Studies and evidence are showing that a Plant-Based Diet, and especially a Whole Food Plant-Based Diet are great for heart health! (You can learn about starting a WFPB Diet at Whole Food Plant-Based Diet (WFPB) Beginners Guide)
In a previous post, we looked at some great heart-healthy Plant-Based Diet foods. In this post, we will look at some wonderful plant-based heart-healthy meals and recipes!
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Heart-Healthy Plant-Based Meals
What are some good heart-healthy plant-based meals incorporating plant-based foods? Let’s take a look.
Heart-Healthy Plant-Based Breakfast
Coffee is always a good choice to have at breakfast and has tons of healthy benefits including lots of antioxidants. And it’s completely plant-based!
For food, I think oatmeal is the best way to get a nice serving or two of whole grains for the day. On top of the oatmeal, you can put so many heart-healthy items such as:
- Hemp seeds
- Ground flax seeds
- Ground chia seeds or soaked chia seeds
- Walnuts
- Soy milk or almond milk
- Peanut butter or almond butter
- Fruits such as berries and bananas
Here is the post to my Healthy Whole Food Plant-Based (& Vegan) Breakfast Oatmeal Bowl which I eat almost every morning, and is loaded with these healthy plant-based foods! For something more simple, you can check out Heart-Healthy Overnight Oats.
Sometimes I will also make some delicious almond flour pancakes, which are loaded with heart-healthy almonds. You also get some olive oil along with them.
Heart-Healthy Plant-Based Lunch
For lunch, you could go for a spinach salad or a green smoothie. You can add nuts to this or snack on nuts later if needed. Also, avocado and olive oil can add some healthy calories and help to fill you up and keep you full longer.
Another easy option is an Ezekiel bread sandwich such as a peanut butter or almond butter sandwich. Dr. Hennessey also likes hummus, which is from the Mediterranean diet.
Black bean burgers or any other type of plant-based burger are great options that can be very satisfying.
Sometimes we love to eat burritos on whole wheat tortillas for lunch. Burritos provide tons of beans, which are great for you, and you can add quinoa or brown rice to them, as well as tomatoes or salsa, and spinach.
Some other good options for lunch might include some plant-based soups, or a lot of Mediterranean dishes which contain chickpeas (such as falafel or wraps).
Another option is an Asian type of stir-fry that uses tofu as the protein base.
Heart-Healthy Plant-Based Snacks
Nuts of any kind are a great option as a heart-healthy snack. You can eat raw nuts, or go for a nut butter such as peanut butter, almond butter, or sunflower butter.
Another good snack option might be homemade popcorn.
I love trail mix as a plant-based snack option. If you do eat trail mix, try to minimize the amount of processed sugar (from chocolate) and also try to maximize the variety of nuts or fruits that you eat!
If you would like to purchase already-made snack bars, I’ve found that Lara Bars are a great choice! They usually only contain 4-6 all-natural plant-based ingredients, including dates and nuts!
(See Whole Food Plant-Based Snacks – A Guide with Healthy Ideas)
Heart-Healthy Plant-Based Dinner
Dinner could include a healthy salad as a side.
The main course can be a bean-based dish, such as a lentil dish or vegetarian chili. Some options include vegetarian chili, red curry lentils, black bean and quinoa dishes, black bean enchiladas, coconut curry lentils, or black bean burgers with baked potatoes. There are so many options for bean or tofu-based dishes! (See below for these recipes)
Also, add some cooked or baked potatoes or sweet potatoes as a side. And include a whole grain such as brown rice or quinoa to go with the dish.
- Black Bean Burgers
- Strawberry Spinach Salad with Avocado and Walnuts
- Mushroom and Tofu Stir Fry
- Stuffed Potatoes with Salsa and Beans
- Vegetarian Chili
- Red Curry Lentils
- Coconut Curry Lentils
- Vegetarian Black Bean Enchiladas
Heart-Healthy Plant-Based Desserts
Dr. Hennessey recommends cutting down on desserts that are not good for the heart but says they can be still eaten in minimal amounts every so often.
I think a great heart-healthy option if you don’t mind cooking is black bean brownies. They sound strange but are great, and you are getting a nice dose of beans, which are very heart friendly.
Another heart-healthy option might be almond flour chocolate chip cookies or any other almond flour cookie or baked goods. You get the benefits of almonds along with them, and unlike wheat flour which has part of the wheat removed, the almond flour contains the whole part of the almond. So you are getting all the benefits.
When it comes to baked goods, you can make some substitutions for the animal products in order to make them entirely plant-based.
For the butter, you could substitute coconut oil or cocoa butter. For the eggs, you can substitute chia seeds or flax seeds.
Also, flax seeds can be added to baked goods in order to increase their nutritional value, without altering the recipe!
Also, there are some vegan ice creams made from plant-based milk which would be a much better option than regular ice cream. We also once made a frozen banana ice cream which was actually pretty good!
Heart-Healthy Plant-Based Recipes
Here’s a list of some recipes that would be great heart-healthy meals. The ones at the bottom are ones that we personally use a lot.
- Black Bean Burgers – Here’s a super easy version of black bean burgers with only four ingredients.
- Strawberry Spinach Salad with Avocado and Walnuts
- Mushroom and Tofu Stir Fry
- Stuffed Potatoes with Salsa and Beans
- Vegetarian Chili
- Red Curry Lentils
- Coconut Curry Lentils
- Vegetarian Black Bean Enchiladas – Instead of whole wheat tortillas, we use corn tortillas as a healthy alternative
- Black Bean Brownies
- Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Ice Cream
Healthy Heart Plant-Based Soups
Vegetarian soups can be a great choice as heart-healthy meals. They contain tons of beans which are great for the heart. This gives you lots of fiber and antioxidants.
They also tend to be low in saturated fats which is another plus. Here are a couple of healthy soup recipes.
Lance has been passionate about the plant-based diet and we have been following a whole food plant-based diet for over 5 years. We focus on health, natural healing, weight management, animal rights, and the health of the planet and environment by focusing on whole plant-based foods and sustainable practices.
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