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Five Heart Healthy Lunch Ideas - April 2018
If you’re looking for a way to create more heart healthy lunches, there’s good news. Being heart smart and enjoying delicious foods go hand in hand. As an added benefit, you’ll feel and look great too - and you can do it on a Cheapskate's budget.
Here are five ideas for your heart healthy lunches:
Spinach Salad with Chicken and Blueberries: Instead of a heavy lunch, try a wonderfully filling salad. While you can use any type of lettuce in your salad and still be heart-smart, consider using spinach as your main greenery. Nutrient-rich spinach is high in folate and is proven to prevent heart attacks. Best of all, it is so easy to grow, even in a pot on a balcony, and it grows just about all year round. You can enjoy your spinach without spending a fortune.
Add your favourite vegetables and a lean protein like some skinless chicken breast. Top with slivered almonds or walnuts and blueberries (frozen are cheaper and are good thawed or frozen). Almonds and walnuts control blood lipids, while blueberries are full of antioxidants, all of which are important to your heart health.
Roasted Veggie Wrap Sandwich: Take a whole-wheat tortilla, wrap or Mountain Bread and fill it with cooked brown rice and roasted vegetables. Season with salt and pepper and add a little light dressing of your choice. Cook a few extra veggies when you do the roast for this delicious lunch.
Roasted vegetables like sweet red capsicum, asparagus and broccoli are great choices. Capsicum has plenty of antioxidants and folic acid to promote heart health. Asparagus is rich in potassium, folic acid and soluble fibre, all of which are good for your heart. Broccoli packs a lot of nutrition and also is high in sulforaphane, which can help prevent clogged arteries. Cut the broccoli into tiny florets or even shred it with a sharp knife so it's easier to wrap. The addition of brown rice can help reduce the risk of high blood pressure; so eat up!
Grilled or Poached Salmon: You can’t go wrong with salmon. It’s rich in omega-3s, which can dramatically reduce the risk of heart attack when eaten regularly. You can grill or poach salmon and serve it with a nice fruit salsa. Add a colourful green salad on the side and you’ve got yourself a delicious lunch. Use a variety of greens to make your salad, don't stick with just iceberg lettuce, and shred them finely - they'll stay on your fork and be much easier to eat and enjoy.
Tuna Salad Sandwich: While tuna is not as rich in omega-3s as salmon, it is still a very important source. Make your salad with yogurt instead of mayonnaise, mustard and finely chopped celery. Use wholemeal bread to boost your daily whole grain servings, which can help prevent heart attack. Top your sandwich with sliced tomatoes, which can help regulate blood lipids.
Veggie Chilli: A classic comfort food, when made with vegetable ingredients, chilli is a very heart healthy lunch. Kidney beans are low in fat, high in soluble fibre and have omega-3 fatty acids. Use fresh tomatoes to make your sauce and load it up with vegetables - grated onion, carrot, zucchini, sweet potato are all good in chilli.
If you’re ever unsure of what heart healthy accompaniment can go with your lunch, you’ll never go wrong with a vegetable plate with a yogurt-based dip. Load up with plenty of carrots, broccoli, tomatoes and any of your favourite vegetables.
Overall, keep your meals simple. There’s no need to worry about which vegetable has more health benefits than the other. Simply eating a variety of vegetables, whole grains and incorporating fish into your diet will place you on the road to a heart healthy lifestyle on a Cheapskates budget.
Here are five ideas for your heart healthy lunches:
Spinach Salad with Chicken and Blueberries: Instead of a heavy lunch, try a wonderfully filling salad. While you can use any type of lettuce in your salad and still be heart-smart, consider using spinach as your main greenery. Nutrient-rich spinach is high in folate and is proven to prevent heart attacks. Best of all, it is so easy to grow, even in a pot on a balcony, and it grows just about all year round. You can enjoy your spinach without spending a fortune.
Add your favourite vegetables and a lean protein like some skinless chicken breast. Top with slivered almonds or walnuts and blueberries (frozen are cheaper and are good thawed or frozen). Almonds and walnuts control blood lipids, while blueberries are full of antioxidants, all of which are important to your heart health.
Roasted Veggie Wrap Sandwich: Take a whole-wheat tortilla, wrap or Mountain Bread and fill it with cooked brown rice and roasted vegetables. Season with salt and pepper and add a little light dressing of your choice. Cook a few extra veggies when you do the roast for this delicious lunch.
Roasted vegetables like sweet red capsicum, asparagus and broccoli are great choices. Capsicum has plenty of antioxidants and folic acid to promote heart health. Asparagus is rich in potassium, folic acid and soluble fibre, all of which are good for your heart. Broccoli packs a lot of nutrition and also is high in sulforaphane, which can help prevent clogged arteries. Cut the broccoli into tiny florets or even shred it with a sharp knife so it's easier to wrap. The addition of brown rice can help reduce the risk of high blood pressure; so eat up!
Grilled or Poached Salmon: You can’t go wrong with salmon. It’s rich in omega-3s, which can dramatically reduce the risk of heart attack when eaten regularly. You can grill or poach salmon and serve it with a nice fruit salsa. Add a colourful green salad on the side and you’ve got yourself a delicious lunch. Use a variety of greens to make your salad, don't stick with just iceberg lettuce, and shred them finely - they'll stay on your fork and be much easier to eat and enjoy.
Tuna Salad Sandwich: While tuna is not as rich in omega-3s as salmon, it is still a very important source. Make your salad with yogurt instead of mayonnaise, mustard and finely chopped celery. Use wholemeal bread to boost your daily whole grain servings, which can help prevent heart attack. Top your sandwich with sliced tomatoes, which can help regulate blood lipids.
Veggie Chilli: A classic comfort food, when made with vegetable ingredients, chilli is a very heart healthy lunch. Kidney beans are low in fat, high in soluble fibre and have omega-3 fatty acids. Use fresh tomatoes to make your sauce and load it up with vegetables - grated onion, carrot, zucchini, sweet potato are all good in chilli.
If you’re ever unsure of what heart healthy accompaniment can go with your lunch, you’ll never go wrong with a vegetable plate with a yogurt-based dip. Load up with plenty of carrots, broccoli, tomatoes and any of your favourite vegetables.
Overall, keep your meals simple. There’s no need to worry about which vegetable has more health benefits than the other. Simply eating a variety of vegetables, whole grains and incorporating fish into your diet will place you on the road to a heart healthy lifestyle on a Cheapskates budget.