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
- 1 small red onion, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
- 1 large tomato, cored, seeded, and diced
- 1 bunch Italian parsley leaves, chopped
- 2 bunches mint leaves, chopped
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 4 heads endive, trimmed and separated into individual spears
- 1 avocado, peeled, seeded and diced, for garnish
Directions
- Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan.
- Add the quinoa, stir once, and return to a boil.
- Cook uncovered, over medium heat for 12 minutes.
- Strain and rinse well with cold water, shaking the sieve well to remove all moisture.
- When dry, transfer the quinoa to a large bowl.
- Add the cucumbers, onion, tomato, parsley, mint, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, salt, and pepper and toss well.
- Spoon onto endive spears, top with avocado, and serve.
2. Heart-Healthy Red Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 onions, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp cumin seeds, crushed
- 1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 7 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 1/2 cup bulgur
- 1/2 cup red lentils
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint
Directions
- Melt butter in a large pot, add the onions and saute until soft, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic, spices, and salt and pepper, and saute another minute to release the aromas.
- Stir in the tomato paste to blend with the onions, fry 1 to 2 minutes, then add the stock, bulgur, and lentils.
- Cover and simmer until bulgur and lentils are thoroughly cooked and soup is thickened, about 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from heat, stir in half of the herbs and sprinkle the remaining half over the soup.
- Serve immediately with yogurt to garnish.
3. Heart-Healthy Spinach With Pomegranate Glazed Walnuts
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp pomegranate juice
- 1 tsp sugar
- Kosher salt
- 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
- One 5-ounce container baby spinach
- 4 ounces white button mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced, about 1 cup
- 3/4 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp good quality extra virgin olive oil
Directions
- Combine 1/4 cup juice with the sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small nonstick skillet.
- Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reduces slightly, about 5 minutes.
- Add the walnuts and continue to cook, stirring, until the nuts are coated and dark and the liquid evaporates in the skillet, about another 5 minutes.
- Transfer to a baking sheet to cool. When cool, break apart with your hands.
- Meanwhile, soak the red onion in ice water for about 10 minutes; drain and pat dry.
- Place the baby spinach in a serving bowl and top with the onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, and walnuts.
- In a bowl whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons juice with the vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper, and then whisk in the oil.
- Drizzle over the salad and toss just before serving.