Heart Healthy Get Well Baskets

You have a sick friend and you want to send a get-well basket. It should be filled with yummy treats, but also be healthy. How do you make a basket that is appealing but also heart healthy? Start by rethinking delicious and yummy. Heart healthy foods include grapes, blueberry-oatmeal muffins, red wine in moderation, smoothies, salmon, garlic, olive oil and rooibos tea. Combine a few of these healthy treats and you have a yummy gift basket for your friend.

Personalizing the Basket

One of the best things about making a gift basket is that it is so personal. With this heart healthy gift basket, start by making a list of any dietary restrictions your friend may have beyond basic heart health. Does he eat gluten free? Is he on a low sugar (including fructose) diet? Is he vegetarian or vegan? Is he lactose intolerant? Make sure to think of all the restrictions he may have before beginning to fill the basket. There are so many ideas for heart healthy snacks that there will be more than enough to fill your basket.

Heart Healthy Foods

Once you have considered the restrictions, you can choose a main theme for the snacks. You can make muffins. Try using raw, wild honey to replace any sugar, and adding lots of blueberries to load up on antioxidants. Salmon lox or smoked salmon is a great, healthy treat which is loaded with omega-3 fatty acids. Add in a small package of rye crackers and some tapenade (olive spread) and you have a wonderful, heart healthy snack. If you can find some Concord grapes, they make a beautiful presentation and are incredibly heart healthy. Grape seeds are loaded with antioxidants, so if you can find grapes with seeds so much the better. Chocolate is extremely high in antioxidants. However, it is also loaded with sugar and caffeine. Depending on the nature of your friend's illness, it may be appropriate to include a couple pieces of dark chocolate. Look for pure dark chocolate, perhaps with almonds or hazelnuts, making it even healthier. Red wine in moderation is also heart healthy. It may be appropriate to include a bottle of wine, depending on your friend's overall health, age and other dietary restrictions. There is evidence that a glass of red wine per day is heart healthy. To round out your basket, you could add a head of garlic; some rooibos, tulsi or honeybush tea (all of which are very good for heart health and caffeine free); and maybe even some fresh vegetables.

Stress Relieving Gifts

Because reducing stress is another important aspect of heart health, include a stress-reducing massage pressure point tool or a stress ball. Journal writing helps relieve stress, so including a blank journal and nice pen may be a nice touch. Journal writing is also something a convalescing friend may be able to enjoy while bed-ridden. An uplifting book, either fiction or nonfiction, is also a great idea. Music can be a great stress reliever as well. You can buy an inexpensive MP3 player and load it with soothing tunes to help your friend stay stress-free and heart-healthy.