Quick heart-healthy dinners from the pantry: a build-your-plate method

The short answer

Use a plate about 9 inches across and fill it in three parts:

• Half: vegetables other than corn, peas and potatoes. Plain frozen vegetables and low-sodium or no-salt-added canned vegetables count.
• One quarter: protein. Beans, lentils, canned salmon or sardines, tuna or chicken packed in water, or tofu.
• One quarter: a whole grain or other starchy food. Brown rice, whole-wheat couscous, bulgur, quinoa, oats, whole-grain pasta or a whole-grain tortilla.

Then cut the salt. Buy cans labeled "no salt added" or "low sodium," drain and rinse canned beans and vegetables, and season with herbs, spices, citrus and a little olive or canola oil. Drink water or another zero-calorie drink.

The dinner ideas below are ingredient combinations, not kitchen-tested recipes. No nutrition values or costs have been calculated for them.

This is general nutrition education, not a treatment plan. If a clinician or dietitian has given you your own limits for sodium, fluid, potassium or carbohydrate, follow those first.

Where the method comes from

The method combines three public guides.

• The Diabetes Plate from the American Diabetes Association (ADA) sets the proportions: half non-starchy vegetables, a quarter lean protein, a quarter carbohydrate foods, and water or a zero-calorie drink.
• The DASH eating plan (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) guides the choices: vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fish, poultry, beans, nuts, vegetable oils and low-fat dairy, with less fatty meat, full-fat dairy, tropical oil, sweets and sugary drinks. Its standard sodium target is 2,300 milligrams (mg) a day; NHLBI notes that 1,500 mg lowers blood pressure further.
• The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends no more than 2,300 mg of sodium a day, with 1,500 mg as the ideal for most adults. The AHA notes that the 1,500 mg figure may not apply to people who lose a lot of sodium in sweat, such as competitive athletes and people who work in heavy heat, or to anyone whose care team says otherwise. It also recommends whole grains, more plant protein, liquid plant oils in place of saturated fats, and fish twice a week, especially fatty fish.

Step 1: Keep a short list of staples

A few items from each row give you many dinners. Most appear on the AHA's list of heart-healthy pantry basics.

A printable version of this list, with the plate and the safety checks, is on the pantry plate builder checklist.

Step 2: Take sodium out before you cook

The AHA says more than 70% of the sodium Americans eat comes from packaged, prepared and restaurant foods. In a pantry dinner, that means the cans, broth and sauces.

Know what the label words mean. Federal labeling rules define them per standard serving:

"Reduced sodium" can still be high, so compare the milligrams on the Nutrition Facts panel between brands.

Drain and rinse canned beans and vegetables, as the AHA advises. In a 2011 laboratory study of five kinds of canned beans from five brands each, draining cut sodium by an average of 36%, and draining then rinsing by 41%. More than half the sodium remained after rinsing, so a lower-sodium can still matters.

Watch the add-ons. Broth, soy sauce, bottled sauces, salsa, cheese and seasoning packets are common sodium sources. Use low-sodium versions in small amounts, added last.

Ask before using a salt substitute. Many replace sodium with potassium. The AHA says these can help some adults lower blood pressure, but warns that people with kidney disease, or who take medicines that affect potassium, can end up with potassium that is too high. Check with your clinician or pharmacist first.

Step 3: Build the plate

1. Vegetable half. Heat frozen vegetables as the package directs; drain and rinse canned ones.
2. Protein quarter. Drain and rinse beans; drain canned fish or chicken.
3. Grain quarter. Frozen, precooked or quick-cooking whole grains save time.
4. Flavor without salt. Oil with garlic powder, lemon or lime, a spice blend or a splash of vinegar.
5. Drink. Water or another zero-calorie drink.

Most of these foods only need heating. Actual time depends on your kitchen; no times were measured for this page.

Dinner combinations to try

These combinations follow the plate method. They are not recipes: none has been cooked or tested in a kitchen, and no calories, nutrients, cooking times or costs have been worked out. Several include fish, soy or wheat, so read labels if you have a food allergy.

