Recipes for Heart Health: The Truth About Salt, Fat, and Cholesterol
Do you have high blood pressure?
Has your doctor mentioned your cholesterol lately?
Or maybe heart disease runs in your family . . . and you are trying to figure out what you can actually do to stay ahead of it.
Most of the advice we hear focuses on what not to eat. No salt. Avoid fat. Lower your cholesterol at all costs.
But nobody tells you what you should eat.
Here is what I know after years in practice: your cells already know how to keep you healthy. They are constantly working to repair, regulate, and protect you. They just need the right nutrients to do their job.
Today I am breaking down three of the biggest myths about heart health. And I am sharing the recipes for heart health that I actually make in my own kitchen . . . the ones that give your cells what they need and taste incredible doing it.
What Is Heart Health, Really?
We tend to reduce heart health to a single number. Blood pressure. Cholesterol. That reading that either passes or fails.
But heart health is much bigger than that.
It includes blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar balance, inflammation, energy, brain function, and body composition. All of these are connected. And all of them are influenced by what you eat every single day.
Let me walk you through the three myths I hear most often in my practice, and what the research and clinical experience actually show us.
Myth #1: Salt Is the Enemy
For years we were told to avoid salt. But here is a question worth sitting with: if salt is so bad for you, why does your body crave it?
Are your cells sending you the wrong signal?
They are not.
Your body genuinely needs sodium. But sodium needs to work alongside minerals, specifically potassium and magnesium.
Here is how it works inside your cells: sodium helps move nutrients in. Then potassium and magnesium help move things back out. It is a balanced system, and it works beautifully when all the pieces are present.
The problem with processed food is that it loads you up with sodium and nothing else. Salt without its team. When all you have is sodium flooding in with nothing to push it out, your cells get overwhelmed. They start retaining water. You get bloated. Blood pressure climbs. That familiar puffiness sets in by the end of the day.
That is not salt being the enemy. That is salt without minerals.
The fix is not to eliminate salt. It is to use mineral-rich salt, like pink Himalayan or real salt, and to eat whole foods that naturally contain potassium and magnesium alongside it.
And yes, you can absolutely still have salty snacks. Here are two made the right way.
RECIPE 1: Crispy Roasted Chickpeas
The secret to crunchy chickpeas is starting with completely dry chickpeas before they ever touch the oven. Moisture is the enemy of crisp.
Ingredients
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1/2 teaspoon mineral-rich salt (pink Himalayan or real salt)
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Drain and rinse the chickpeas, then pat them as dry as possible with a clean towel. Let them air dry for a few extra minutes if you can.
3. Spread them directly on your baking sheet. Add the avocado oil, salt, smoked paprika, and cumin right in the pan and toss to coat everything evenly.
4. Roast for 25 to 35 minutes, shaking the pan halfway through.
5. Let them cool on the pan before eating. They crisp up more as they cool.
Why these support heart health: Chickpeas are rich in magnesium and fiber. Avocado oil is a real, stable fat your body knows how to use. And the mineral-rich salt brings the sodium your cells need, alongside the minerals to help process it properly.
RECIPE 2: Butter Popcorn with Parmesan Salt
Everything you loved about microwave popcorn, made the way your body actually recognizes.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup popcorn kernels
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1/2 teaspoon mineral-rich salt
- Optional: 1 tablespoon parmesan popcorn seasoning (Just Ingredients makes a good one)
Instructions
6. Pop the kernels using an air popper or stovetop with a small amount of avocado oil.
7. Transfer to a large bowl.
8. Drizzle the melted butter over the top and toss to coat.
9. Sprinkle with salt and parmesan seasoning if using. Toss again and taste. You need less salt than you think.
Why this works: Microwave popcorn bags are loaded with industrial seed oils and artificial flavoring. This version uses real butter, mineral-rich salt, and whole-grain popcorn kernels. The butter also helps your body absorb the minerals in the salt more effectively.
Myth #2: Healthy Fats Cause Heart Disease
I grew up in the 1980s. The low-fat era.
We were told that fat clogged arteries and caused heart disease. So we stopped eating butter, avocado oil, and olive oil and replaced them with things like Shed Spread and Country Crock. We reached for SnackWell cookies because they were fat-free.
What happened?
Heart disease did not go away. It got worse.
Here is why.
When we stripped out real fats, we replaced them with damaged fats. Fats become harmful when they are processed, overheated, or exposed to light and air. Think about the shelf-stable spreads that could sit in your refrigerator for two years without changing. Or the restaurant deep fryer oil that gets reheated day after day.
Those are damaged fats. And damaged fats create a real problem inside your body.
Every single cell in your body is surrounded by a membrane made of fat. Most of your brain is fat. When your body needs to rebuild and repair those cells, it uses the fats you have given it. If all you have given it are damaged materials, it builds with damaged materials.
That leads to inflammation. Weight that settles around the middle. Brain fog. Energy crashes. These are not coincidences.
Real fats, the kind your body recognizes, are essential. Avocado oil, olive oil, coconut oil, butter. These give your cells the materials they actually need.
One quick note on cooking oils: heat matters. Avocado oil and coconut oil have high smoke points, meaning they can handle cooking temperatures without being damaged. Olive oil has a low smoke point and should be used cold, drizzled over food after cooking rather than heated in the pan. When an oil starts to smoke, it is already being damaged.
Also, store your oils in dark bottles. Light damages fat. If you see a cooking oil in a clear bottle, it has already started to degrade before it even gets to you.
