Summer Food Tips to Improve Heart and Overall Health Plus a Sloppy Joe Recipe

Looking to add some healthy variety to your diet this summer? Look no further.

Ohio University’s College of Health Sciences and Professions (CHSP) offers six nutritious tips all yours for the tasting.

1. Grilled fish

The sun is shining and the grill is hot. Now it just needs some salmon!

Selena Baker, MS, RDN, LD, a nutrition counselor at CHSP’s WellWorks, suggests lining the grill with a piece of parchment paper and placing your salmon on top to keep the dish moist.

“Spread it with some Dijon mustard, fresh garlic and cracked black pepper,” she said. “The vinegar in the mustard will neutralize the mildly fishy smell if you’re sensitive to that. Lemon juice and malt vinegar have the same effect. Once it’s done, unwrap your packet and you’ve got super moist salmon on the grill.”

2. More fish!

Tuna steaks marinated in avocado oil can add more of the coveted Omega-3 heart-healthy fatty acid to the menu. Baker said avocado oil has a similar fatty acid profile to olive oil but can take the heat better due to a higher smoke point. She also suggests a simple lunch using white albacore tuna.

“Open your white albacore, drain it, throw it directly in a Tupperware-type container and add olive oil or avocado oil mayonnaise. It has heart-healthy fat and half the fat of regular mayo. Add in some Mrs. Dash (the garlic blend) and you have lots of flavor ready to go,” said Baker. “If you have time, mince in some onion, carrots, celery or whatever you want.”

3. Let’s get nuts

Vegetarians or vegans looking for Omega-3 benefits can try walnuts. Baker said eating a 1-ounce portion of nuts most days of the week is a good goal and added that walnuts also contain fiber, potassium, protein and other heart-healthy fats.

4. The power of tomatoes

Scientific results are still mixed when it comes to lycopene in tomatoes but Baker said there are definitely some positive links between lycopene and good prostate health.

Lycopene isn’t destroyed by cooking and tomatoes are also a good source of potassium which plays a role in healthy blood pressure.

“Try a whole wheat pasta salad,” said Baker. “Lightly steam, sauté or grill a bunch of veggies and toss on some vinaigrette or whatever dressing you like. Dice up some sundried tomatoes and you’ll get that concentrated flavor, sweetness and unique texture which is great in a pasta salad along with some marinated artichokes and sautéed zucchini.”

6. MIND your diet

Along with a healthy body, a healthy mind is desirable. Baker recommends trying the MIND diet — a take on the popular Mediterranean Diet and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Diet. The MIND diet is associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease and calls for: more than six servings per week of green leafy vegetables, one serving per day of other vegetables, five servings per week of nuts, two servings per week of berries, three meals of beans per week, three servings per day of whole grains, one meal per week of fish, two meals per week of poultry and the use of olive oil as the primary cooking oil along with one glass of wine per day.

Finally, Baker offers the reminder that with the hot sun and all the summer fun, it’s important to stay hydrated!

Lentil Sloppy Joe 

(credit sparkpeople.com)

• 1 cup uncooked lentils
• 4 cups water
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, small dice
• 1 green bell pepper, small dice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 (8-oz) can tomato sauce
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• 2-3 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp prepared yellow mustard

1. Pour lentils and water into small saucepan. Cover and bring to boil. 
2. Lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until lentils are soft. Drain and set aside.
3. About 10 minutes before lentils are ready, preheat a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. 
4. Sauté onion and pepper in the oil for seven minutes or until softened. 
5. Add garlic and sauté for one minute more.
6. Stir in the cooked lentils, chili powder, oregano and salt. 
7. Add the tomato sauce and tomato paste and cook for 10 minutes. Add maple syrup and mustard and heat.
8. Turn off the heat and let the pot sit on the warm burner for about 10 minutes to allow flavors to meld.

Serves five people at 142 calories per serving.

Source: Ohio University

Tips for Re-Thinking Eating for Better Heart Health

Spring is here, making it the perfect time to find ways to re-think what we eat in order to help lead us to better heart health. It’s an issue that most of us need to pay attention to, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reporting that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S. for both men and women. In fact, each year there are around 610,000 people who die from heart disease, accounting for 1 in every 4 deaths. Further, each year there are around 735,000 Americans who have a heart attack. The good news is that there are things we can do to help reduce our heart disease risk, with what we eat playing an important role.

“Considering how many times per day and week that we eat, it’s important to consider our food choices,” says Dr. Nimali Fernando, a Fredericksburg, Virginia-based pediatrician who founded The Doctor Yum Project. 

“This is especially true when it comes to our children, because their bodies are developing and they are learning habits that may last a lifetime.”

According to the CDC, some of the risk factors for heart disease include diabetes, being overweight or obese, having a poor diet, being physically inactive, and using alcohol excessively. 

Improving the diet is likely to also help with the weight and diabetes issues. 

Here are some tips for helping to re-think your eating for better heart health:

·                Breakfast. Reach for whole grain toast, whole grain cereals and don’t forget a serving of vegetables and/or fruit. To get in even more servings, try a quick and healthy fruit and veggie smoothie, like the “Green Dragon Smoothie” featured on doctoryum.org.

·                Lunch. Pack a quick and healthy lunch that includes items like salads, hummus and veggies, tuna salad with wholegrain crackers or bread, or homemade low-sodium soups that you can make ahead of time and take a couple of days in a row. The “Meal Maker Machine” on doctoryum.org has a “Souper Soup recipe” that allows you to customize a soup recipe using ingredients on hand.

·                Dinner. Opt for seafood, which has heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Other good options include beans, salads with dressing, quinoa, whole grains, veggie burgers, chickpeas, lentils, and filling half of your plate with fruits and vegetables. Try to reduce processed foods, and fast food (which is often loaded with sugar and salt), high sodium foods, and unhealthy oils by cooking more at home.

·                Snacks. Skip the chips and cakes and opt for food like unsalted nuts, fruits and veggies, seeds, rice cakes, bell pepper slices, vegetables and hummus, or whole grain toast with all natural peanut butter.

·                Drinks. Leave the sugary drinks behind, and opt for water, sparkling water, plain soymilk, unsweetened coffee and tea, or water steeped with fruit.

·                Dining out. When dining out, opt for dishes that are lower in sodium and fat content, such as those that are baked, grilled, or broiled, rather than ones that are fried. Minimize the sugar intake by opting for unsweetened beverages and sticking to mostly fruits for sugar cravings. Choose seafood, fish, lean meats, vegetarian options, vegetable dishes, and beans. Portion sizes for restaurant meals tend to be oversized, so box a portion of your meal for lunch the next day.

“Heart healthy foods are all around us, it’s just a matter of opting for them over the other ones that are also available. Common barriers to eating healthy are cost, convenience and taste. By following the 3 P’s (prep, plan and prioritize) these barriers can be overcome” adds Dr. Fernando. “With some initial effort, we can all focus on eating healthier and feeding our children better. The more people make changes and stick to them, the more it will become a more natural habit.”

About The Doctor Yum Project
Founded by Dr. Nimali Fernando, The Doctor Yum Project is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to transforming the lives of families and communities by providing an understanding of the connection between food and overall health, as well as empowering them with the tools to live a healthy life. They offer a variety of community programs to help with those efforts. They are located in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and feature an instructional kitchen and teaching garden for holding classes. To learn more, visit the site at: www.doctoryum.org.