Your Favorite Drinks with a Heart Healthy Twist
Have you ever felt torn between ordering your favorite drink and trying to make a healthy choice? Great news — the battle is over. You can transform your favorite happy hour specials into heart healthy choices that still satisfy.
While alcohol can be a way to relax and have fun, it can also be harmful to your heart health if you aren’t drinking safely. Learn some of the affects alcohol has on your heart. Thankfully, many of your favorite drinks can be easily changed to include heart healthy options and replace other items that aren’t as nutritious.
“There are so many heart healthy foods that can easily be added into any recipe,” shares cardiologist Atanas Iliev, DO. “Adding foods with healthy fats, antioxidants and other natural vitamin-rich foods is an easy way to boost the health of your favorite drink while still keeping the flavor alive.”
Even though people often associate healthy drinks with boring flavors or water, that doesn’t have to be the case! Here are three mocktail recipes suggested by Dr. Iliev that are both heart healthy and delicious: Heart Healthy Bloody, Cranberry Spritzer and Avocado Freeze.
Heart Healthy Bloody Mary
“This spin on the Bloody Mary is a perfect brunch mocktail. Tomato juice has many benefits for your heart. It lowers high cholesterol. Lower cholesterol helps reduce your risk for heart disease and blood clots. Like spicier food? Add more hot sauce! Prefer it less spicy? Add less hot sauce or none at all. You can adjust all the spices to your liking!”
- Ingredients
- 1 cup tomato juice
- 2 tbsp of lemon juice
- 1 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp horseradish
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 tsp celery salt
- Hot sauce (to taste)
- Directions
- Use a lemon slice to wet the rim of a glass
- Line rim with celery salt.
- Add ingredients in a glass with ice.
- Stir and garnish with celery, lemon and lime.
Click here to download the recipe card.
Cranberry Spritzer
“This light and refreshing mocktail will keep you cool all summer long. Cranberries are great source of antioxidants that are proven to help with inflammation, fighting certain infections and lowering the risk of heart disease among many other health benefits.”
- Ingredients
- 1 cup 100% cranberry juice
- 1/2 cup soda water
- Fresh or frozen berries
- Cucumber slices
- Lime slice
- Directions
- Fill glass with ice and cucumber slices.
- Add cranberry juice and soda water.
- Add berries and stir.
- Garnish with cucumber and lime slice.
Click here to download the recipe card.
Avocado Freeze
“Avocados have many benefits including being a great source of heart healthy fats, which are great lowering bad cholesterol and increasing good cholesterol levels. Be sure to keep this recipe on hand for your next fiesta!”
- Ingredients
- 1 avocado
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 cup crushed ice
- Honey (to taste)
- Directions
- Cut open avocado, remove pit and throw away skin.
- Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor.
- Blend until smooth.
- Garnish with a lime slice and enjoy!
Click here to download the recipe card.
Need a snack to pair with your heart healthy mocktail?
Try these five recipes that your heart and taste buds will love.
If you would like to learn more about other healthy snack options, visit the American Heart Association (AHA) at heart.org. AHA also offers an interactive tool to help you build your grocery list to include certified heart healthy foods.
For a nutrition program designed just for you, meet with a Bronson registered dietitian. Our dietitians will be able to help you separate healthy meals from fad diets and facts from fiction. Your primary care provider is also a good resource and can provide additional educational material for eating healthy.
Sources: newhealthguide.org, medicaldaily.com, health.com
