Heart Health Month Goodies.
February has rolled around again and that means it is American Heart Month, or as I call it, Heart Health Month. As a heart attack survivor, this month is one I like to recognize. If you want to hear more about my experience, check out this article or this podcast.
You are going to love this month’s coaching tip if heart health is a concern. I’m sharing the basics of heart healthy eating by breaking down my top 5 tips for eating a heart healthy diet. As a bonus, I’ve included information about upcoming heart-health related blogs that I will be posting in February.
Finally, we are going way back to my purple hair days to revisit a hot quinoa breakfast recipe. This is a great alternative to overnight oats to have a ready-to-go breakfast in the morning. The recipe is included below, but you have to click to the video to see the purple hair. (I actually kinda miss it some days!).
In closing, “British scientists say they have developed a super broccoli that can help fight heart disease. You know, if you want to fight heart disease, why don’t you come up with a food people will actually eat? Like a super glazed donut.” – Jay Leno
Yours in good health – and happy Heart Health Month!
– Alexia Lewis, RD
Master’s Level Nutritionist
Registered Dietitian
Certified Health Coach
What’s On My Table
Ever wondered what a dietitian eats? Surprise! It is not only super-healthy foods. This dietitian eats for nutrition and for pleasure. You can too.
I don’t know about you, but I love breakfast. It is my favorite meal. Which is why you see a lot of breakfast recipes from me.
Meal prep overnight oats have been in my meal rotation for quite some time now and I was ready for a change. So, I brought back a Quinoa Breakfast recipe that I initially got from the Transform app recipes. It is meal-prep friendly, and of course, a heart healthy choice to celebrate Heart Health Month.
So, quinoa. I find a lot of my patients believe quinoa is a protein food. Well… not exactly. Quinoa got some press a few years back because it is a complete protein, but that doesn’t put it in the category of protein foods.
A complete protein is one that has all the essential amino acids.
Essential, meaning you must eat them to get them. Many plant-based foods are incomplete proteins, which makes quinoa kind of special. Well, it got the spotlight anyway. Soybeans, buckwheat, and hempseed are also plant-based complete proteins.
Amino acids, being what makes up a protein. Proteins are the “building blocks” in your body for muscles (of course), but they also show up in your body’s structure, hormones, immunity, digestion, and even gene expression (and more!).
So, yes, quinoa is a complete protein, and it packs in 8 grams of protein per cup. But nutritionally it is a (whole) grain and botanically it is a seed.
Either way, it’s a great addition to a healthy dietary pattern. Enjoy!
If you like videos and want to see the full glory of my purple hair, check it out. If you are more of a “just give me the info” type, then here you go!
Hot Quinoa Breakfast
1 serving
Step 1: Mix together:
- 1/2 scoop of vanilla protein powder.
- 1/3 cup unsweetened milk of your choice.
- 1/3 cup cooked quinoa.
- Dash of cinnamon and of nutmeg.
Step 2: Heat mixture in microwave or on stovetop.
Step 3: Remove from heat, transfer to a bowl, and add 1/2 sliced banana (or fruit of your choice).
If you want a larger serving, keep the ratio of quinoa to milk the same. Ex: 1 cup of quinoa would need 1 cup of milk. Add more protein powder, spices, and fruit as desired to match your serving size.
If you want to meal prep this, mix all ingredients except the banana in a Mason Jar (or other airtight container) and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. In the morning, heat the quinoa mixture and add the sliced banana.
What I’ve Been Coaching On
You can catch a glimpse of what my coaching style is like in this section, where I share some of what I’m working with my clients on.
This is based on my experience with my patients and is provided solely for educational purposes. It may NOT be appropriate for you. Please check with your healthcare provider before making changes based on the information provided here.
Your food choices can have a direct impact on your heart health and heart disease risk.
Specific foods, and types of foods, can help to improve cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure, and body weight. Fun fact, heart disease risk is elevated in people with overweight as well as underweight, so it may not always be about weight loss.
Improve these markers of your health, and heart disease risk can go down. Let these markers get worse, and heart disease risk can go up.
I’m all about adding food in (not taking it away), so this month let’s talk about adding foods that can help with your heart health! Which takes us to what I’m coaching on lately.
One thing I work with the most is helping people improve their cholesterol through nutrition and lifestyle changes. Typically, the focus is on lowering LDL (the “bad” cholesterol) and raising HDL (the “good” cholesterol).
Since it’s Heart Health Month, I’m going to take this one step further and share my top 5 tips for eating in a heart-healthy way. And I’m going to be posting heart health articles all month. If you don’t want to miss any, be sure to Subscribe using the bright orange button when you read any article.
The Basics of Heart Healthy Eating:
- Increase fiber.
- Change up your dietary fats.
- Decrease sodium.
- Decrease added sugars.
- Reduce ultra-processed foods.
Get more info on these basics and 2 bonus tips if you check out the article.
If you click that Subscribe Button on any article on my site, then you will get the following articles delivered right to your inbox!
- Risk Factors for Heart Disease
- Heart Attack Signs and Symptoms
- Flavoring Foods with Less Salt.
- Surprisingly Salty Foods.
- Cheers to Your Heart Health (the impact of alcohol).
Medical Nutrition Therapy
Wanna talk about how to make those changes to improve your heart health or reduce your risk?
How about ways to assess and revise recipes and tweak your common meals to make them more heart-healthy?
Click right here to get to Alexia’s provider page, choose a date/time and start the scheduling process.
- One of the first screens when you start will let know if your health insurance is accepted by Nourish.
- Before you finish the booking process, you will enter your insurance information and get an estimate of the expected costs.
And, of course, you can reply to this email if you have questions or want to be hooked up with another amazing RD at Nourish. I’m happy to help!
About Alexia Lewis RD
I believe in science, humor, and delicious food.
Heart health is my jam. I love to write and speak publicly on this topic and all aspects of living a heart-healthy lifestyle.
I believe you shouldn’t sacrifice your mental health chasing better physical health. You deserve to be both happy and healthy. You don’t have to choose just one.
I am a master’s level nutritionist who is also a registered and licensed dietitian in multiple states in the USA, a certified personal trainer, and certified health coach. I also invested in becoming a culinary nutritionist and weight management specialist. In other words, I got you boo.
