Heart Healthy: Tips and Recipes

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Heart

Healthy: Tips and Recipes

Eat natural and 'Funtional' Foods to keep your heart healthy.

 

by Andrea Rowland

 

• • •

 

In our fast-paced world, grabbing a quick bite from a box or bag has become

the norm — yet our health pays a hefty price for our increasing

dependence

on manufactured foods, many of which are chock full of the “bad”

fats and

sodium that contribute to heart disease. And (admit it!) many of us have a

tendency to eat more than our bodies need for energy. Obesity — which

raises

blood cholesterol and blood pressure levels, and lowers high-density

lipoprotein (good) cholesterol — is recognized as a major risk factor for

coronary heart disease, which can lead to heart attack.

 

Simplicity and moderation are keys to eating for your heart. Using the

freshest ingredients, simply cooked, and avoiding overeating can keep your

pumper primed for a long and healthy life. “When food is as close to its

natural state as possible, you’re going to optimize the health

benefits,”

says Tim Higgins, nutrition services manager at Washington County Hospital.

“Let the food taste like itself.”

 

By keeping it real, adds WCH Executive Chef Joe Fleischman, you’ll

experience both a healthier lifestyle and a whole new world of flavor. “A

lot of people don’t know how to use a more natural preparation to get big

flavors, but once you learn how to utilize fresh ingredients — like

peppers

for spiciness, citrus for marinades and fresh herbs rather than dried —

it’s

going to help tremendously.”

 

Form AND Function

Chef Joe has prepared a Valentine’s Day menu that’s as beautiful

for your

heart as it looks on the plate. He’s incorporated foods known to promote

heart health — including Omega-3 fatty acid-rich salmon and fresh fruits

and

vegetables filled with fiber and antioxidants. (Oxidation, or the loss of an

electron, can sometimes produce reactive substances known as free radicals

that can damage cells. Antioxidants stabilize free radicals before they can

react and cause harm.) Chef Joe’s menu is filled with “functional

foods,”

which provide health benefits beyond basic nutrition, Tim points out.

 

For the “sublime” Butternut Squash Soup, the chef used low-sodium

chicken

stock and relied on the natural sodium in the soup’s ingredients to

provide

the dish’s saltiness. “There’s not a pinch of salt anywhere

in that soup,”

he says. In some individuals, sodium intake has been linked to high blood

pressure — a precursor to heart disease. The soup’s main ingredient

— squash

— contains plenty of fiber, which acts like a trap in the intestines to

help

remove harmful cholesterol from the body, Tim adds. In addition, Chef Joe

used 99-percent fat-free turkey bacon.

 

It’s important to limit foods high in saturated fat (including meat fat),

which can increase low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or “bad”

cholesterol levels

When too much LDL cholesterol circulates in the blood, it can slowly build

up in the arteries, forming — together with other substances — a

thick,

clogging deposit called plaque. Instead of butter, margarine or shortening,

use polyunsaturated fats or monounsaturated fats like canola or olive oil.

Increasing the monounsaturated fats in your diet, eating more soluble fibers

and cutting Trans fats — in addition to doing more aerobic exercise

— can

raise the level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) in your blood.

Medical experts think that HDL tends to carry cholesterol away from the

arteries and back to the liver, where it’s passed from the body. HDL also

might remove excess cholesterol from plaque in arteries, according to the

American Heart Association.

 

The tasty salmon contains a heart-health wonder food: Omega-3 fatty acids.

Research has shown that Omega-3s decrease the risk of arrhythmias (which can

lead to sudden cardiac death), decrease triglyceride (blood fat) levels,

decrease the growth rate of atherosclerotic plaque, and slightly lower blood

pressure. The beta-carotene in the Sautéed Vegetable Spaghetti’s carrots

is

believed to neutralize the free radicals that might damage cells, and

bolster cellular antioxidant defenses. Even the chocolate in the Flourless

Chocolate Cake promotes heart health. It contains flavanols —

phytochemicals

that lower cholesterol levels by preventing the oxidation of low-density

lipoproteins. “That chocolate cake is not unhealthy,” Tim says. (He

notes,

however, that flavanols in chocolate have a much more subtle effect on

cholesterol levels than fiber and plant sterols.)

 

But, perhaps most important to heart health, he concludes, is the release of

stress-fighting endorphins that comes from the feeling of satisfaction and

contentedness in eating a fulfilling and healthful meal — a meal that

pleases both the palate and the heart. “There’s no stress in eating

this way

”

 

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Heart-Healthy Foods

The American Dietetic Association provides the following examples of foods

that promote heart health:

• Beans, peas and barley

• Soybeans and other soy-based foods (not soybean oil)

• Fruits and vegetables

• Salmon, tuna, sardines and mackerel

• Red grapes and purple grape juice

• Nuts, including almonds, walnuts, pecans and hazelnuts

• Green or black tea

• Onions, scallions, shallots, garlic and leeks

 

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Know Your Fats

• Saturated fats and trans fats = bad. These fats stimulate your liver to

produce low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, which enters the blood

stream and attaches to artery walls — leading to a narrowing and

hardening

of the arteries.

• Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats = good. Replacing saturated

and

trans fats with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats has been shown to

lower levels of bad cholesterol in the bloodstream.

• Saturated fats include: Meat fat, whole milk, butter, cream, fatty

cheeses

coconut and palm oils, cocoa butter.

• Trans fats are found primarily in the hydrogenated vegetable fats

typically used in snack foods such as crackers, cookies, chips and pastries

to increase shelf life.

• Monounsaturated fats include: Olive oil, canola oil, avocados, most

nuts

and nut butters.

• Polyunsaturated fats include: Soybean, sunflower and safflower oils.

