American Heart Month reminds you to eat for your heart
Hello, health seekers. February was deemed American Heart Month in 1964 by President Lyndon B. Johnson. I was a toddler then, and had no idea how important heart health would be in my life. Heart disease is the number one cause of death in men and women in the U.S. and also many places around the world.
So much money is spent on drugs and surgeries, both of which carry risks and side effects. But actually, a diet of mostly plant-based foods is the simplest, most effective and cheapest way to address heart disease, with only positive side effects. Shouldn’t it be included in all treatment of heart disease?
I am the daughter of parents who both died of sudden heart events. My parents were here one day and gone the next at ages 77 and 78. Because of these losses, I changed my food choices and now help people improve their diets and their health. Especially for those with heart disease or Type 2 diabetes, the changes are so dramatic and impactful.
I recommend reading Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn’s book, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, to anyone dealing with or wanting to prevent heart disease. He and Dr. Dean Ornish were able to show that heart disease could be prevented and reversed with diet. Americans are eating 75 pounds more meat, and over 30 pounds more cheese per person per year than we did in 1900, while consumption of fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains have dramatically dropped. So I focus on these foods in my coaching and cooking classes. I eat delicious, flavorful food and teach others to do the same! Email me at sherlocktruhealth@outlook.com for questions.
Three simple things you can do with diet for heart health:
Greatly reduce or eliminate added oils which damage the protective endothelium layer of our arteries. Also limit meat and dairy. Sauté in veggie broth, replace oil in baking with apple sauce, and make delicious oil-free salad dressings.
Include lots of dark leafy greens which help keep our arteries healthy, clean and open.
Shift most of your diet to unprocessed veggies, fruits, beans, nuts and seeds, mushrooms and whole grains. It’s easier than you think. I prepare tacos, burritos, pastas, pizza, sushi, rice bowls, sandwiches, soups and stews, all without meat or dairy.
I’ll repeat my New Year’s resolution: eat more plants! Try this comforting “hearty” dish.
Creamy no-oil mushroom & kale pasta
Yields: four servings. Delicious as an alternative to tomato-based pasta sauces or fat-filled alfredo sauces.
Ingredients
8 oz. whole wheat pasta, which is usually half a box or bag – I like spaghetti or penne for this. Make sure it’s 100% whole wheat, or other pasta made from chickpeas, lentils, or brown rice, for gluten free.
16-20 oz. mushrooms, sliced – any type or a mix. I usually use baby portabellas. Use lots of mushrooms to make it hearty and savory, since they cook down.
½ cup or more hummus – try roasted red pepper, or roasted garlic hummus .
LOTS of garlic, up to 7-8 cloves, sliced or minced, or from a jar (not in oil) OR 1 tbsp. garlic powder (not garlic salt) or to your taste.
½ yellow onion, diced or thinly sliced
1 to 1-1/2 cup low sodium veggie stock (you can sometimes find mushroom stock which is really good with this, but harder to find low sodium)
1 small bunch kale ‒ remove hard stems and chop finely. If they are big leaves, I use about 5-6 leaves, OR you could use a couple large handfuls of spinach, snipped.
Optional: 1/2 diced red bell pepper, green peas or edamame, zucchini or yellow squash if you want added color and up the nutrients, or a can or cannellini beans for added protein.
Optional seasonings to taste, any or all: 1 tsp. black pepper, 1/2 tsp. cayenne, 1 tbsp. Italian blend or oregano, ¼ tsp. turmeric, 1 tsp. smoked paprika, 1 tbsp. nutritional yeast
Instructions
In a deep pan on medium heat, sauté the onion in a little veggie broth until onion is tender, add garlic and red bell pepper if using, for a couple more minutes.
Add all of the sliced mushrooms, stir and let them begin to cook down and draw juice.
As the mushrooms cook down, add the kale or spinach and half the broth; the greens will cook down.
Stir in lots of seasonings to your taste. If using salt, add at the table.
After the mushrooms and greens have cooked down to your liking, add the rest of the broth, enough to make it all a little soupy.
Stir in hummus to get a creamy sauce; start with a big dollop or spoonful and keep adding to get to the creaminess you like. It will get thicker after cooking and in the fridge. Add a splash of non-dairy milk or veggie broth to leftovers if pasta is too dry from absorbing too much of the sauce.
You may top cooked pasta with the sauce, but I like to add the cooked and drained pasta right to the pan of mushrooms and mix thoroughly with this sauce so it is heavily coated. Serve with a big healthy salad and oil-free dressing, and fresh fruit, because my motto is “fruit with every meal!”
Oil-free "3-2-1" salad dressing: Three parts good balsamic vinegar, two parts deli or dijon mustard, one part pure maple syrup; adjust each to taste. Delicious on simple green salads, savory grain salads, roasted veggie salads, and also on sweeter salads with fresh or dried fruit. It’s my number one go-to dressing that is always in my fridge.
Melissa Sherlock has been fully plant-based for nearly 12 years, lives in Omaha and enjoys cooking, tennis, theatre, gardening, writing, travel, birding, family time and going to hear husband Kevin’s band play around town.
Visit the Vegan Community of Eastern Iowa website at https://www.veganeasterniowa.org/ or join the group on Facebook or Meet Up.
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: American Heart Month reminds you to eat for your heart
