Healthy Heart Indian  Starters | Vegetarian  Indian Snack Recipes for a healthy heart | 

Excess sodium can cause the body to retain excess fluid, which increases blood volume.This excess fluid puts extra stress on the heart and blood vessels, leading to high blood pressure. Therefore, reducing salt intake can help lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease.

semiya veg upma recipe | whole wheat vermicelli vegetable upma | healthy semiya upma | low salt semiya upma for hypertension is a low salt Indian breakfast especially for high blood pressure patients.

semiya veg upma recipe | whole wheat vermicelli vegetable upma | healthy semiya upma | low salt semiya upma for hypertension

 Replacing refined flours with wholesome ones, rich dairy products with low-fat ones, starchy veggies with high-fibre ones, and deep-frying with shallow-frying, steaming or baking, are all some of the tricks used to make heart-friendly but delightfully tasty dishes. When served with apt accompaniments, these scrumptious, heart-friendly starters and snacks will make your heart race with delight!

Foods that support Heart Health

Avoid junk food and follow simple basic home cooked food. Stay away from refined vegetable oils. Given below are some helathy Indian food options to have for a healthy heart. 

bajra ragi methi khakhra recipe | multi- flour khakhra | khakhra for weight loss | It is made from a combination of ragi (finger millet) flour, fenugreek leaves (methi), whole wheat flour and various spices.

bajra ragi methi khakhra recipe | multi flour khakhra | khakhra for weight loss

Examples of beans for a healthy heart.

Here are some examples of beans that are excellent for heart health due to their high fiber content, plant-based protein, and essential nutrients like magnesium and potassium:

1. Black Beans: Rich in antioxidants, magnesium, and fiber, black beans help lower blood pressure and improve cholesterol levels.

2. Rajma (Kidney Beans): High in fiber and potassium, these beans support healthy blood pressure and cholesterol management.

3. Kabuli chana : (Chickpeas, Garbanzo Beans): Great for reducing LDL cholesterol levels and providing heart-friendly nutrients like magnesium and potassium.

4. Lentils: masoor dal, moong dal, urad dal, chana dal)Packed with fiber, folate, and magnesium, lentils improve arterial health and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

chana dal and cabbage tikki recipe | healthy cabbage chana dal cutlet | non fried tikki Indian snack | chana dal cabbage tikki for weight and diabetes | 

chana dal and cabbage tikki recipe | healthy cabbage chana dal cutlet | non fried tikki Indian snack | chana dal cabbage tikki for weight and diabetes

5. Haricot Beans, Navy Beans: These beans are high in fiber, which helps regulate blood sugar and lower cholesterol.

6. Pinto Beans: Rich in fiber and antioxidants, they help reduce inflammation and improve heart health.

7. Soybeans: Containing isoflavones and omega-3 fatty acids, soybeans support heart health by lowering bad cholesterol.

8. Adzuki Beans: High in potassium and folate, they help regulate blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease.

9. Cannellini Beans (White Kidney Beans): High in soluble fiber, they help lower cholesterol levels and improve overall heart health.

10. Edamame (Young Soybeans): A good source of plant protein and fiber, edamame helps reduce cholesterol and supports arterial health. 

Incorporating a variety of these beans into your diet can enhance heart health and overall well-being!

moong dal dosa recipe | moong dosa | green moong dal dosa | South Indian moong dal dosa |

moong dal dosa recipe | moong dosa | green moong dal dosa | South Indian moong dal dosa

Healthy Veg Starters, Steamed Snack Recipes

Mag Ni Dal Na Dhokla

It’s very hard to achieve a perfect balance of macronutrients - Carbohydrates, Protein and Fats in snacks, but Palak Methi Muthia has it all just in right amounts. This recipe is also amazingly rich in Fibre, Vitamin A, Riboflavin, Vitamin C, Folic acid, Calcium and Magnesium, all of these work together to maintain a better heart health.

