Heart Healthy Recipes

You don’t have to lose flavor to gain health. Heart healthy recipes require no secret ingredients. There are simply lower in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterols, and total fats, high in fiber and good fats such as omega-3s aside from essential vitamins, and minerals, reduced in sodium, plus have fewer calories.

The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that saturated fat should make up less than 7 percent of total caloric intake, trans fats less than 1 percent, cholesterol less than 300 mg per day for most people, or less than 200 milligrams a day if you have coronary heart disease or LDL cholesterol level 100 mg/dL or greater, and total fats (mostly from monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats of nuts, seeds, fish, and vegetable oils) should be less than 25 to 35 percent.

A raise in the blood cholesterol can lead to atherosclerosis, a type of “hardening of the arteries.” where arteries, including those to the heart, may narrow, and so reducing blood flow. Saturated fat raises blood cholesterol more than anything else in the diet.

Fiber, especially soluble (or viscous) fiber, should be included in heart healthy recipes because it can actually help to lower blood cholesterol. You can find it in foods such as cereal grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes (including beans, peas, and lentils). Plant stanols or plant sterols in food products such as cholesterol-lowering margarines may also lower your blood cholesterol.

Heart healthy recipes should also be low in salt (sodium chloride) and other forms of sodium, because salt can increase the risk of high blood pressure (hypertension). By cutting back on salt, you’ll probably lessen your taste for it over time. Limit your consumption to no more than 6 grams (about 1 teaspoon) of table salt – that equals 2.4 grams of sodium – a day.

Because overweight and obesity increase the risk of hypertension, high blood cholesterol, and diabetes, which in turn increase the risk of heart disease, it is important to keep a healthy weight by calculating the calories in your heart healthy recipes. The amount of calorie you take in through your diet that’s best for you depend largely on your height, weight, activities and whether or not you have to lose pounds. However it should not exceed the amount you expend through body metabolism and physical activities.

To calculate your heart healthy recipes’ calories, it’s important to know that protein and carbohydrate have 4 calories per gram, while fat has 9 calories per gram. So, a recipe containing 500 calories, for example, may consist of about 20 grams of fats and 80 grams of carbohydrates and protein.

In accordance with (AHA) recommendation, heart healthy recipes should:

· consist of all of the food groups, including fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fat-free or low-fat dairy products, and fish,

· limit ingredients high in calories but low in nutrients,

· preferably baking, broiling, or grilling lean meats and fish,

· substitute a whole egg with two egg whites

Losing Weight Recipes

Dieting practice is done mostly for losing weight, especially in those who are overweight or obese.

Generally there are four categories of dieting practices to promote losing weight, i.e. low-fat, low-carbohydrate, low-calorie, and very low calorie. Despite the macronutrients emphasized there are relatively no difference results. A study shows that lowering calories – no matter how it’s done – is the key to losing weight. Limiting the calories you consume and burning off more with exercise is the way to do it.

Although the calories are limited, the losing weight diet you consume should be balanced and complete. Choose healthier food selections like fruits, vegetables, whole grain cereals, beans, low or nonfat dairy products, low fat meats, fish and skinless poultry; avoid foods that are high in fat and sugars.

Here is a sample of a 1400 calories losing weight diet plan, along with the recipes from shapefit.com:

Breakfast
	Amount	Item	Calories
	1 cup	Milk – 1%	102
	1/16 recipe	Lemon-Almond Loaf	129
	Total:		231
AM Snack
	1 piece	MetRx Bar	320
	Total:		320
Lunch
	1/6 recipe	Baked Potatoes with Vegetables	296
	12 ounces	Coca cola- diet with caffeine	0
	Total:		296
PM Snack
	¼ recipe	Fruit Parfait	271
	Total:		271
Dinner
	¼ recipe	Spice Seafood Stew	204
	½ cup	Rice – White, Cooked, Steamed	82
	Total:		286
	Grand Total:		1404

Here are the recipes:

Lemon-Almond Loaf

Ingredients:

Low-fat cooking spray

1-3/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 medium-sized egg, beaten

1 cup low-fat milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/3 cup almonds, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350º

2. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl then set aside.

3. Whisk egg, milk, vegetable oil, lemon peel and juice in another bowl, pour it to the flour mixture then stir until thoroughly moistened. Add almonds and mix until combined.

4. Pour batter in an 8 x 4 x 2-inch sprayed loaf pan.

5. Bake for about 45-50 minutes. Cool for about 10 minutes then turn out of pan and let cool completely before serving.

Baked Potatoes with Vegetables

Ingredients:

6 russet potatoes

1 -- 5.75 oz. can of black, pitted large olives

4-5 green onions

2-3 carrots

8 oz. of vegetarian chili

1 bunch broccoli, cut and lightly cooked in microwave or steamed

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

8 oz. nonfat yogurt (or sour cream)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375o F.

2. Wash potatoes and poke with a fork 4-5 times. Wrap in foil or place on a cookie sheet.

3. Oven for 45-60 minutes.

4. Chop olives and green onions and grate carrots.

5. Heat chili briefly in microwave or on stove top until warm.

6. Slice open and garnish potatoes with olives, carrots, onions, broccoli, cheddar cheese, yogurt or sour cream, chili and salsa

Fruit Parfait

Ingredients:

1 cup apples, chopped

1 cup strawberries, sliced

1 banana, sliced

1 cup low-fat yogurt

1 cup low-fat granola

1/2 cup raisins

Directions:

Layer the ingredients in a glass starting with a kind of fruit, then another fruit, then the yogurt, then some granola, again another fruit, and top with raisins.

