Heart Health Month

Heart Health Month might be relegated to the shortest month of the year, but we've got some wellness tips for the whole year round!

The glaring statistics about heart disease in America are enough to scare the ants off of you: according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is America’s leading cause of death, contributing to one out of every four deaths in the country. That sobering statistic is illustrated by the financial burden that heart disease presses onto the United States’ shoulders. Between health care services, medications, and lost productivity, heart disease costs the country $108.9 billion a year.

That’s heavy stuff. Luckily, National Heart Health Month presents us with a prime opportunity to talk about these things, and more importantly, work together to live healthfully, happily, and without becoming another statistic. In this blog, we will spell out some of the best foods for your heart, recommend recipes that incorporate them, and even offer some extra tidbits of lifestyle advice so that you can be heart healthy every month of the year.

First and foremost (and at the risk of perpetuating one of the oldest health clichés ever): we must always remember that we are what we eat. Eat real, whole, nutritious food, and your body will thank you. The good news is that there are dozens of truly tasty foods that are recommended as heart-healthy by the CDC, and as belly-pleasing by us.

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 It’s all well and good to know which foods are good for your heart, but what’s the use without killer recipes to showcase your newfound knowledge? We’ve rounded up our favorite recipes that highlight at least two heart-healthy foods, ensuring that you’re pampering your ticker and your tastebuds all at once.

Breakfast: Blueberry & Beet Oatmeal with Chopped Walnuts 

Snack: Beet, Pomegranate, & Orange Smoothie 

Light lunch: Spiced Beet & Apple Muffins with Hazelnut Topping

Appetizer: Beet, Walnut, & Herb Dip 

Dinner: Crispy Citrus Salmon with Beet Marinade 

Dessert: Beet Pots de Crème

Eating colorfully and mindfully is a fantastic start to making healthful changes, and an excellent diet is accented perfectly by active life.  Moving your body — whether it be taking breaks from your desk to stretch and walk around, or the age-old advice to always take these stairs — is imperative to keeping your heart healthy. Take a peek at the packaging on your food to check the sodium (and fat and sugar!) before tucking in. Being truly aware of what you’re putting into your body, using it for it’s original purpose (to move!), and finding ways to really enjoy eating wholesome foods are great ways to carry your heart health awareness through the rest of the year.

Happy Heart Health Month, everyone!