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These snacks get our hearts pumping, literally and figuratively. They're delicious alternatives to the ho-hum bag of chips or candy bar. Skip the drive-through or the candy aisle and load up on some heart-healthy snacks that will not only maintain your cardiovascular health, but may help you drop a few pounds as well.
1. Vegetables dipped in hummus.
Fresh vegetables are low in calories and have many antioxidants, and many have no fat with plenty of fiber to satiate you. Fiber has also been shown to lower cholesterol. Hummus, made from chick peas, is a great alternative protein without saturated fat.
2. Fruit skewered on a stick with a little dark chocolate for dipping.
Fruit has a variety of antioxidants to fight cancer and heart disease. Dark chocolate has a high concentration of flavinols, a type of antioxidant, to fight heart disease.
3. Half of a cantaloupe filled with fat free cottage cheese, a dash of cinnamon and some berries.
The cantaloupe and berries have antioxidants, and the fat-free cottage cheese fulfills a serving of dairy without the saturated fat.
4. Fat-free yogurt with fruit and a sprinkle of nuts.
Get another serving of dairy without saturated fat as well as antioxidants from fruit and unsaturated fat from the nuts.
5. Smoothies with silken tofu and berries plus a dash of grape juice or pomegranate juice.
Tofu is a great alternative protein source without saturated fat. Berries, grape juice and pomegranate juice have a high concentration of antioxidants.
