3 ways to eat for heart health—without even noticing

I still remember when my father was diagnosed with high cholesterol, because my mother told us we were all going to start eating better. We’d have more chicken, vegetables and “fat-free” foods, less pizza and French fries. I was devastated—vinegar fries were my weekly tradition at high school football games. I could still get them, she said—once in a while. Wise message. I certainly didn’t envision that we’d be eating the kinds of delicious heart-healthy recipes the cooks in the EatingWell Test Kitchen whip up. There are many ways to live and eat for heart health but to get you going, here are three heart-healthy dishes that taste so good you’ll forget they’re good for you.

• EatingWell’s Pepperoni Pizza (280 calories, 6 g fat, 3 g saturated fat) uses turkey pepperoni and part-skim mozzarella to minimize the saturated fat that boosts cholesterol—and, subsequently, risk of heart disease.
• Chicken isn’t the only meat you can eat for better cholesterol; lean beef has a place in a heart-healthy diet too. Try Bistro Beef Tenderloin (185 calories, 9 g fat, 3 g saturated fat).
• Get good fats from nuts, like in EatingWell’s decadent omega-3 rich Chocolate Walnut Cake.

by By Nicci Micco, EatingWell Magazine