This bowl brings together the real fats, minerals, and fiber your heart is asking for.
RECIPE 3: Heart Healthy Mineral Bowl
Quinoa base, roasted sweet potato, avocado, spinach, pumpkin seeds, pickled red onion, pomegranate molasses, and olive oil. Every component chosen for what it does for your heart.
A note on quinoa: Most people do not enjoy quinoa because it has not been prepared correctly. Quinoa has a coating called saponin that makes it taste bitter and blocks mineral absorption. Rinse it under hot water until the foam stops. This step changes everything.
Serves 4
For the quinoa
- 1 cup dry quinoa, rinsed well under hot water
- 2 cups water
- 1/4 teaspoon mineral-rich salt
For the roasted sweet potato
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, cut into bite-size cubes
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1/2 teaspoon mineral-rich salt
For the quick pickled red onion
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1/2 teaspoon mineral-rich salt
- Drizzle of honey
For the bowl
- 2 cups spinach, torn
- 1 to 2 ripe avocados, sliced or cubed
- 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
- Pickled red onion (from above)
- 1 to 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
10. Start the pickled onions first. Combine all pickling ingredients in a jar and let sit for at least 30 minutes.
11. Cook the quinoa. Combine the rinsed quinoa, water, and salt in a pot or rice cooker. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Let sit 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
12. Roast the sweet potatoes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Toss the sweet potato cubes with avocado oil and salt directly on the baking sheet. No parchment paper: you want direct contact with the metal for caramelization. Roast 20 to 25 minutes. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes at the end to crisp the tops.
13. Assemble. Layer quinoa in the base of each bowl. Add roasted sweet potato, spinach, avocado, and pumpkin seeds. Top with a small pile of pickled red onion. Drizzle with olive oil and pomegranate molasses.
Why each component matters: Sweet potato is one of the best dietary sources of potassium, which works alongside sodium to balance fluid in your cells. Avocado brings healthy fats for cell building and fiber that slows sugar absorption. Spinach and pumpkin seeds are both rich in magnesium. Pomegranate molasses is simply concentrated pomegranate juice, full of polyphenols that help support healthy inflammation levels. Olive oil brings more of those same protective compounds, drizzled on after cooking so the fat stays undamaged.
Myth #3: Cholesterol Is the Villain
We have been told for decades that cholesterol needs to come down. That it is the cause of heart disease. That lowering it, however it happens, is always the right move.
But here is a more accurate way to understand cholesterol.
Cholesterol is the firefighter.
When there is a fire somewhere in the body, whether that is inflammation, blood sugar imbalance, chronic stress, or an underlying infection, cholesterol shows up to help. It rises in response to a problem. It is there to protect and repair.
So when we focus only on lowering cholesterol, we are silencing the alarm without looking for the fire. That is a problem.
Cholesterol is also the raw material your body uses to build every hormone you need: estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, cortisol. Without adequate cholesterol, your body cannot produce hormones properly. Your brain is also largely composed of cholesterol.
The better question is not simply how do we lower it. The question is: what is causing it to rise? Blood sugar? Chronic inflammation from diet? Dental infection that has gone unaddressed? Stress? Finding that root cause is where the real work happens.
And eggs, by the way: current research supports what many practitioners have observed for years. Dietary cholesterol from eggs does not meaningfully raise blood cholesterol in most people. Your liver produces cholesterol in response to internal conditions, not primarily from the eggs on your plate.
This dessert is designed to help address those root causes: blood sugar stability, reduced inflammation, and the kinds of fats your cells need to build and repair properly.
RECIPE 4: Heart-Happy Fresh Fruit Crisp
Looks like dessert. Works like real food. Blueberries and apples for antioxidants and fiber. Oats for blood sugar support. Coconut oil, nuts, and chia seeds for the fats your cells actually need.
Serves 2 to 4
For the fruit layer
- 2 cups fresh fruit (apples and blueberries, or a mix of apples, pears, and berries)
For the crisp topping
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup chopped nuts (walnuts or almonds)
- 1/2 cup golden raisins
- 1/2 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon mineral-rich salt
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 4 teaspoons honey
Instructions
14. Place the fruit in a baking dish or bowl.
15. Combine all topping ingredients in a separate bowl. Mix well, using your hands to work the coconut oil evenly into the oats.
16. Spread the topping evenly over the fruit.
17. Serve as is, or with a spoonful of plain yogurt or a small pour of cream.
Why this supports heart health: The oats contain beta-glucan, a form of soluble fiber that helps support healthy blood sugar levels. Cinnamon also supports blood sugar stability. The healthy fats from coconut oil and nuts slow the absorption of the natural sugars in the fruit, giving your body a slow, steady energy release instead of a spike. Chia seeds contribute omega-3 fats your body uses to build and repair cells. And the blueberries bring antioxidants that help support healthy inflammation levels throughout the body.
The Real Foundation of Heart Health
For years we were told to fear salt, avoid fat, and lower cholesterol at all costs.
But real heart health does not come from avoiding things. It comes from giving your body what it actually needs.
Salt with minerals helps your cells stay balanced and communicate properly. Real fats give your body the building blocks it needs for healthy cells, hormones, and brain function. And cholesterol is not the enemy. It is a signal worth paying attention to.
When you start eating this way, something interesting happens. You get full faster, because real food actually satisfies.
Your energy steadies. The bloating settles. Your body starts doing what it has always known how to do.
It just needed the right materials to work with.
Dr. Michelle Jorgensen
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