It has never been more important to prepare and consume home-cooked meals that can support good health . . . The Keep the Beat™ Recipes: Deliciously Healthy Dinners cookbook can help you do just that, easily and efficiently."
—Jane E. Brody, Personal Health columnist, The New York Times
"An imaginative, international cookbook . . ."
—Jonathan LaPook, M.D., Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine,
New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center
About the Book
What's good for your heart is great for your taste buds! The
recipes in this cookbook show that you don't have to lose flavor to eat
nutritious foods. Keep the Beat™ Recipes:
Deliciously Healthy Dinners contains 75 heart healthy recipes. More
than two-thirds of these recipes were created for the National Heart, Lung, and
Blood Institute (NHLBI) by a Culinary Institute of America-trained chef and a
James Beard Foundation award-winning registered dietitian. The remaining
recipes come from popular NHLBI cookbooks—Keep the
Beat Heart Healthy Recipes from the NHLBI, Heart Healthy Home
Cooking African American Style, and Delicious Heart Healthy Latino
Recipes.
Keep the Beat Recipes: Deliciously Healthy
Dinners is part of a planned series of new "Keep the
Beat" cookbooks from the NHLBI.
Eating For Health
Staying healthy can be a challenge, but lifestyle changes like eating
healthfully and being physically active can help lower your risk for heart
disease and other conditions.
One way to eat a healthy diet is to choose a variety of foods.
Variety matters because no food has all the nutrients that your heart and the
rest of your body need. A healthy eating plan is one that:
- Emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat
milk and milk products
- Includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts
- Is low in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium, and
added sugars
Also, think about what you drink—choose nonalcoholic,
low/no-calorie options such as water, skim milk, iced tea, club soda, diet
soda, and sparkling beverages as a substitute for regular, sweetened
beverages.
When it comes to eating healthfully, portion size also matters.
The recipes in this cookbook are designed to give you a satisfying portion,
while helping you stay within your calorie limits.
Cooking A Multicultural Feast
Whether you're an experienced cook or you shy away from the
kitchen, Keep the Beat Recipes: Deliciously Healthy
Dinners can help you prepare dishes that have an American, Latino,
Mediterranean, or Asian flair.
Aside from being healthy, the recipes also are reasonably quick and easy
to prepare. Most of the main-dish meals take no more than 40 minutes to
prepare and cook. Side dishes cook in 30 minutes or less. Some of
the ingredients may be new to you, such as fish sauce and rice vinegar (which
are used in many Asian dishes) and low-sodium products. You can find
these and other ingredients in most grocery stores. Try looking in the
spice, ethnic, or health food section of your local store. If you can't
find products labeled "low-sodium," compare the Nutrition Facts panels on
available products to find the one with the lowest amount of sodium. We
also have suggested a select number of ingredient substitutions in the Healthy Eating FAQs. For dishes that include fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs,
consider buying produce at your local farmer's market.
The recipes in this cookbook also are limited in fat, saturated fat,
trans fat, cholesterol, sodium, and calories. They use lean cuts
of meat, poultry without the skin, fish, beans, whole grains, fruits,
vegetables, small amounts of vegetable oil, and lots of herbs and spices for
flavor. Most of all, these recipes are delicious. Try them on a
weeknight, weekend, or special occasion.
For more information on how to shop for, prepare, and serve healthy
meals, see the following sections:
Abbreviations
Recipes use the following abbreviations:
C = cup
lb = pound
oz = ounce
pkg = package
pt = pint
qt = quart
Tbsp = tablespoon
tsp = teaspoon
Nutrient lists use the following abbreviations:
g = gram
mg = milligram
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™Keep the Beat is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
