Top Ten Heart Healthy Snacks for Valentines Day from NWH

Top Ten Heart Healthy Snacks for Valentine’s Day from NWH: So who chose February for Heart Health Month, what with Valentine’s Day stuck in the middle of it. What To Do? Pat Talio (Northern Westchester Hospital Clinical Dietitian and Outpatient Nutrition Program Coordinator) offers up this list of her Top 10 Hearth Healthy Snacks.  

I hope this headline caught your attention. I know most people feel not snacking should have been a one of your New Year’s resolutions but in contrast, snacking can be an important part of a heart-healthy diet.

Consider this, if there are more than 3 hours between your meals there are benefits to adding a snack into your routine. Adding a healthy snack will prevent you from being over hungry at meal time, which often leads to overeating at your next meal. It also helps with blood sugar control and sustained energy.

The keys to picking a heart-healthy snack are portion size and quality. Portion Size should be 200 calories or less. Your snack should be high in fiber, contain lean protein (preferably plant-based), be low in sugar and sodium, and have no saturated or trans fat.

The results are in! Top 10 Heart-Healthy Snacks!

Number 10 – 6 ounces of plain Greek yogurt with ¼ cup of fresh or frozen blueberries and 2 teaspoons of chia seeds with an optional garnish of chopped fresh mint
(144 calories, 3 g fiber, 2 g fat, 18 g protein)

Number 9 – Roasted Chickpeas with Parmesan Cheese (see recipe below)

Number 8 – 3 cups popped popcorn, jazzed up with 1 teaspoon of canola oil and a sprinkle of ground cinnamon, cayenne and unsweetened cocoa powder
(129 calories, 3.5 g fiber, 5 g fat and 3 g protein)

Number 7 – 1.5 cups steamed Edamame in the Pod
(160 calories, 12 g fiber, 15g protein, 3 g fat)

Number 6 – 2 ounces of hummus (try a white or black bean hummus for variety) with 1 cup crudité
(158 calories, 6 g fiber, 4 g protein, 5 g fat)

Number 5 – ½ apple with 1 tablespoon of natural almond butter
(145 calories, 9 g fat, 4 g fiber, 3 g protein)

Number 4 – ½ cup low fat cottage cheese with ¼ cup of raspberries and 1 tablespoon of slivered almonds
(153 calories, 15 g pro, 6 g fat, 2 g fiber

Number 3 – 1 tablespoon of natural peanut butter on 2 whole grain crisp breads (Wasa High Fiber Crisp bread)
(167 calories, 6 g protein, 6 g fiber, 8 g fat)

Number 2 – 30 unsalted pistachio nuts
(102 calories, 4 g protein, 8 g fat, 2 g fiber)

And the Number 1 Heart Healthy Snack is…
4 large, whole strawberries dipped in ½ ounce of melted dark chocolate topped with 1.5 teaspoons of chopped walnuts
(187 calories, 2g pro, 12 g fat, 3.5 g fiber) !

Spicy Roasted Chickpeas

Courtesy of eat-yourself-skinny.com

INGREDIENTS
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
2 (15.5 oz.) cans chickpeas, rinsed, drained and patted dry

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Arrange racks in top and bottom thirds of oven. Stir together oil, chili powder, cumin, salt and cayenne in a large bowl. Add chickpeas and toss to coat.
3. Divide chickpeas between two large rimmed baking sheets. Bake, shaking pans occasionally and rotating pans from top to bottom shelves after 20 minutes, until chickpeas are browned and crisp, about 35 to 40 minutes.
4. Serve warm or at room temperature.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
Serving Size (serves 6): 1/3 cup • Calories: 141 • Fat: 4 g • Fiber: 5 g • Protein: 6 g

Find more delicious and nutritious recipes check out www.nwhc.net/recipes

Editor’s Note:
Pat Talio, MS, RD, CDE, CDN, is the Outpatient Nutrition Program Coordinator at Northern Westchester Hospital.

Photo of Roasted Chickpeas with Parmesan Cheese courtesy of The Huffington Post

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