Eating heart smart

(Family Features) Sometimes making small changes can have a positive impact on your health – including heart health – like drinking more water, taking the stairs instead of the escalator and adding nutritious ingredients to your snacks and meals. 

Incorporating nutritious ingredients is an easy way to step up mealtime. Incorporating American pecans can pack superfood nutrition into nearly any recipe.

It's always a good time to include heart-healthy ingredients on your shopping list. Certified by the American Heart Association's Heart-Check, American pecans and their unique mix of unsaturated fats, plant sterols, fiber and flavonoids add up to help promote a healthy heart. In fact, according to the Food and Drug Administration, research suggests but does not prove that eating 1 1/2 ounces of most nuts, such as pecans, each day as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may help reduce the risk of heart disease. One serving of pecans (28 grams) contains 18 grams unsaturated fat and only 2 grams saturated fat.

Boosting the heart-smart punch of favorite recipes can be easy with pecans. Whether topping a salad, sprinkling into bread batter or using them as the foundation of a portable snack, there are few things America's native nut can't do. 

Start the day right with a bowl of Banana Pecan Cherry Oatmeal – a comforting and hearty combination that can keep you full for hours. For a wholesome, on-the-go option perfect for school snacks, desk drawers or an afternoon pick-me-up, try Cherry Pecan Energy Bites. Dried cherries, dates and crunchy pecans combine for an all-natural burst of heart-smart nutrition to help you power through the day. 

Discover more ways to create heart-healthy meals with pecans at American Pecan's website.

Banana Pecan Cherry Oatmeal

• 1 cup old-fashioned oats
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup pecan or almond milk 
• 1 banana, sliced
• 1/4 cup pecan halves
• 1/4 cup dried tart cherries
• 1/4 cup honey

1. In large, microwave-safe bowl, combine oats and water. Microwave on high 3-4 minutes, or until oats are cooked through. Watch carefully to avoid boiling over.

2. Remove from microwave, stir and divide between two bowls. Pour 1/4 cup pecan or almond milk over each bowl.

3. Divide sliced banana, pecan halves and dried tart cherries between each bowl and drizzle with 2 tablespoons honey. Serve immediately.

Cherry Pecan Energy Bites

• 1 cup toasted pecan halves or pieces
• 1 cup dried cherries
• 4 medjool dates, pitted
• 1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1 tablespoon cacao powder, plus additional, for coating (optional)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In bowl of food processor, combine toasted pecans, dried cherries, dates, oats, cacao powder and vanilla extract.

2. Pulse until ingredients begin to bind and form loose, dough-like ball.

3. Roll into 1-inch balls. Roll balls in additional cacao powder, if desired, and transfer to airtight container. Refrigerate until ready to serve, up to seven days.