 

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Heart Healthy Menu

 

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Granny Smith Apples & Turkey Bacon

Crumble

Serves 4

The Granny Smith apple gives this dish a slight tartness for a pleasing

flavor layering effect.

Tip: Roasting the squash and caramelizing the onions intensifies the flavors

in this heart-healthy soup.

 

Ingredients:

1 large butternut squash, cut in half lengthwise, seeds removed

1/4-pound turkey bacon

1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled, seeded and diced

8 cups low-sodium chicken stock*

1/4-cup low-fat sour cream

1 medium yellow onion, diced

Pepper, to taste

1/4-cup olive oil, plus enough to brush on squash

* This soup is traditionally served quite thick, almost like bisque. But by

adjusting the amount of chicken stock, you can make the soup as thick or

thin as

you like.

 

Brush skin side of squash with olive oil and sprinkle with pepper. Place

squash skin-side-up on greased baking sheet; bake in 375-degree oven for

about 45 minutes or until squash is soft to the touch. Remove from oven;

cool completely. In 5-quart stockpot heat 1/4-cup olive oil and fry bacon

until crisp; remove bacon and allow it to cool. Using the same pot, sauté

onion and apple until browned. With a large spoon, remove the flesh from the

skin of the squash; add to pot with apples and onions. Add 5 cups of chicken

stock and simmer the mixture until the apples and squash are tender,

approximately 30 minutes. Add the reserved stock, as needed, to thin the

mixture. After the apples and squash are tender, remove the soup and puree

in a blender until smooth. Return the soup to the pot and reheat over low

flame until almost boiling. Stir in sour cream and season with pepper to

taste. Serve with the reserved bacon crumbled

on top.

 

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Honey Dijon Glazed Salmon Filet with Artichoke Orzo, Sautéed Vegetable

“Spaghetti” and Dill Aioli

Serves 4

“People, by and large, are afraid to cook fish, so I wanted to do a

recipe

that’s simple,” Chef Joe says.

Tip: Use a slicing tool called a mandoline to julienne vegetables quickly

and easily. Save time by prepping veggies (which you can easily substitute

for your favorites!) and cooking orzo ahead

of time.

 

Ingredients:

4 (5-ounce) salmon filets, skin removed

1/4-cup Dijon mustard

1/2-cup clover honey

4 cups orzo pasta, cooked

2 cups artichoke hearts in oil, rough chopped

1 teaspoon garlic, chopped

1 yellow squash, skinned, seeded and sliced into julienne strips

1 zucchini, skinned, seeded and sliced into julienne strips

1 carrot, peeled and sliced into julienne strips

1/4-cup white wine

1/2-cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped

2 sprigs fresh dill

Salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

1/8-cup olive oil

 

Heat olive oil in skillet until almost smoking. Place salmon in pan and sear

on one side until browned, approximately 3 minutes. Turn salmon and cook

about 2 minutes; remove from pan and place on a greased baking sheet. In a

mixing bowl whisk together the honey, Dijon mustard and 1 sprig of the fresh

dill (roughly chopped) until incorporated. Brush the salmon with the

honey/Dijon glaze; bake at 350 degrees for about five minutes, brushing

often with the additional glaze, or until fish is firm to the touch. Remove

fish from oven and keep warm.

 

In a separate skillet sauté the garlic in olive oil until translucent; add

the artichokes and orzo; stir fry until heated through. Add salt, pepper and

flat leaf parsley. Lower flame to keep orzo warm until service, stirring

often to avoid sticking. In a separate skillet sauté vegetables in olive oil

until pliable, about 4 minutes. Deglaze pan with white wine; add salt and

pepper to taste.

 

To plate: Place 1/2 cup of the orzo mixture in the center of the serving

plate. Place glazed salmon filet on orzo. Top with sautéed vegetables (the

higher the better). Garnish with remaining dill sprig.

 

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Flourless Chocolate Cake with Toasted Almonds and Raspberry Coulis

Serves 8

“Don’t be afraid of this recipe,” Chef Joe says. “It

sounds a lot more

difficult than it is.”

Tip: Substitute your favorite rum for the Marsala or split the batter into

muffin tins and make individual cakes. Feel free to garnish with low-fat

whipped cream or chocolate sauce.

 

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more to grease the pan

1 1/4-cups granulated sugar

6 large eggs, separated

5 tablespoons instant espresso

6 tablespoons cocoa powder

6 tablespoons Marsala wine

1 1/2-cups ground toasted almonds

Powdered sugar, for dusting

6 fresh raspberries

1 mint sprig

 

In a double boiler, melt the butter. Whisk in sugar and egg yolks and cook

for 5 minutes, stirring constantly so the eggs become ribbon-like and light

in color (don’t scramble). Whisk in the coffee, cocoa powder, Marsala and

almonds; continue cooking until the mixture becomes smooth and creamy.

Transfer the cake mixture to a bowl and set aside.

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 9-inch round, nonstick cake pan.

 

In a clean mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Fold

the egg whites into the cake batter. Pour into cake pan. Bake for 30 minutes

or until cake is firm and separates from the sides of the pan. Remove from

oven; cool for 30 minutes. Flip cake over; dust with powdered sugar and

garnish with fresh raspberries and mint.

 

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Heart-Healthy Eating Tips

• Keep portion sizes reasonable.

• Increase your intake of whole grains, fruits and vegetables.

• Eat lean meat (beef, pork and lamb), fish or chicken.

• Monitor the type and amount of fat you consume.

• Rely on the natural sodium in foods.

• Eat beans and nuts for protein.

• Make all your dairy choices low-fat or fat-free.

Source: American Dietetic Association, www.eatright.org