NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Sponsored by My Food Bag

My Food Bag
Home / Eat Well / Sponsored

Easy meals your heart will love

My Food Bag founder Nadia Lim creates new heart healthy meals for Kiwi families. Photo / Supplied.

Sponsored by My Food Bag


Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

My Food Bag & Heart Foundation team up to entice Kiwis to eat healthy, nutritious food.

New Zealanders' tendency to reach for takeaways and processed foods – along with other lifestyle factors – is part of the reason we have such a high rate of heart disease. It is our single biggest killer, claiming the lives of 6,700 New Zealanders a year, or one person every 90 minutes.

Those alarming statistics – along with the 170,000 Kiwis living with heart disease – are the driving force behind a new partnership between My Food Bag and the Heart Foundation.

Together they've created a range of recipes that align with the principles of a Mediterranean style of eating, long recognised for its heart-healthy benefits. Interest in the lifestyle began in the 1960s following the observation that coronary heart disease caused fewer deaths in countries such as Greece and Italy than in the US and Northern Europe.

The new recipes will be part of My Food Bag's 'My Choice' range and will be marked as heart-healthy, so customers perusing the coming week's 15 My Choice recipes have the confidence they're choosing easy-to-prepare meals good for the ticker.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Heart health is down to a number of factors, with lifestyle key for many people, says Heart Foundation Chief Advisor Food and Nutrition Dave Monro: "Things like activity levels, stress levels, whether someone smokes. Diet is a major factor and it's something we can influence to keep our hearts in the best possible condition."

He points out that although there is no single diet that is best for our heart health, the Mediterranean lifestyle has been extensively studied and shown to reduce high blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

The new My Food Bag range came about after research conducted by the food delivery service found an increasing number of customers eager for healthier options, particularly among those aged 50+.

"It's for people like my Mum," says My Food Bag co-founder and ambassador Nadia Lim. "People who like to eat as well as they can and exercise regularly. They like to keep healthy, well into their older years."

Photo / Supplied.
Photo / Supplied.

It's also for time-poor families or those seeking an easier way to prepare healthy home-cooked meals, with the correct portions of ingredients delivered along with the recipes. After a busy day, it often seems quicker and easier to pick up takeaways than go to the supermarket and cook a healthy meal at home, a behavioural pattern Lim has seen multiple times throughout her career as a dietician.

"What I've learnt is that people don't lack knowledge as to how to eat," she says. "The obstacles come when putting that knowledge into action."

Monro says My Food Bag and the Heart Foundation share a passion, not just for healthy food but the development of positive life skills such as cooking and preparing food together. That sense of community is a vital way to bring down stress levels and promote wellbeing, which naturally has heart benefits too.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"It's about enjoying food together," he says. "It connects family and friends, is part of our traditions. Essentially food is important for our wellbeing and our connection to one another."

Like the Mediterranean lifestyle, the new range is high in fresh local ingredients with dishes quick to prepare. There's a focus on monounsaturated and polyunsaturated healthy fats gleaned from salmon and fish, nuts and seeds, avocados and cold-pressed oils, along with a focus on nutrient-dense and antioxidant-rich vegetables, such as beetroot and dark leafy greens.

There are moderate amounts of low-fat dairy, eggs, seafood and chicken, with minimal consumption of lean red meat. Grains typically come from a variety of healthy sources including bulghur wheat, freekeh, quinoa and barley.

My Food Bag's new heart-healthy recipes include pan-fried salmon with roast pumpkin and fennel and a vegetarian winter nourish bowl with tahini maple dressing.

"There's a very small portion of red meat, a focus on smaller portions in general, and the inclusion of salmon for those healthy fats," says Lim. "We've added more flavour through herbs and spices as opposed to salt, as most Kiwis' sodium intake is well above what it should be. Most of that intake is from processed food which is why, if you cook meals yourself and cut down on takeaways, you're doing your health a huge favour."

Photo / Supplied.
Photo / Supplied.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Traditional Mediterranean dishes have been adapted to suit what's available here, with the addition of Omega-rich salmon along with tomatoes, capsicum, courgettes, cabbage, cauliflower, kale and broccoli.

Over time, other cuisines known for their heart-healthy attributes – such as those from Okinawa, Japan, and the Middle East – will be introduced to the range.

"The focus is on good quality ingredients in the overall meal rather than specific nutrients," adds Monro. "If you get the foods right, the nutrients take care of themselves. The other important thing about these recipes is that they're packed full of flavour, which shows you can maximise heart-healthy goodness without compromising on taste.

"We understand it can be a real challenge for New Zealanders to make healthy choices. The key is to make heart-healthy eating as convenient, exciting and delicious as possible. This will allow people to cook meals that are kind to your heart, delicious and appealing to the whole family."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest Recipes

Slow-cooking secrets: How to master flavourful meals with ease
Food News

Slow-cooking secrets: How to master flavourful meals with ease

Soba to spaghetti: Why chilled noodles are the perfect summer meal
Food News

Soba to spaghetti: Why chilled noodles are the perfect summer meal

Cold brew, hot summer: How to make the perfect iced coffee at home
Food News

Cold brew, hot summer: How to make the perfect iced coffee at home

Camping meals for a Kiwi summer
Food News

Camping meals for a Kiwi summer

The best produce to eat in January and February
Food News

The best produce to eat in January and February

Take it outside: How to eat alfresco without any fuss
Food News

Take it outside: How to eat alfresco without any fuss

Latest Food News

Why your shopping habits reveal more than you think
Food News

Why your shopping habits reveal more than you think

Premium
Why your child is a picky eater - and what parents can do about it
Food News

Why your child is a picky eater - and what parents can do about it

Slow-cooking secrets: How to master flavourful meals with ease
Food News

Slow-cooking secrets: How to master flavourful meals with ease

Is kimchi ice cream the cool new food trend?
Food News

Is kimchi ice cream the cool new food trend?

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Sponsored

Fish Baguette with Tartare Sauce
Sponsored

Fish Baguette with Tartare Sauce

Treat yourself at lunchtime! Take a few minutes to put this fish baguette together...

04 Aug 10:18 PM
Thai Coconut Poached Fish
Sponsored

Thai Coconut Poached Fish

04 Aug 10:13 PM
Apple, Walnut, and Bacon Stuffed Pork Loin
Sponsored

Apple, Walnut, and Bacon Stuffed Pork Loin

04 Aug 10:12 PM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP