Just Some Heart-Healthy Meal Ideas Worth Trying
Tired of cooking the same three lunch and dinner recipes on repeat? Join le club. But as you probably know, the world of food blogs and nutrition influencers can be very overwhelming. There are so. many. damn. options. that just thinking about scrolling through a few of them has me ready for a nap.
Then, there's the whole issue of finding "healthy" meal ideas. I've seen so many different guidelines and nutrition standards that I literally have no idea what makes a dish good for me anymore. Why? Is? It? Like? This? And who gets to define what "healthy" is, anyway? Sigh. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.
Luckily, there's a solution to both of those problems: using the nutrition guidelines on heart-healthy foods from the American Heart Association and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to help inform what you eat. They're simple recommendations like eating a variety of fruits and vegetables and incorporating whole grains into your diet—nothing super restrictive or confusing. Plus, you probably want your heart to be healthy since it, ya know, keeps you alive, so this seems like a win-win situation.
Some other heart-healthy food recommendations? Low-fat dairy products, nuts, lean meat, skinless poultry, and fish. This isn't to say you can never eat foods that are high in fat or sugar, though. If you want a cookie, eat a cookie. It's more about incorporating these recommended foods into your rotation, rather than restriction.
Now that we've got specific foods in mind, it should be a little easier to sort through the millions of recipes out there, right? Spoiler alert: It is. I know because I already went through a bunch of them. Here, 15 heart-healthy meal ideas that are super easy to make.
The American Heart Association and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's guidelines for heart-healthy foods are simple recommendations like eating a variety of fruits and vegetables, and incorporating whole grains into your diet. Here, 15 heart-healthy meal ideas you can chef up in no time.
