You may be tempted to celebrate American Heart Month in February by enjoying a handful of chocolates. While small amounts of dark chocolate have their place in a healthy diet, another way to celebrate is to choose snacks that will help your heart stay healthy and strong.
Heart disease remains the leading cause of death for American men and women. Offering heart healthy snacks at home and in your workplace is an important way to help those you care about build good eating habits.
Get started with these heart healthy snack tips
Find healthier substitutes for high-fat snacks. If your favorite high-fat snack is potato chips and dip, try baked tortilla chips with bean dip or hummus instead.
Top your fruit. If the idea of a plain piece of fruit doesn’t appeal to you, try dipping fruit slices in low-fat yogurt sprinkled with cinnamon or nutmeg.
Try a healthy dip. A carrot may be more appealing if you can dip it into hummus or peanut butter.
Be prepared for cravings. Don’t let yourself get too hungry. Keep healthy snacks with you at work or school, in your car, and at home for kids to have after school. If you have a healthy snack easily available, it’s less likely that you’ll pick a candy bar or bag of chips instead.
There are many foods that make quick and healthy snacks, including:
- String cheese
- Low-fat microwave popcorn
- Canned fruit or applesauce in single-serving containers with no added sugar
- Raisins and other dried fruit
- Whole wheat crackers
- Pretzels
- Flavored rice cakes
- Unsalted nuts
- Baby carrots
- Cherry tomatoes
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