Recipe roundup for diabetes, heart health and more

Eating healthy can be difficult, but some of your patients may have health conditions that necessitate a certain kind of diet. Your patients may be unsure of what kinds of food are best for them or what recipes they can try, especially if their condition has been recently diagnosed. Here are some resources you can share with your patients to help them find recipes for their health conditions.

Heart healthy recipes

If any of your patients have heart disease and are looking for heart healthy recipes, encourage them to check out The American Heart Association’s recipe page. This page has numerous recipes for those interested in keeping their hearts healthy, which can be organized by course, ingredients, and even lifestyle, so your patients can find quick, low-cost, vegetarian, or seasonal recipes to name a few. Also included are their cooking skills videos that cover tricks and techniques like meal planning, how to properly store food, and the best ways to cut different fruits, vegetables, and meats. Your patients can even receive a free digital recipe booklet full of summertime dishes if they join The American Heart Association’s Healthy for Good initiative.

Quick and easy recipes for diabetes

Given the lifelong management that diabetes requires, your diabetic patients may be overwhelmed and unsure of how to eat healthy, especially if they’ve been recently diagnosed. Show your patients the American Diabetes Association’s meal planning page to help them find the right recipes for their condition. They acknowledge that “healthy meals can take a backseat to whatever is easiest,” and provide recipes that are both healthy for diabetics and quick and simple to make. In addition to these recipes, they also offer advice on reading nutrition labels, understanding carbs, and making the healthiest food choices every day.

Recipe guide to prevent kidney stones

If any of your patients have had kidney stones or are at risk for kidney stones, encourage them to download The Urology Care Foundation’s cookbook, “Living Healthy: Fight Kidney Stones with Food.” This free recipe book provides numerous recipes designed to reduce one’s risk of developing kidney stones, with ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner, sides, and even drinks, keeping in mind how vital proper hydration is to the prevention of kidney stones. The cookbook also offers tips for reading nutrition labels, how to eat out while staying healthy, and gives an overview of kidney stone disease and the main foods to eat or avoid. This makes it an especially valuable resource to newly-diagnosed patients.

Healthy recipes for any condition

Perhaps you have patients with health conditions not already mentioned, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or inflammation. For these conditions and more, recipe website EatingWell has a page dedicated to recipes intended to help or prevent different health conditions. Patients can search for recipes related to bone health, pregnancy health, as well as find recipes for better vision, pain relief, headache prevention, and even cancer prevention and cancer-fighting. Each category has a wide variety of meals suitable for every time of day, with prep times ranging from hour-long fun cooking experiences to quick five-minute snacks for when time is of the essence. While EatingWell is accessible to all, it’s especially helpful for those with health conditions looking to improve their diets.