Ideas for Heart Healthy Eating: Dessert Recipes

Are you looking for ideas for recipes that can help you in the battle against high cholesterol and high blood pressure? If so, you have come to the right place. The recipe ideas for heart healthy dessert dishes described below will instantly set you on the path to heart healthy eating! For more recipes that are suitable for people following a heart healthy eating plan, check out the Main Directory of Recipes for Preventing CVD.

Blueberry Banana Smoothie

This smoothie is literally bursting with flavor and antioxidants, making it an excellent drink for maintaining cardiovascular health. Wild blueberries have been shown to have the highest antioxidant capacity from more than 20 fresh fruits and berries. What's more, about 30 percent of the fiber in blueberries is pectin, a substance that has been shown to reduce cholesterol in the bloodstream.
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Wholewheat Muffins with Bananas and Walnuts

Looking for ideas for heart healthy dessert recipes? Why not try these heart healthy wholewheat muffins? Not only are these muffins full of flavor, they also contain ingredients that help fight cardiovascular disease. Bananas help regulate blood pressure while walnuts can lower triglycerides and prevent blood clots.
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Low Glycemic Raspberry Muffins

This muffin recipe is a must-try for those who love muffins but are concerned about the high amount of simple carbohydrates in most muffins. This heart healthy muffin recipe uses for low-glycemic ingredients, including soy flour, whole wheat flour, and raspberries. It also features cinnamon which helps further lower the glycemic index of these mouthwatering muffins.
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Fantastic Fiber Muffins

Looking for a high-fiber muffin recipe? These muffins combine wheat bran with whole wheat flour and apples to create a delicious treat that can help you reach your fiber quota. As an added bonus, these heart healthy muffins are low in fat.
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Quinoa Crepes with Applesauce

Foods that have a high Glycemic Index (GI) rating cause blood glucose and insulin levels to spike while foods with a low GI rating, such as these quinoa crepes, help keep blood glucose and insulin levels under control. Insulin is necessary for the body to be able to use glucose for energy, but high amounts of insulin can be harmful to the heart in obese or overweight women.
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Antioxidant Muffins

These scrumptious muffins feature blueberries and pecans, two antioxidant powerhouse foods. Blueberries top the list of berries with the highest antioxidant capacity, and pecans—along with walnuts and chestnuts—have the highest concentration of antioxidants in the tree nut family.
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Whole Wheat Brownies

Good news for chocolate lovers: flavonoids found in the seeds of cacao plants have been found to help prevent the formation of blood clots which can lead to a heart attack. What's particularly exciting about this brownie recipe is that it calls for dark, less processed cocoa powder — the type of cocoa that typically boasts the highest levels of flavonoids.
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Rice Pudding with Blueberry Sauce

This rice pudding is dairy-free, which ensures that you benefit from the maximum antioxidant capacity of the accompanying blueberry sauce. Blueberries are among the best dietary sources of antioxidants, but consuming milk together with these pleasantly tart berries has been shown to decrease their antioxidant capacity.
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Scandinavian Blueberry Soup

In Scandinavia, blueberry soup is a popular treat that can be served warm as an appetizer or chilled as a dessert. But the benefits of blueberry soup extend far beyond its culinary use. Due to their high concentration of anthocyanins, blueberries effectively scavenge free radicals, repair damaged proteins in blood vessel walls, and promote the overall health of the vascular system.
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Low-Fat Apple and Raspberry Crumble

Apples contain polyphenols which may have a positive effect on blood lipid parameters and blood pressure, and the oats featured in this dessert dish help eliminate cholesterol from the digestive system due to their high concentration of water-soluble dietary fiber.
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Apple Slices with Cinnamon

This dessert is a cinch to prepare, and can help keep your heart beating longer and stronger. Apples are packed with phytochemicals, and epidemiological studies have associated the consumption of apples with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.
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Chocolate Sorbet

Scientists have discovered that dark chocolate, which is what this sorbet recipe calls for, contains significant amounts of flavonoids such as catechins and procyanidins. Flavonoids have been found to help prevent the formation of blood clots which can lead to a heart attack. However, the chocolate flavonoids lose much of their power if they are consumed together with dairy. In order to maximize the antioxidant effects of chocolate, this sorbet is made with rice milk and water instead of cow's milk.
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Buckwheat Crepes with Bananas

People who consume plenty of buckwheat have been shown to have a lowered risk of developing high cholesterol and high blood pressure. The beneficial effects of buckwheat on cardiovascular health are largely attributable to rutin and other flavonoids found in buckwheat. Flavonoids are phytochemicals that protect from cardiovascular disease by maintaining blood flow and preventing blood clotting.
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Weight Loss Muffins

Obesity and excess body weight have been linked to several cardiovascular diseases and complications. These delicious low fat muffins are packed with weight loss promoting fiber and protein. A must-try for anyone looking for ideas for heart healthy eating!
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Carrot Muffins

You've probably heard that carrots are good for eye sight, but did you know that they can also promote heart health. Carrots are rich in carotenoids, natural compounds that have been linked to a reduced risk of heart disease. A regular consumption of carrots may be able to reduce the risk of heart attacks by up to 60%.
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Millet Pancakes with Prune Compote

A study, which assessed the antioxidant capacity of a wide range of fresh and dried fruit and vegetables using the so-called Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) methodology, ranked prunes, or dried plums, the #1 food in terms of antioxidant potential. Prunes had more than twice the antioxidant capacity of other high ranking foods such as blueberries and raisins.
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For more recipes that can help maintain cardiovascular health, visit the main recipe directory of HealWithFood.org's Guide to Maintaining Cardiovascular Health.

You may also be interested in taking a look at the section that provides more general diet tips on how to maintain cardiovascular health. Be also sure to check out the list of the best heart-healthy foods.