Did you catch that game last night? A nail biter to be sure! I found the King’s comments after the semi final result very amusing,
"If I may encourage you to secure victory before the need for any last minute wonder-goals or another penalties drama, I am sure the stresses on the nation's collective heart rate and blood pressure would be greatly alleviated! Good luck, England.”
With the nation’s heart health in mind I thought it might be useful to extend some advice about heart healthy snacks for your UEFA European Men’s Football Championship Final viewing.
Vegetable crudités and dips
Who doesn’t love a carrot dipped in hummus or some other creamy dip?
Great veggies to add to your platter include but are certainly not limited to; sugar snap peas, carrot batons, celery sticks, cherry tomatoes, cucumber sticks or slices, broccoli or cauliflower florets, button mushrooms, kohlrabbi sticks, endive or little gem leaves, green beans, sliced bell peppers, blanched asparagus spears, baby corn.
Why not try your hand at making your own dips to ensure they are full of heart healthy ingredients? Like this brightly coloured beetroot dip.
Beetroot Dip
450g cooked beetroot
225g tahini
45g lemon juice
2 cloves garlic
3 ice cubes
1/4 tsp of mineral salt (grey or pink)
Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
Toasted pine nuts to top
Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until creamy.
The star of this recipe is the beetroot. Beetroot is high in nitrates which convert to nitric oxide in the blood contributing to relaxing of the blood vessels and lowering of blood pressure.
Or this patriotically coloured roasted red pepper dip.
Muhamara (Roasted Red Pepper) Dip
350g roasted red peppers
2-4 cloves of garlic
75g walnuts
2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1 tsp chili flakes (optional depending on your heat preference)
1/2 tsp mineral salt (pink or grey) (to taste)
100g extra virgin olive oil
Add all the ingredients other than the olive oil to a blender and blend to the texture of your liking. Then slowly drizzle the olive oil in with the blender on, pouring a steady stream of the olive oil in with the machine continuously running until the oil is incorporated. This should take 1-1.5 minutes so it is a very slow pour.
The star ingredients in this one are the extra virgin line oil and the walnuts. Both contain healthy fats that will improve cardiovascular health. The research supports the correlation of a higher consumption of olive oil with significantly reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.
Belinis with smoked salmon
Tiny pancakes are the perfect finger food to get toppings into your mouth without messing up your fingers. Oh, and are themselves delicious.
You can make your belinis beforehand and allow them to cool before topping with a dollop of thick greek yogurt, a slice of cold smoked salmon and a small sprig of dill. Simple yet delicious.
Here is a gluten free belini recipe from the CoeliacUK website.
The star of this recipe is the salmon. Salmon is a fantastic source of omega 3 fatty acids and can help mitigate the stress effects of watching the game! Omega 3 fatty acids have also been linked to better cardiovascular health.
Meatballs
Mediterranean Turkey Meatballs
500g ground turkey
1/2 cup chopped roasted red peppers
1/3 cup crumbled feta
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 tsp mineral salt (grey or pink)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/4 tsp black pepper
Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
In a large bowl combine the ingredients (I like to do this with my hands to get a consistent texture).
Shape into 12 evenly sized balls.
Place meatballs on the parchment lined sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until completely cooked through.
The star ingredient in this one is the turkey. High in protein but leaner than a beef or pork meatball these meatballs with help to stabilise blood sugar without adding a ton of saturated fat to your snacking.
Kale Chips
These are a great way to get greens in your snacking plate. Tasty, savoury and crispy without the saturated fat and high carb hit that potato chips offer.
Cheesy Kale Chips
2 Bunches of washed kale with the tough stalks removed, chopped into ‘chip’ sized pieces.
1 cup raw cashews
1 cup water
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp Herbamare (or mineral salt)
Place all sauce ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
Pour the sauce over the kale and massage it in, making sure it covers all the leaves well.
You can then dehydrate the kale chips until crispy or put on lined baking sheets and bake in a warm oven (90°C) for about 2 hours (or until crispy).
The star ingredient here is the kale. Greens are always the star of the show. They provide a punch of nutrients and fibre to support overall health and the cardiovascular system does not escape this.
Brownies
If you are looking for something bite sized and sweet to serve that is also healthy why not try these nutrient dense black bean brownies?
Black Bean Brownies
100g dark chocolate (70% cocoa)
350g tinned black beans drained and rinsed
60g coconut oil
3 eggs
30g raw cacao
2 tsp vanilla extract
80g coconut sugar
1 tsp gluten free baking powder
50g walnuts (optional)
Raw cacao nibs or dark chocolate chips, for sprinkling (optional)
Preheat oven to 160°C (320°F). Grease and line a square cake tin.
Melt dark chocolate with a double boiler.
Add all the ingredients other than the baking powder, walnuts and toppings to a blender or food processor and blend for 4 minutes or until smooth and thoroughly combined.
Add the baking powder and mix until smooth and well combined.
Stir through the walnuts, if using.
Pour into your prepared cake tin, smooth the top and add your topping, if using.
Bake for 25 mins or until just cooked through. Allow to cool in tin, then cut into squares to serve.
The star ingredients here are the black beans and the walnuts. The beans contain fibre and protein to ensure you are not spiking your blood sugar by consuming them. High blood sugar causes glycation of your red blood cells, which makes them sticky and is involved in hardening of arteries.
Now go on, make some heart healthy snacks on Sunday and sit back, (try to) relax and enjoy the show.
Let’s GO England!!
To wellness,
April
Want to learn more?
Influence of dietary inorganic nitrate on blood pressure and vascular function in hypertension: prospective implications for adjunctive treatment https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6850980/
Olive oil consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality: A meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9623257/
Role of omega-3 fatty acids in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular Diseases: A consensus statement from the Experts’ Committee Of National Society Of Cardiometabolic Medicine https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9791266/
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