We’ve emerged from a cold winter one that coincided with the health impacts of, and restrictions linked to, COVID-19, into an improving health environment.

Winter is long, cold, dark and dreary, and these elements can see us turn to, and overindulge in, comfort foods. As the chill gives way to a new season, sunshine and fresh vegetables and fruits now is the time to give your cooking a heart-healthy spring cleaning!

Spring back to heart-healthy eating

If you’ve been bunkered down for COVID-19 and winter perhaps you haven’t been eating as healthy as you hoped.

During the cold, we can crave large, heavy meals. Plus, over months of being inside bingeing on streaming TV and movies, we may have also been over doing the salty and sugary snacks.

Now, you can turn over a new leaf and leave that behind as you get back to eating well for your heart, and your whole health.

What does a heart-healthy eating pattern look like? The Heart Foundation recommends taking an all-round approach to healthy eating that can help to protect your heart and prevent you from developing heart disease.

Best of all, taking a heart-healthy approach to your diet doesn’t need to be difficult, and you can still eat delicious foods. To follow a heart-healthy eating pattern, make sure to eat:

plenty of vegetables, fruits and wholegrains
a variety of protein-rich foods, including fish and seafood, legumes (such as beans, lentils and chickpeas), nuts and seeds, eggs and chicken, unflavoured milk, yoghurt and cheese
healthy fats and oils, including olive, canola, sunflower, peanut and soybean oil. You can also choose foods that contain heart-healthy fats, such as avocados, olives, unsalted nuts and seeds
herbs and spices to add bursts of flavour

Doesn’t that sound yum?

Recipes boasting fresh flavours for a new season

At the Heart Foundation, we believe that a great approach to helping people improve their heart health is to “show, don’t tell”. So, discover some of our amazing spring-inspired recipes:

Granola with Greek yoghurt and seasonal fruits

Get going on a sunny spring morning with this satisfying, seedy and scrumptious breakfast. This granola recipe takes around 40 minutes to complete. If you make enough in one go, you can have a week’s worth of delicious cereal ready to eat before you dash out the door. Make the most of the season and add some delicious berries.

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Plus, we all know that breakfast is an important meal in our day, so be sure to check these other delicious brekkie recipes.

Chicken and salad wholegrain rolls

Nobody has heaps of time to cook a complicated recipe for lunch. These chicken and salad rolls are ready in just 10 minutes! Plus, they are brimming with season-fresh flavours like carrots, spring onions and mint.

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These rolls are easy to make if you’re working from home or the office. If you need more inspiration, check out our lunch recipes.

Fish with Moroccan lentil salad

Everybody craves a dinner that’s bursting with flavours. Take your tastebuds on an exotic trip with this dinner recipe that’s ready in just 20 minutes. Fish is a delicious heart-healthy protein, and in this dish, it’s paired with lentils, currants, chilli, mint leaves, black pepper, lemon and more!

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Stumped for dinner ideas? Discover more hearty dinners.

Bon appétit!

No matter what type of cuisine you’re into, or which meal you’re preparing, you can find the perfect recipe on the Heart Foundation website. Best of all, each of our recipes is packed full of flavour and great for your heart,

To discover even more heart-healthy recipes and cooking tips, subscribe to our monthly newsletter, From the Heart. To sign up, head to our website and click on the three horizontal dots at the bottom of the page. After clicking on the dots, click on Subscribe and enter your details.