Make a commitment to your heart, take care of it and start eating healthy.

On 29 September we celebrate World Heart Day. For this year, the World Heart Federation’s (WHF) proposal is to create a large global community of Heart Heroes, people from all walks of life who are united by a commitment to take care of their hearts.

Among the resolutions is healthy cooking and eating, a basic habit when protecting the central point of our being. But, what should I do to eat healthily?

1. Increase your intake of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fat-free or low-fat dairy products, and healthy protein.
2. Reduce foods with saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, added sugars and salt.

Heart-healthy recipes

We recommend 5 recipes for taking care of your heart:

STUFFED TOMATOES:

• Clean 4 tomatoes and remove the inside flesh.
• Chop 2 onions with a bit of stem. Mix them with 150 g of low-fat white cheese, iodised salt and pepper.
• Fill the tomatoes with the mix. Sprinkle with fresh parsley. Place them on a bed of lettuce.

SALMON A LA PAPILLOTE WITH VEGETABLES AND BAKED POTATOES:

• Preheat the oven to 200ºC.
• Boil 3 clean, sliced potatoes for 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and add a little olive oil, iodised salt and pepper.
• In another bowl, mix 10 Brussels sprouts, 2 carrots and 1 leek, cleaned and chopped. Add a little olive oil, iodised salt and pepper.
• Put the vegetables and potatoes in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
• Rub 4 pieces of salmon with a little olive oil, iodised salt, pepper, lemon zest, chives, dill and parsley.
• Spread olive oil on the inside of a piece of aluminium foil and place the salmon on top. Close it and bake for 8 minutes at a temperature of 180ºC.
• Place the vegetables, potatoes and salmon on a platter. Cut the foil with scissors just before serving.

CHICKEN BREAST IN GRAPEFRUIT SAUCE

• Peel 2 grapefruits and cut them in half. Separate the slices and collect the juice.
• Rub a pinch of salt and pepper on 500 g of chicken breast. Cook them on a grill. Remove and keep them warm.
• Clean and dice 2 onions. Sauté. Add 4 teaspoons of grapefruit juice, corn flour and low-fat yogurt. Cook the mix for a few minutes until it thickens.
• Add the chicken breasts and the pieces of grapefruit to the sauce. Heat for a few more minutes and serve.

In addition to taking care of your diet, do exercise and quit bad habits like smoking and drinking alcohol. You will improve your quality of life, and even better, you’ll set a good example for the next generation.

Sources:

• World Heart Federation (WHF)
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• Oregon Health & Science University

This post is also available in: Portuguese (Portugal)