HEART friendly and fast healthy foods are often seen as difficult to achieve as well as contradictory. But that isn’t the case. The fact is that healthy foods, that are also heart smart, can be simple snacks found in your home and fast-food eateries. So, if you’re conscious of your weight, there are comfort foods that are diet-friendly. And if you are worried about your heart, there are some heart-smart snacks that support this powerful organ. Then again if you love fast food eateries, you can make wise choices that won’t derail your healthy eating habit.
9 Diet-Friendly Comfort Foods
Very often you use food to comfort yourself in response to emotions. But unfortunately, many favourites are loaded with calories, fat, and sugar. Hence, find below a list of common comfort foods with lower-calorie swaps.
Pizza
Refuse: 2 slices (1/8 of 12-in pie) cheese baked pizza (290 calories, 8 grams fat)
Choose: 1 slice (1/8 of 12-in pie) cheese baked pizza (145 calories, 4 grams fat)
Ice Cream
Refuse: 1 cup soft-serve frozen ice cream (375 calories, 23 grams fat)
Choose: 1 cup hardened ice cream (270 calories, 14 grams fat)
Potato Crisps
Refuse: potato crisps, 1 ounce (160 calories, 11 grams fat)
Choose: soy crisps, 1 ounce (110 calories, 3 grams fat – plus protein and fiber, bonus!)
Bread
Refuse: 2 slices white bread with butter (260 calories, 10 grams fat)
Choose: 2 slices whole wheat bread with 2 tsp peanut butter (160 calories, 6 grams fat, and 8 grams fiber)
Burgers
Refuse: beef cheeseburger (1100 calories, 80 grams fat)
Choose: chicken burger with lettuce, tomato, onion, ketchup on half the Bun (334 calories, 13 grams fat)
French Fries
Refuse: large French fries (600 calories, 33 grams fat)
Choose: baked sweet potato fries (220 calories, 0 grams fat)
Chicken Wings
Refuse: fried chicken wings with mayonnaise dressing (620 calories, 50 grams fat)
Choose: baked chicken breast with hot sauce (120 calories, 1.5 grams fat)
Pasta
Refuse: traditional macaroni and cheese, 2 cups (880 calories, 40 grams fat)
Choose: whole wheat macaroni mixed with ½ cup tomato sauce and 2 tbsp parmesan cheese, 2 cups (420 calories, 5 grams fat)
Cookies
Refuse: four chocolate chip cookies, commercial type (200 calories, 10 grams fat)
Choose: two chocolate chip cookies, commercial type (100 calories, 5 grams fat)
Heart Smart Snacks
Scientists used to think of these heart-smart snacks as junk food. But research shows that eating moderate portions of these snacks may actually help your heart when eaten as part of a healthy diet.
Dark Choloclate
An ounce of dark chocolate contains 10 times more antioxidants than a strawberry. In addition, a diet containing about an ounce of chocolate a day increases your good cholesterol and prevents bad cholesterol from oxidizing, a process that may lead to heart disease.
Nuts
Because they are rich in healthy fats, vitamin E, and phytochemicals, eating a handful of nuts, peanuts, almonds, even cashews, more than twice a week appears to lower your risk of heart disease.
Shrimp
Yes, it is high in cholesterol. However, the omega-3 fatty acids and other nutrients that you get from shrimp still make it a good, very low-calorie snack.
Avocado
Yes, tuck into avocados because they are a great source of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat. So, the simplest way to eat avocados is by sprinkling them with a pinch of salt and pepper. You can also slice them into salads, soups, on toast, scrambled eggs, or mash with lime as in guacamole.
Fast-Food Eatery Choices
The ideal is to pack a nutritious sandwich from home to ensure heart friendly and fast healthy foods choices. But in many houses, that isn’t always possible. So when making the lifestyle choice to grab a quick bite, weigh the options in terms of what foods can boost your energy and mood. There is formidable research on how some foods boost mood and brainpower while others knock you for an emotional loop, even though they taste good at the time. So what are your wisest choices out there?
Peking soup
Anytime you’re craving something oriental, a wise choice is Peking soup. The soup is not only nutritiously healthy, but also delicious with chunks of tofu, veggies, and pieces of chicken breast. The spring rolls are tempting but you can do without those deep-fried snacks.
Chicken meal
Chicken, whether fried, roast, grilled, barbequed, or stripped, is the most popular protein dish you can have on the run. Therefore, a good choice is a chicken meal with vegetable rice or pasta and salad. Another option is a chicken wrap with bits of salad and mild pepper sauce. Also, ask for half the tomato sauce and mayonnaise in your chicken wrap. And if you are still hungry, fill up with fresh salad rather than the fries.
Boiled plantain and vegetables
A combination of boiled plantains and stewed green vegetables is a great way to enjoy heart friendly and fast healthy foods. This is for the reason that plantains contain fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to fight free radicals and support your immune system. Thus, boiled plantains with stewed vegetables will put you in a good mood zone for peak energy.
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