Palak Methi Na Muthia basic ingredients to make are palak, methi, ginger green chilli paste, whole wheat flour and lots of Indian spices with a pinch of sugar to sweeten it. 

palak methi na muthia recipe | Gujarati palak methi muthia | Indian spinach and fenugreek dumplings | healthy palak methi muthia |

Enjoy your high tea time with this Garlicky Methi Dhokli, where health benefits of garlic include promoting heart health. Dal Pandoli is a gujarati snack an Indian dumpling which is soft and will just melt in your mouth. A high protein snack with a good combination of heart health promoting nutrients like Potassium, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Thiamine in unbelievably good amounts.

moong dal and cauliflower greens appe recipe | Indian moong dal appe | healthy cauliflower greens appe | low calorie snack | 

Moong Dal and Cauliflower Greens Appe

Healthy Veg Starters, Non-Fried Snack Recipes

Stuffed Ragi Pancakes

Almost all Indian snacks are laden with oil and thus not suitable for heart health. Cook nourishing snacks like Oats and Moong Dal Dahi Vada which is prepared without deep frying the vadas and adding ingredients like oats and low-fat dahi that make this snack a calcium packed yet low cholesterol. Chana Dal Pancakes recipe makes use of soaked chana dal mixed with vitamin A rich vegetables and protein rich curds which enhance its taste apart from adding nutritive value to the recipe. Healthy Moong Chaat is a vitamin C and protein rich snack that can be tossed up in a jiffy and is perfect for maintaining good health. Addition of low-fat curds peps up the chaat and increases its nutritive value.

Try our other recipes for snacks like Masala Vadai, Lehsuni Matki Palak Tikki, Methi and Moong Sprouts Wrap and so on…

What causes your heart to not work correctly?

There are 5 basic reasons why we have heart issues.

1. Belly fat : The more belly fat you have, the higher the risk of a heart attack. This shows wrong food habits, bad quality vegetable oil, sugar, maida, cornflour excess etc create this problem. High blood pressure in a major problem for your heart and also uncontrolled diabetes. Your diabetes is not solved by just popping pills. You need to change the way you eat. Wrong foods eaten lead to the inflammation of the arteries of your heart. Blockages in the arteries Blockages lead to heart attack and that is so easy to fix as simple as eating healthy. Remove inflammation in your body. 

healthy jowar tomato chilla | jowar flour chilla | multi flour chilla | weight loss chilla |

Nutritious Jowar and Tomato Chila

2. Eating processed foods : Avoid junk food and follow simple basic home cooked food. Stay away from refined vegetable oils. Opt for unfrefined oils like olive oil, coconut oil. You could also have cold pressed peanut oil in your cooking as that is available in India.  Eat a healthy pyaz wali bhindi sabzi instead of going for a deep fried option. Also remember to wash your hands before you eat as they can carry infections. Your hands have opened doors, pressed lift buttons etc where others with infection may have touched them before. Thats how a virus can spread. 

3. Always be active and get your exercises in : Yes, want a healthy heart then put in the effort. Even if you have a one hour workout and you are sitting for the next 9 hours, then your one hour workout is almost useless.  Inactivity, sedentary lifestyle or sitting too long is the number one cause of inflammation and poor blood circulation in your system. Your heart needs two things, the right nutrients (eating wisely) and oxygen and both these are carried by your blood circulation. Blood circulation happens with movement. If your are in your office, then try and sit on a stool without a back rest and that will make you use your core and fire up your body. That is why we find new age workers wanting to stand at times the whole day while working at their desk. 

Blood circulation is at its lowest when we are sitting or sedentary. 2 hours of watching TV may reduce heart healthy by 13% to 15% says Harvard study. There is a way to watch TV. Get up from your TV or pause and walk around or even better do some basic exrecises while watching TV. If you had an active day then nothing will happen by watching TV for 2 hours.  

4. Smoking and Stress : The two s's. Common senses is stay away from your puff. Regarding stress, more stress makes more cortisol which creates more inflammation. That swells your arteries over time and leasds to a heart attack. Sort your stress out. 

5. Lack of sleep : Your body needs 8 hours sleep. Sleep depravation and inflammation are linked with one another. If you are sleep deprived, then you are compromising your heart health. Stress is also a big issue for heart attack. More stress makes more cortisol which creates more inflammation. 

Happy Cooking!!!

Enjoy our healthy heart starters. healthy heart snack recipes below.

Healthy Heart Accompaniments (20 recipes)
Healthy Heart Breakfast (25 recipes)
Healthy Heart Dals & Kadhis (31 recipes)
Healthy Heart Desserts (17 recipes)
Healthy Heart Drinks Beverages (19 recipes)
Healthy Heart International Recipes (26 recipes)
Healthy Heart Rice, Khichdi and Biryani (25 recipes)
Healthy Heart Rotis & Parathas (33 recipes)
Healthy Heart Salads Raitas (58 recipes)
Healthy Heart Soups (25 recipes)
Healthy Heart Subzis (41 recipes)