• Black bean and pepper bowl. Half: frozen peppers and onions. Quarter: black beans. Quarter: brown rice. Flavor: cumin, chili powder, lime and a spoonful of low-sodium salsa.
• Lemon salmon with greens. Half: frozen green beans or spinach. Quarter: canned salmon. Quarter: whole-wheat couscous. Flavor: lemon, dill, garlic powder and olive oil.
• Chickpea and tomato skillet. Half: no-salt-added diced tomatoes with frozen spinach. Quarter: chickpeas. Quarter: bulgur. Flavor: cumin, paprika and garlic.
• Lentil vegetable soup. Half: frozen carrots and green beans with no-salt-added tomatoes in low-sodium broth. Quarter: canned lentils, or dried lentils cooked by the package directions. Quarter: whole-grain bread. Flavor: thyme and black pepper.
• White bean and broccoli pasta. Half: frozen broccoli. Quarter: white beans or tuna packed in water. Quarter: whole-grain pasta. Flavor: olive oil, garlic, lemon and red pepper flakes.
• Tofu vegetable stir-fry. Half: a frozen stir-fry vegetable blend. Quarter: tofu or edamame. Quarter: brown rice. Flavor: ginger, garlic and a small splash of reduced-sodium soy sauce.

The method also fits dishes your household already cooks, such as dal or rajma with roti or rice, or beans with tortillas: let vegetables fill half the plate.

Fish during pregnancy and for children. If you are pregnant, might become pregnant, are breastfeeding, or are feeding young children, follow the FDA and EPA advice about eating fish, which sorts fish by mercury level. Salmon and sardines are in its lowest-mercury group.

If you are watching your blood sugar

• Starchy vegetables go in the carbohydrate quarter. The ADA groups potatoes, corn and peas with beans, grains, fruit and milk as carbohydrate foods. Frozen corn and peas do not fill the vegetable half.
• Beans count twice. The ADA notes that beans and lentils contain carbohydrate as well as protein. If beans are your protein, you may not need a full quarter-plate of grain too. A dietitian or diabetes educator can tell you how this fits your plan.
• Check with your care team if you take certain diabetes medicines. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) warns that insulin and some pills, such as sulfonylureas, can make blood sugar drop too low if you skip or delay a meal.

For more on the condition, see Understanding Type 2 Diabetes.

If you are watching your blood pressure, or take a blood thinner

• Count sodium across the whole day. The AHA and DASH limits are daily totals.
• Potassium helps many people, but not everyone. DASH favors potassium-rich foods; the AHA's examples include potatoes, spinach, many fruits, low-fat dairy and some fish. The AHA also says potassium can be harmful for people with kidney disease, conditions that affect how the body handles potassium, or certain medicines. If you have been told to limit potassium, ask first.
• If you take warfarin, MedlinePlus advises eating only small amounts of broccoli, leafy greens such as spinach and kale, garlic, and some oils, including canola and olive oil, keeping the amount steady from day to day and week to week, and checking with your clinician before big diet changes.

For diagnosis and treatment, see High Blood Pressure (Hypertension). For eating well with a chronic condition more generally, see Nutrition in Primary Care.

Safety checks for canned and frozen staples

These checks follow U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA FSIS) guidance for store-bought cans. Home-canned food needs separate guidance.

• Throw out a can that is bulging, swollen or leaking; has a deep dent you can press a finger into, or a deep dent on a seam; has heavy rust that does not wipe off; or spurts or hisses loudly when opened. A soft vacuum hiss is normal. Never taste food to test it.
• Throw out the food if it smells bad, the liquid around vegetables is cloudy, or there is rust inside the can.
• Store cans cool and dry, ideally below 85°F, away from the stove, under-sink cabinets, and garages or basements that get very hot, cold or damp. In California's Central Valley and other hot inland areas, keep cans indoors in summer.
• Use older cans first. USDA FSIS gives 12 to 18 months for high-acid canned foods such as tomatoes and 2 to 5 years for low-acid foods such as beans and vegetables. Can dates are generally about quality, not safety.
• Refrigerate opened leftovers in a clean, covered glass or plastic container. Use low-acid foods such as beans, fish and vegetables within 3 to 4 days and high-acid foods such as tomatoes within 5 to 7 days.
• Cook frozen vegetables as the package directs, not straight from the bag. A 2016 U.S. Listeria outbreak was linked to frozen vegetables.
• Refrigerate cooked leftovers within 2 hours, or within 1 hour if it is hotter than 90°F. See How long do leftovers last in the refrigerator?

Questions to bring to your clinician or a dietitian

• Do I have a daily sodium target, and is it different from 2,300 mg or 1,500 mg?
• Should I limit potassium? Is a salt substitute safe with my kidneys and medicines?
• With my diabetes medicines, how much carbohydrate should dinner have, and is a late dinner a problem?
• Can I be referred to a registered dietitian, and does my coverage pay for it?

If cost is the main barrier, see Eating well on a tight budget. For reactions to foods on this page, see Food allergy or food intolerance?

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