A Guide to Heart-Healthy Snacks
So, you want everyone to know you are not heartless. If that is the case, then you need to take care of your pumper. Cramming deep-fried pork rinds into your face is not going to do the job. It might even do the opposite of what you are hoping.
But, Eating heart healthy snacks, however, will do the trick on your ticker. In this article, we will take a look at 10 of the best snacks to eat that are super healthy for your heart. Let’s peek at some of the heart healthy snacks along with some you can buy. We will also be covering a whole lot more about heart healthy snacks.
So, let’s get started, shall we? Some of the best heart healthy snacks that can be eaten on the go are excellent and good for you. I know it seems easier to stop at the closest vending machine or drive-through window, but come on, you know that stuff is terrible for your health.
Taking a few extra minutes at the grocery store to find snacks to buy is not as hard as it seems. According to the American Heart Association, there are a few tricks to finding the best heart healthy snacks. The following is what they are recommending.
Find Munchies that are Crunchy!
Here are the heart healthy snacks they recommend with a crunch:
- Apples and pears
- Carrot and celery sticks
- Bell pepper slices
- Zucchini or cucumber circles (Sounds fancy, huh?)
- Roasted chickpeas
- Broccoli and cauliflower florets
- Popcorn (It’s a whole grain! Who knew?)
- Rice cakes and whole-grain crackers
- Nuts and seeds (Hit those good fats!)
You don’t have to reach for that bag of potato chips or salty pretzels to satisfy your crunch needs. There are heart healthy snacks out there, you just have to look. The above suggestions are heart healthy snacks for adults that crunch, trust me. What’s better are most are pretty tasty, add a pinch of salt if it is the saltiness you want.
Besides, Brianna Steinhilber from EverydayHealth.com wrote most people that crave crunchy foods, like chips and pretzels, really want the salt. She interviewed Kimberly Snyder, a clinical nutritionist and the author of The Beauty Detox Power, who says that salty crunch craving might be an indication of frustration, anger, stress, or resentment and who wants that in our lives.
Here are the 3 best heart healthy snacks for adults that crunches and are salty:
Salty Roasted Pistachios – these little gems are an excellent source of heart healthy fats, proteins, fiber, antioxidants, and nutrients like vitamin B6 and thiamin. Pistachios are among the best heart healthy snacks for adults. These snacks are definitely, heart healthly and the effects include weight loss, lowering of cholesterol, and blood sugar. They can even improve gut, eye, and blood vessel strength.
Hummus with whole-grain crackers and baby carrots – This combination is a great heart healthy snack for adults and very chic! Hummus is a natural source of good fat. Typically made by food processor blending chickpeas, tahini or sesame seeds, olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic. One tablespoon (30g) contains 8 grams of unsaturated fat. Add the crunch of crackers and carrots, now that’s a heart healthy snack for adults anyone can eat.
Kale chips – Can’t eat your veggies? Why not try heart healthy kale chips? One cup of kale contains 11% of your recommended daily intake of vitamin B6, 7% of your B2’s, and 6% of your B1’s, making kale chips an excellent B vitamin source. All this helps the body convert nutrients into energy, making this a very heart healthy snack for adults.
We need to rethink what we drink.
According to Fox News in a Gallup poll finds that 48% of U.S. adults drink at least 2.6 glasses of soda a day. That is a lot of refined sugar. This is not good for people looking for heart healthy snacks for diabetics. Added sugars, especially from sugar-sweetened beverages, are strongly linked to the development of type 2 diabetes.
If you are seeking heart-healthy snacks for diabetes, your best choice is water. Plain and simple. Ok, but that sounds so boring, you may be thinking. I want heart-healthy snacks for diabetes, but come on, only water? Again probably what you’re thinking. Hey, I am not going to leave you with, drink only water, would I do that? hmmm…
But anyway, well-hydrated blood pumps more quickly and easily through the 60,000 miles of blood vessels that intertwine in your body. If your ticker’s happy, I am assuming you are glad too. Because when it comes to heart-healthy snacks for diabetes, you can’t beat water.
