EXPRESS YOUR LOVE The Heart-healthy Way This Valentine’s Day!

Whether young or old, couples all over the world look forward to Valentine’s Day as a time to celebrate their love with the perfect meal together! However, those chocolates and crunchy brownies may be tempting, but come with a high dose of transfats and / or saturated fats, which in turn can have harmful effects on our heart-health.

So, what better way to celebrate this Valentine’s Day than to surprise your loved one with a home-cooked heart-healthy and delicious meal! Sheela Krishnaswamy, Diet, Nutrition and Wellness Consultant, shares five easy steps and tips that can help you prepare that perfect heart-smart meal.

1) A “choco-nut” way to kickstart your meal: Nuts like almonds are perfect add-ons to a variety of appetizers, dishes and desserts. Combining chocolates with almonds is a great way to prepare light bites to start your meal with your loved one. Woo your partner with roasted almonds dipped in dark chocolate sauce for delightfully flavoured almonds. If you are worried about the excess calories, then here is an interesting fact: due to their richness in fiber, protein and good quality fat, almonds make a high nutrient and high satiety food for weight watchers. 23 almonds contain 13 grams of unsaturated fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, are 100% cholesterol free and have only 129 calories. Almonds also play a crucial role in heart health, as they lower LDL “bad” cholesterol and are high in monounsaturated or “good” fats.

2) A soup with a twist: Soups are always a healthy and tasty bet before the main course, and you can experiment with an interesting soup such as tofu with asparagus sprinkled with almonds. Leafy greens such as spinach (palak) and methi  are rich in  vitamins and minerals that contribute to our heart health. 

3) Choose wisely, cook healthy, stay heart-smart: All heart-smart meals have two things in common: the right ingredients and the right cooking method. Adding a heart healthy oil like olive oil, basil leaves, vinegar and oregano to your salad will make it healthy, fresh and irresistible. While preparing your appetizers, opt for techniques like stir-frying or steaming as these are better than frying.

4) The main course: Seafood lovers should opt for a grilled fish of your choice- salmon, tuna, Bombay Duck, Hilsa etc. Fish is a direct source of omega-3 fatty acids that helps in fighting inflammation and maintaining cholesterol levels, all of which reduce the risk of heart disease. Vegetarians can make dishes like soyabean pulao with a variety of vegetables added to make it a complete meal which benefits overall health and wellbeing.

5) Sinful desserts with a healthy twist: Desserts can be enjoyed without worry provided one makes smart substitutions while preparing them. Adding heart-smart nuts like almonds to your desserts like kheer, halwa or a chocolate-almond cake is a good idea for the perfect end to the meal.

Here is an easy-to-prepare recipe to surprise your valentine with:

Chocolate Cookies with Sliced Almonds
Created by the Almond Board of California

Ingredients

125 grams flour
75 grams almonds in powder
1/2 tsp. salt
5 grams baking powder
125 grams butter
1 ea. Egg
100 grams brown sugar
100 grams dark crushed chocolate
50 grams sliced almonds

Procedure

1. Beat butter and brown sugar together in a bowl and, then, add the egg.

2. Add the sifted flour with almonds in powder, baking powder and salt.

3. Finish the recipe by putting the chocolate and the sliced almonds.

4. Place little bowls of mixture on a baking tray.

5. Bake for 8 minutes at 190° C.

Nutritional analysis per serving.

* total alpha-tocopherol equivalents

So go ahead and enjoy the day of love the heart smart way!