Heart Healthy homemade Chili recipes?

Question

Recently (10 days ago) I had a heart attack and now am on a low sodium, low fat, low cholesteral, no fun diet. (at least, looking at the list of excluded foods, it seems that way...sigh).
Does anyone know of a heart healthy recipe for chili or other normal people foods? Or maybe a web site that has these...I've found a few, but they're not very good and thought maybe other people in this situation might have found some really good ones over time.

Thanks.

Answer 1

I have the perfect recipe for you. Well, it's not really a recipe, because I just add things as I go. It's heart healthy because it's low in sodium and fat, but high in fiber and antioxidants from the beans and veggies.

Ingred:
2 cans black beans (low sodium if possible, rinsed if not)
1 can red kidney beans (ditto on the sodium)
1 cans stewed tomatoes (no salt added)
1 can tomato paste (no salt added)
1 pkg. low salt spicy chili seasoning
1 lb ground turkey, or 93% lean ground beef (alternatively, you can use soy "burger crumbles"--I like the Boca brand)
1 med white or yellow onion
1 med green bell pepper
1 med red bell pepper
1-2 cloves of fresh garlic, finely chopped or pressed
1/2 c corn (if desired)
1-2 tbsp olive or canola oil.

Chop all veggies into small pieces. Add veggies and all the rest of the ingredients into a slow cooker. Add water to taste (less if you want more flavor, more if you want a subtle flavor). Cook on low heat for about 6 hrs. If you want to cook it in shorter time on a stovetop, saute veggies in 1/2 tbsp of canola oil. Then brown the meat (unless you're using soy). Then add all other ingredients in a large stock pot. Enjoy!

Also, for other ideas, just remember you can make anything you want. Just use heart healthy fats like canola and olive oils, but don't use too much. Change all your meats to at least 93% lean. Beware of ground turkey that isn't lean, by the way. Choose low-sodium canned foods in place of regular. And as much as possible, start with a lot of fresh veggies and fruits. They're big on flavor, but low on salt, fat and calories. And don't forget the spices and herbs. Again, lots of flavor for very few calories.

To onlymatch4u below: are we expected to believe you over a trained doctor because you have a degree in biology and chemistry? So do I and I'm not telling people to fire their doctors. While (some of) your advice might be good for a healthy person, some people's conditions require them to give up fats and salts for a while. You're correct in saying foods should come from fresh sources and that the body needs fats and salts. But, for someone who is unhealthy and needs to get these kinds of things out of their system, they can't just cut back gradually. Sometimes it's a life or death thing. I just wanted to point that out, so you're not confusing anyone.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

I would contact the American Heart Association to check out resources. They have a book called ""Your Heart: An Owners Manual"". They also have some good recipes/books for healthy cooking. Secondly, your county extension bureau has resources. My students are developing a new cookbook!

If you have a Big Lots store near you they have a very good seasoning called No Salt Seasoning, its their own version, (cost 2/$1), and it actually tastes good. Also remember no more garlic or onion salts- use the powder instead.

Lots of big bookstores have heart healthy cookbooks that are well worth investing in.

The Healthy Choice line of foods were developed after the CEO of Conagra had a heart attack. His wife made him see the light about the need for low fat - low sodium convenience foods. They aren't perfect but are good in a pinch.

Some KIA apparently did not like any of our answers-

Answer 4

Hey Robocop, sorry to hear about your situation, hope your getting better.

If you like flautas you can bake them instead of frying them in the oil. Use corn tortillas, they are much better for you than flour. Warm them for about 30 seconds in a microwave so they are flexible, wrap some broiled chicken, chopped up of course, and secure it with a toothpick. Place them on a baking sheet and spray them lightly with Cooking Spray, cook them in a 350 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes and they come out crispy and tasty.

For chili, use really lean meat and cook it in a pan first instead of the pot you will cook the chili in. You want to get as much fat away from your chili as possible. Boil some water while your cooking the meat and when your done put the meat in a collander and "wash" the meat with the boiling water to get rid of even more fat on the meat. Then cook the meat a little more in the pot your cooking the chili in. It's not perfect but it will help.

One thing that I have become used to is grilling, barbecue sauce has no fat. So I grill chicken a lot, a LOT. Just watch the sodium or look up some recipes for homemade sauce and alter them for your own particular diet.

