A Stout Heart: The Best Diet for Maintaining Cardiac Health

Photo by Jessica Lewis

Eleanor Gaccetta’s Generations of Good Food is a wonderful starter for any health journey. It’s chock full of healthy food recipes and concrete life advice; it also pushes–as an essential theme of the book itself–the necessity of knowing how to infuse new styles in traditional recipes!

Maintaining cardiac health is quite important. The heart is the engine of the body and, like any engine, needs to be well taken care of. While genetics plays a sizable role in whether or not one has a stout heart, lifestyle choices–especially your dietary choices–have a considerable and equally important impact.

This doesn’t mean, though, that you have to turn to restrictive and joyless eating. Being conscious of how what you eat affects your cardiac health just means embracing a still delicious but deliberately nourishing way of life that strengthens the heart and allows it to thrive.

Some Foods for a Stout Heart

Because there are a lot of recipes that can be helpful for cardiac health, this list will be quite limited to some specific recipes.

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

• Ingredients: 1 cup quinoa (cooked), 1 cucumber (diced), 1 red bell pepper (diced), 1/2 red onion (thinly sliced), 1/2 cup Kalamata olives (halved), 1/4 cup fresh parsley (chopped), 1/4 cup fresh mint (chopped)

• Dressing: 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 clove garlic (minced), 1 teaspoon dried oregano, salt and pepper
• Instructions:
  • Combine the cooked quinoa, cucumber, bell pepper, red onion, olives, parsley, and mint in an adequate container.
  • Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper in a small bowl to make the dressing.
  • Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients and toss thoroughly to combine until the mix suits you.
  • Serve in a large bowl at once (or in small bowls for individual consumption) chilled or at room temperature.

Photo by Jane Trang Doan

Baked Salmon with Roasted Vegetables

• Ingredients: 2 salmon fillets (4-6 ounces each), 1 sweet potato (peeled and cubed), 1 red onion (cut into wedges), 1 bell pepper (cut into chunks), 1 zucchini (cut into chunks),2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, salt and pepper
• Instructions:

• Preheat an oven to 400°F (200°C).
• Toss sweet potato, red onion, bell pepper, and zucchini with olive oil, rosemary, salt, and pepper in a large container.
• Spread the vegetables in a single layer on a baking sheet.
• Place the salmon fillets on top of the vegetables.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until salmon is cooked through and vegetables are tender.

Lentil Soup

• Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 onion (chopped), 2 carrots (chopped), 2 celery stalks (chopped), 2 cloves garlic (minced), 1 cup brown lentils (rinsed), 4 cups vegetable broth, 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes (undrained), 1 teaspoon dried thyme, salt, and pepper.
• Instructions:

• Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
• Add onion, carrots, and celery and cook until softened (or for about 5 minutes).
• Add garlic and cook for a minute more.
• Stir in the lentils, vegetable broth, diced tomatoes, thyme, salt, and pepper.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes (or until lentils are tender).
• Serve in a bowl piping hot.

Photo by Element5 Digital

Overnight Oats with Berries and Nuts

• Ingredients: 1/2 cup rolled oats, 1 cup milk (dairy or non-dairy), 1/4 cup berries (fresh or frozen), 1/4 cup chopped nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans), 1 tablespoon chia seeds, 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup (optional)
• Instructions:

• Combine the oats, milk, berries, nuts, and chia seeds (with honey or maple syrup, (optional) in a jar or container.
• Stir well and refrigerate overnight.
• Enjoy chilled in the morning.

Black Bean Burgers

• Ingredients: 1 can (15 ounces) black beans (rinsed and drained), 1/2 cup cooked brown rice, 1/4 cup chopped onion, 1/4 cup chopped bell pepper, 1/4 cup breadcrumbs, 1 egg (or flax egg for vegan option), 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, salt, and pepper
• Instructions:

• Mash the black beans with a fork or potato masher.
• Combine the mashed beans with the brown rice, onion, bell pepper, breadcrumbs, egg (or flax egg), chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
• Form the mixture into patties.
• Cook in a skillet over medium heat for 5-7 minutes per side (or until heated through).

These are some recipes for maintaining your cardiac health and gaining a stout heart. For more ideas and perspectives on healthy eating, this article on mindful eating may be of help. If you want to order a copy of Eleanor Gaccetta’s Generations of Good Food, you can click this link to take you to the relevant page.

Remember, healthy living is a conscious and deliberate effort. No one gets healthy without putting in the work!