In addition to Black History Month, February is Heart Health Month. A 2020 report by the Department of Health and Human Services found that when it comes to heart health, African Americans are affected disproportionately by diseases of the heart.


• Although African American adults are 40 percent more likely to have high blood pressure, they are less likely than Whites to have their blood pressure under control.
• In 2017, African Americans were 20 percent more likely to die from heart disease than Whites.
• African American women are 60 percent more likely to have high blood pressure, as compared to White women.

In addition to daily exercise that gets the heart pumping, it’s also important to foster healthy eating habits to maintain good heart health. Incorporate these tasty snacks into you and your family’s diet to plant the seeds for a healthy lifestyle.

  1. Air popped popcorn.
  2. Fresh vegetable sticks (carrots, sugar snap peas, cucumbers) with hummus
  3. Sunflower and pumpkin seeds
  4. Unsalted cashews and almonds
  5. Sliced apples with coconut butter
  6. Greek yogurt with fruit
  7. Kale chips
  8. Edamame
  9. Dried banana chips
  10. Dark chocolate
  11. Dates rolled in coconut
  12. Sweet potato fries
  13. Apples and pears
  14. Whole-grain toast with almond butter
  15. Fruit smoothie (check out our favorite recipes)
  16. Frozen grapes
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