Remember, for some water, “is” a snack (freaks). However, we can not dismiss that water is heart-healthy, this is because it will not raise your blood sugar. High blood sugar can cause even more dehydration. When your body is dehydrated, it makes it harder for your body to eliminate excess glucose.
Ok, so let’s get to the yummy alternatives for plain old boring water. The following five drinks are still considered heart healthy:
Seltzer water with 100% cranberry juice – sophisticated deliciousness.
Green tea – Health boosting and hydrating.
Black Coffee – If you have to add a sweetener use, natural honey.
Unsweetened Iced Tea – Add fresh fruit of choice and cucumbers and let sit overnight.
100% Natural Fruit or Vegetable Juices – Watch sugars in fruit juices and sodium in vegetable juices.
Pick snacks that are heart healthy but also satisfying to your soul. Remember the angry, resentful, no salt, people. Well, you don’t want that, and neither does anyone around you.
Everyone knows that snacking has developed a “bad guy” image, but snacking is necessary for a heart-healthy lifestyle and mental health. Along with heart healthy exercises, snacking between meals is like exercising your “I can do it,” gene. (Don’t ask for medical source back-up on that gene:) But staying motivated is half the battle in sticking with a heart healthy lifestyle.
Snacking on heart healthy food in between meals can decrease your appetite when you sit down to eat a meal. This is a massive part of not overeating during mealtime. So, what are some heart healthy snacks that might also make us feel good? Here are a few that will satisfy but not overstuff:
This snack sounded so good to me when I was last in the health food store, cottage cheese with flax seeds and cinnamon, yummy.
My heart healthy snack for adults, an oldy but goody, celery sticks with cream cheese.
Mixed nuts. All-natural are the best, with no refined sugars or too much salt. Craving a little sweetness with this nutritious heart-healthy snack? Add your favorite dried fruit!
These three are great examples of satisfying heart-healthy snacks that are good for you and won’t delay dinner, making them good for the soul.
I’ve saved the best for last! We can’t talk about heart-healthy snacking without going over sweet yummy goodness. Yes, there are heart-healthy snack alternatives to gooey-sugar-ladened desserts. So let’s get right into these heart-healthy sweet-tooth gems. Because all know what desserts are bad for us and why.
But, first, I do have to mention most health food stores have several aisles or more dedicated to “healthy sweets,” but watch the labels many of these have high sugar content. The following are great for you and will calm down your sweet-tooth:
- Frozen Fruit – Same Goodness Only More Satisfying
- Raisins, Dates, or Figs – Natures Candy
- In a Hurry? Try Canned Fruit – Natural Juices
- Thin Slice of Angel Food Cake or Homemade Banana-nut Bread
I have saved the very best heart-healthy snack for last drum roll, please!
Dark Chocolate! Yup and dark chocolate is definitely a healthy heart snack for adults.
You see, dark chocolate is heart healthy because it is loaded with nutrients that our body needs to stay active. Dark chocolate is made from the seeds of the cocoa tree, it is an excellent source of antioxidants. Dark chocolate is packed soluble fiber and is loaded with minerals.
Approximately 1 to 2 oz or 30-60grams of 70% or higher is the daily dose for sugar cravings. So ditch the sugary stuff grab some dark chocolate, and live heart healthy. You will live longer, be more energetic, and more robust, and everyone who meets you will know you have a heart!
So, to end this heart healthy yummy filled article, let’s look at some heart healthy snack to buy!
Source:
https://www.foxnews.com/health/half-of-americans-drink-soda-every-day
https://www.heart.org/en
https://www.everydayhealth.com/pictures/real-reason-youre-craving-these-foods/
About the Author
Lori Bogedin is a health and wellness writer and editor of TwigsCafe.com. She is in the restaurant business since 1999. In 2016 she was named one of the "Top Women in Business" by Northeastern Pennsylvania Business Journal.
