An Ignoble Experiment: Eat this 1 surprising food to keep your heart healthy

February 28, 2023 | VIEW IN BROWSER

Good morning and congratulations on making it to the end of February! March means that spring is almost here. If you're participating in our walking challenge: Great job, you did it! But it's never too late to start prioritizing your health and a new challenge is starting tomorrow. Spoiler: It's expertly designed to keep you warm through the last of winter!

Walking Challenge

Today's Workout

Today's workout focuses on helping you build upper and lower body strength. Try this side lunge to strengthen and tone your hips, glutes and legs.

Here's how to do it:

1. Start standing with feet hips-width apart and your back straight.

2. Step your right foot to the right and bend the right knee.

3. Sit the right glute down and back as if you're sitting into a chair. Keep the left leg straight and pull the abs in.

4. Press down through the right heel to come back to the starting position.

Repeat 10 times, then switch sides.

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Click here to snooze this section until next month. 😴

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Your Meal Plan

Today's Plan

Sweet potatoes may not be the first thing you think of for breakfast, but they're actually a great choice for breakfast over processed carbs — like bagels and sugary cereals. It's a better choice for taming hunger and giving your body the nutrients it needs to thrive while still satisfying your sweet tooth. Pro tip: Meal prep the sweet potato puree in advance and then assemble the rest of this parfait the morning of.

Here's your meal plan for today:

Sweet Potato Parfait| Barbecue Chicken Quinoa Salad| Snack | One-Pot Vegetarian Chili with Green Salad

See something you don't like? Swap it with another recipe in your weekly plan.

GET THE MEAL PLAN >

Making Space for Mindfulness

How to find 'microjoys' in everyday life

Author Cyndie Spiegel shares lessons on the power of finding 'microjoys' in everyday life and how those small moments can help in difficult times. It's all part of her book, "Microjoys: Finding Hope (Especially) When Life Is Not Okay."

One Small Thing

Real ways to make a difference in your life, one small thing at a time.

Eat this 1 surprising food to keep your heart healthy

What you eat can help keep you and your heart ticking along. Combined with regular physical activity, plenty of sleep and stress management, incorporating the right nutritious foods into your diet can support your heart — and your whole body.

When most of us think of heart healthy foods, we thing of veggies and "health food." But maintaining your heart health can be delicious — and a little bit decadent, Vanessa Rissetto, a registered dietitian and co-founder of Culina Health, tells TODAY.com. In fact, one of the five foods she recommends as best for heart health is chocolate.

Dark chocolate, that is.

If you can, opt for 85% cocoa dark chocolate to get the most fiber. But 72% cocoa dark chocolate isn't bad either. You can also pair dark chocolate with Greek yogurt or almonds for a tasty, fiber-filled snack, Rissetto says.

So, if you're looking for a little end-of-month treat, try a square of heart healthy dark chocolate!

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