Inspiring home cooking this winter

Media release: Tuesday 16th June 2026

Heart Foundation releases cooking tutorials and winter recipe collection

The Heart Foundation has launched a new “how to” series to encourage people in Australia to choose quick, healthy homecooked meals instead of fast food and convenience options.

Heart disease remains one of Australia’s leading causes of death, claiming one life every 12 minutes. Poor diet is a major risk factor, with fast food and convenience meals often high in salt, unhealthy saturated fat and added sugar.

While takeaway foods are thought to save time, regular consumption can increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. Cooking at home allows people to better protect their heart by controlling ingredients to reduce their intake of salt, sugar and unhealthy fats and cooking with foods that form a heart healthy eating pattern.

New Heart Foundation data shows people in Australia, particularly younger people, are eating fast food more often because they feel too time-poor to cook. The findings have prompted the Heart Foundation to release a free winter recipe collection alongside a series of six step-by-step cooking videos to help people prepare quick, affordable and heart-healthy meals.

Heart Foundation dietitian Maria Packard said people in Australia were putting their heart at risk by consuming almost double the recommended daily salt intake.

“Cold weather can often tempt us towards salty, high-fat comfort foods which is why the Heart Foundation have released these new tools to encourage more home cooking this season. Making meals at home doesn’t have to be hard or time-consuming,” Ms Packard said.

Convenience and temptation key drivers of food choices

The Heart Foundation’s State of the Heart Survey 2025, which surveyed more than 5,000 people, found unhealthy food choices were often driven by convenience and temptation. Among 18–34-year-olds surveyed:

• 46 per cent said unhealthy options were more convenient
• 37 per cent claimed unhealthy options were too tempting
• and 32 per cent said healthy meals took too long to prepare.

Ms Packard said practical tools such as meal planning, pantry staples and easy recipes could help build a cooking culture into a weekly routine.

“We offer free resources on the Heart Foundation website where you can learn how to stock a pantry with healthy food, create a shopping list, follow a Heart Healthy Eating Pattern, meal prep and now you can also watch videos to learn recipes that make cooking at home a convenient option.”

New recipe collection and tutorials the key to cooking comfortably this Winter

To help people in Australia cook from home this season, the Heart Foundation is releasing its winter recipe collection which is packed with easy, affordable meals designed for colder nights. “Whether you’re learning to cook or you’re returning to the kitchen, the Heart Foundation’s new winter recipe collection is about practical meals people want to eat, such as soups, curries and one-pan dishes that are good for your heart and suit busy lives,” Ms Packard said.

“From starting your day with breakfast tacos to mains such as Thai inspired Ramen or one pan gnocchi bolognese, our healthy recipes for a cosy night-in are quick to prepare and the best part is you’ll have a happy heart and stomach after learning how to make them."

Heart Foundation recipes and step-by-step videos on how to cook them include:

Breakfast

• Green shakshuka
• Breakfast tacos

Mains

• Mediterranean antipasto pizza
• One pan gnocchi bolognese
• Thai inspired Ramen
• Mediterranean antipasto pizza.

Find the new Winter Recipe collection on the Heart Foundation website: https://www.heartfoundation.org.au/get-winter-warmers