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Cardiovascular
Making Mayo’s Recipes: Two days’ worth of heart-healthy menus
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Do you want to adopt a heart-healthy diet, but aren't sure where to start? Heart-healthy eating doesn't have to be difficult. Use these menus provided by Mayo Clinic Staff to get started.
One way to begin is to create a daily meal plan that emphasizes vegetables, fruits and whole grains and limits high-fat foods (such as red meat, cheese and baked goods) and high-sodium foods (such as canned or processed foods).
Below are two days' worth of heart-healthy menus. Use them as examples of heart-healthy eating.
Day 1 menu
Breakfast
- 1 cup cooked oatmeal, sprinkled with 1 tablespoon chopped walnuts and 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 banana
- 1 cup skim milk
Lunch
- 1 cup low-fat (1 percent or lower), plain yogurt with 1 teaspoon ground flaxseed
- 1/2 cup peach halves, canned in juice
- 5 Melba toast crackers
- 1 cup raw broccoli and cauliflower
- 2 tablespoons low-fat cream cheese, plain or vegetable flavor (as a spread for crackers or vegetable dip)
- Sparkling water
Dinner
- 4 ounces salmon
- 1/2 cup green beans with 1 tablespoon toasted almonds
- 2 cups mixed salad greens
- 2 tablespoons low-fat salad dressing
- 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
- 1 cup skim milk
- 1 small orange
Snack
- 1 cup skim milk
- 9 animal crackers
Nutritional information: 1,562 calories; 45 g total fat; 10 g saturated fat; 15 g monounsaturated fat;
16 g polyunsaturated fat; 126 mg cholesterol; 1,257 mg sodium; 207 g total carbohydrate; 24 g dietary fiber; 92 g protein.
Day 2 menu
Breakfast
- 1 cup plain, low-fat yogurt, topped with 3/4 cup blueberries
- 3/4 cup calcium-fortified orange juice
Lunch
- 1 whole-wheat pita stuffed with 1 cup shredded romaine lettuce, 1/2 cup sliced tomatoes, 1/4 cup sliced cucumbers, 2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese and 1 tablespoon reduced-fat ranch dressing
- 1 kiwi
- 1 cup skim milk
Dinner
- Chicken stir-fry (3 ounces) with eggplant (1 cup) and basil
- 1 cup brown rice with 1 tablespoon chopped dried apricots
- 1 cup steamed broccoli
- 4 ounces red wine or concord grape juice
Snack
- 2 tablespoons mixed, unsalted nuts
- 1 cup fat-free frozen yogurt
Nutritional information: 1,605 calories; 30 g total fat; 10 g saturated fat; 10 g monounsaturated fat; 6 g polyunsaturated fat; 126 mg cholesterol; 1,264 mg sodium; 242 g total carbohydrate; 24 g dietary fiber; 83 g protein.
Drink water as a calorie-free way to hydrate.