Spicy Seafood Stew

Ingredients:

8 oz. fresh or frozen scallops

8 oz. fresh or frozen shrimp, peeled and de-veined with tails intact

8 oz. fresh mussels in shells, beards removed

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 cup onion, chopped

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

1 cup fish or vegetable broth

1 cup tomatoes, chopped

1/8 teaspoon ground saffron

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Directions:

1. Thaw scallops and shrimp if frozen then rinse and pat dry.

2. Scrub mussels, soak in salt water (2 cups water and 3 tablespoons salt) for 15 minutes. Drain, rinse and repeat twice.

3. Heat oil in a large saucepan then sauté garlic and onion until tender.

4. Stir in cumin, cinnamon, ground red pepper and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

5. Add broth, tomatoes, saffron and bring to boiling.

6. Add scallops, shrimp and mussels. Return to boiling then reduce heat and simmer, covered for 5 minutes or until mussel shells open

7. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Banana Bread Recipes

Want a healthy snack that is sweet, so children like it, and that you can store in your freezer for months? Try Banana Bread!

This quick bread packs a healthy potassium punch, not to mention other minerals, vitamins, protein and fiber, and is easy to make. Just a handful of simple items to mix together and you can bake a loaf fresh for the week or bake more loaves and freeze for stocks.

Check out these recipes…

This one from Wikipedia uses canola oil instead of butter or shortening for healthier Banana Bread.

Ingredients:

· 1 cup white flour

· 1/2 cup wheat flour

· 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

· 1/4 tsp. baking soda

· 1/4 tsp. cinnamon

· 1/8 tsp. salt

· 1 egg

· 1 cup mashed banana (3 medium)

· 2/3 cup sugar

· 1/4 cup canola oil

· 1 tsp. lemon zest (optional)

· 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Instructions:

· Grease a bread loaf pan and set aside. In a medium mixing bowl combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and make a well in the center.

· In a separate bowl combine the egg, bananas, sugar, oil, and lemon zest.

· Add egg mixture all at once to dry mixture. Stir just till moist. Fold in nuts, if desired.

· Spoon batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 350F (175C) for 50 to 55 minutes (or convection bake at 330F (165C) for 40 minutes). Bread is done when a knife or toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.

· Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

· Optional: You can also sprinkle brown sugar and/or chopped pecans on top of the bread before cooking, for added tastiness.

Other variants use chocolate chip, raisins, or substitute nutmeg or ginger for cinnamon. Don’t forget to preheat oven before starting to combine the ingredients.

Following is another Banana Bread recipe from allrecipes.com submitted by Shelley Albeluhn. She uses all purpose flour and butter, which is creamed with brown sugar before stirs in the egg and mashed bananas.

· 2 cups all-purpose flour

· 1 teaspoon baking soda

· 1/4 teaspoon salt

· 1/2 cup butter

· 3/4 cup brown sugar

· 2 eggs, beaten

· 2 1/3 cups mashed overripe bananas

Another one is from lowfatcooking.about.com, using whole wheat and canola oil for healthier Banana Bread and vanilla extract for flavor.

· 1 cup whole wheat four

· 1 cup all-purpose flour

· 3/4 tsp baking soda

· 1/4 tsp salt

· 1/2 cup firmly-packed light brown sugar

· 1/4 cup canola oil

· 1 large egg, lightly beaten

· 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk

· 1 tsp vanilla extract

· 3 medium-sized ripe bananas, mashed

Still another recipe is from ehow.com. Rye flour is added to all-purpose unbleached flour to stop wrinkle top; and lemon juice is mixed into mashed bananas, while orange juice is combined with margarine, egg yolk and milk before all are mixed together. A few dashes of cinnamon added after baking flavored the Banana Bread.

· 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose unbleached flour

· 1/4 cup of rye flour

· 1 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

· 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

· 1/4 teaspoon of salt

· 1/2 teaspoon of powdered ginger

· 1 teaspoon of lemon juice

· 1/3 cup of evaporated skim milk

· 3 tablespoons of frozen orange juice concentrate

· 1 cup (2 bananas) of ripe bananas mashed

· 2 egg yolks

· 1/3 margarine

· A few sprinkles of cinnamon

Next is a low-fat whole wheat and delicious Banana Bread from everydayfoodstorage.blogspot.com. This one uses whole wheat, butter or margarine and applesauce.

· 4 T margarine (or butter), softened

· ¼ C applesauce

· 2 eggs (2 T. Dehydrated Eggs +1/4 C. Water)

· 2 T skim milk or water

· ¾ C packed light brown sugar

· 1 C mashed banana (2-3 medium bananas)

· 1 ¾ C Whole Wheat Flour

· 2 t baking powder

· ½ t baking soda

· ¼ t salt (optional)

· ¼ C coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

You can try all, choose some you like more, or design your own Banana Bread recipe based on those above.