A heart healthy lunch will ensure that you’re taking good care of your heart. With just a few simple steps, you’ll be reducing your chance of blood clots and lowering your blood pressure. You want to protect your heart, so you’ll have to watch out for trans fats, saturated fats, and sodium. Excess sodium can result in high blood pressure, which doctors agree can lead to a future heart attack or stroke.
It’s easiest to think about a heart healthy lunch in terms of what you can eat rather than what you can’t eat. Look for items that are high in omega-3 fatty acids. Salmon, soy, nuts, oatmeal, broccoli, and berries all serve to protect your heart.
Processed foods are often full of sodium and fats that wreak havoc on the cardiovascular system. By choosing organic, raw, and natural foods for lunch, you’ll be eating foods that are filled with nutrients and won’t damage your heart. Take a trip to your grocery store or a health food store and look for new and tasty foods that you and your family will love.
You can cook a healthy lunch by using olive oil instead of butter or cream, and don’t add salt to your meal at the table. Find another herb you enjoy to give your healthy lunch more flavor. We often eat on autopilot and don’t notice our own bad habits, like adding too much salt to our food at meals, when the food may even not need it.
With just a few simple changes, you’ll be on your way to cooking a heart healthy lunch that will ensure your ticker gets the care it needs!