According to the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention, about 610,000 people die in the US every year due to heart disease. 
That’s certainly a staggering number, and a reason to make an effort to eat foods that are low in saturated fats to keep your heart healthy now and in the future. Check out our list of heart healthy snacks that we love, and that you can feel good about snacking on below.
6 Awesome Heart Healthy Snacks
Yogurt Sundae
One of our favorite choices for heart healthy snacks is low-fat yogurt made interesting! Top your favorite brand with fresh fruit and a little bit of heart healthy granola or oats for a delicious mid-morning treat, or even as an afternoon snack.
Fresh Blueberries
Fresh blueberries are super heart healthy snacks because they’re so rich in antioxidants that help to reduce the “bad” cholesterol that clogs your arteries. Experts recommend eating 1 cup of blueberries per day, and you can get creative with how you serve them. We like freezing them and enjoying them as a sweet, after dinner treat!
Hummus and Pita Chips
If you’re craving something salty, hummus and pita chip packs are great heart healthy snacks that will also fill you up. You can easily pack them in a lunchbox – many hummus brands now come in individual serving size packs, which you can pair with a small bag of pita chips. Hummus itself is made of garbanzo beans, which are filled with nutrients that have been shown to help lower cholesterol. As far as we’re concerned, that’s a win-win!
Crispy Fruit
If you’re looking for grab-and-go heart healthy snacks that are easy to pack, look no further than Crispy Fruit snacks! The 100% all-natural freeze dried fruit snack has fresh fruit itself as the only ingredient, making it the perfect alternative to other less-healthy snacks, such as potato chips or gummy fruit snacks with added sugar.
Dark Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Yes, you read that correctly! You can indulge every once in awhile and still maintain a heart healthy diet. Some studies have claimed that eating dark chocolate may actually help to prevent heart disease, making it (in moderation!) one of the most indulgent heart healthy snacks around. While we don’t suggest eating every dark chocolate bar in sight, you can treat yourself every once in a while and enjoy some dark chocolate drizzled on strawberries. Delish!
Nuts
This suggestion should also be taken with a grain of salt – not all nuts are created equally, or all make for heart healthy snacks. Almonds and walnuts rank highest, because they are known to help lower bad cholesterol and could lessen your risk of heart disease. But try to stay away from overly salted nuts like salted cashews or salted peanuts, as consuming too much salt isn’t ideal for a heart healthy diet.
More Heart Healthy Snacks
There are tons of other heart healthy snacks in your local grocery store that you can enjoy, whether at home or on the go. If you have any ideas, feel free to leave a comment below and share them with us!