I had a stroke last year and have been on a fun diet for the last year, but I'm about 40 pounds lighter and it's not so bad once you get used to the routine. Try food.com and look for their healthy recipes. Use your favorite recipes and see how you can alter them.

Good luck and I hope you feel better and have the best of health.

Answer 5

If you want to eat truly healthy, lose body fat consistently, normalize your blood pressure, cholesterol levels, prevent cancer, and even boost your brain health and energy levels, you may have heard all over the news that the Paleo Diet has been found to be one of the best methods of achieving all of these benefits compared to any other popular "fad" diets out there. Go here https://bitly.im/aMHI8

The truth is that the Paleo Diet will never be considered a fad because it's just simply the way that humans evolved to eat over approximately 2 million years. And eating in a similar fashion to our ancestors has been proven time and time again to offer amazing health benefits, including prevention of most diseases of civilization such as cancer, heart disease, alzheimers, and other chronic conditions that are mostly caused by poor diet and lifestyle. One of the biggest misunderstandings about the Paleo Diet is that it's a meat-eating diet, or a super low-carb diet. This is not true

Answer 6

try sparkpeople.com they have a great menu plan and you enter in your own information including low sodium etc and it will give you recipes suited for you. also you can enter all your food intake daily and it will let you know how much sodium, calories, iron etc you have consumed so you can keep a good watch on it. i really like the site and it is free and very easy to use and understand.
chicken chili is good. when making your own chili cook your own beans from the dry state vs.canned. you then have control over the sodium in your chili. do not add any salt to the chili when cooking but use a variety of spices instead. i have used cinnemon, basil, brown sugar, lemon juice and rice vinegars for taste when i needed to add flavor to the chili and all have been good results.
sorry about your heart attack i am glad you are better and taking charge on how you live the rest of your life.

Answer 7

The El Paso Chili Company has a wonderful cookbook for Tex-Mex and chili recipes you can modify with lower-fat meats or no meats. Below is the link to Barnes and Noble for this book:

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/results.asp?WRD=el+paso+chili+company+texas+border+cookbook&z=y&cds2Pid=9481

Another cookbook that offers painless vegetables and beans is Diane Seed's Mediterranean Dishes:

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=9780898155792&itm=6

You can adjust the seasonings to fit your new diet. Or you can skip the reccommended seasonings and use Mrs. Dash, which really isn't so bad.
Good luck. If you are not allergic, a daily dose of walnuts can help reduce arterial clogging, and you can eat them raw or in your food and still get the same benefits from them.

Answer 8

So I am a health freak and eat only vegetables & lean proteins! My all time favorite recipes would have to be... clam sauce (made with olive oil, not butter), ratatoullie, puttenesca sauce, grilled vegetables, grilled salmon, buffalo burgers & grass-fed beef burgers!!! Some good healthy snacks that I regularly are = cherry tomatoes, sliced bell peppers, cabbage with mustard or tomato paste or olive tapenade, straight tomato paste from a can (absolutely delicious!!), sheets of nori, kelp noodles & lettuce & mustard If you are interested in my favorite dishes I mentioned above, google their names & you will be able to find millions of recipes!!! :)

Answer 9

So, sorry to hear about your health situation!
I LOVE Chilli & it is super easy to make. You just need to make a few modifications.

I am not sure if you are a meat eater or not , but all you really need is the following...

2 large cans of crushed tomatoes
2 large cans of whole tomates( cut into smaller pieces before adding to pot)
4-5 cans of kidney beans ( or whichever kind you prefer..)
1 package of " Veggie Crumbles" ( meatless option ..looks & feels like ground meat.---> or feel free to use very lean ground turkey!)
minced garlic ( 2-3 small cloves?)
one large onion( diced fairly large)
1 can or roasted red peppers (chopped)
chilli powder
black pepper
cayenne pepper
salt ( use SPARINGLY!!)

***start with a little extra virgin olive oil in the bottom of a large pot, saute the onions, add ground beef & cook until browned. add canned tomatoes followed by the red peppers & then add the seasonings!***** IF USING THE VEGGIE CRUMBLES..DO NOT ADD TO POT UNTIL just before the seasonings as it is pre-cooked so just needs to heat thru & absorb flavors..tastes EVEN better the next day!!

Good luck!
:)

Answer 10

Paleo diet its a diet based around eating real food unprocessed