I used to think eating for heart health meant making peace with boring food. These nine Target snacks — the ones I actually buy — are proof that’s not the trade-off.
1. Unsalted Raw Mixed Nuts – 9.5oz – Good & Gather™ – $5.99
My before-lunch handful ritual centers on a 9.5-ounce bag of these — no added salt, no roasting, just almonds, cashews, walnuts, hazelnuts and pistachios ready to go on the pantry shelf. It’s the simplest kind of heart-healthy upgrade: nothing processed, nothing to prepare, and every nut in the mix delivers something different for blood sugar and cholesterol.
Taste: Each nut brings its own texture — cashews land soft and buttery, almonds firm and clean, walnuts with that faint earthy depth underneath. Flavor is mild the way raw nuts should be, without the aggressive saltiness that makes it easy to lose track of how much you’re eating.
Make It Better: Pair a small handful with apple slices — the combination steadies blood sugar longer than nuts or fruit alone, and it genuinely holds off afternoon hunger in a way that neither does on its own.
Parting Thoughts: Worth buying two bags at once if this becomes a daily habit — it will, and they go faster than expected.
2. Heart Healthy Trail Mix – 10oz/10ct – Good & Gather™ – $8.29
Car trips, long afternoons of errands, a day packed with appointments — ten pre-portioned single-serve pouches of almonds, pecans, dried cranberries and blueberries mean the portion thinking is already done for you. The combination of vitamin E, manganese and unsaturated fats is genuinely meaningful for women managing cholesterol, not just a label claim.
Taste: Sweet-savory balance that most trail mixes aim for and don’t always land — the pecans add a slightly buttery richness, the cranberries bring a tart punch, and the dried blueberries give a gentle sweetness that ties it all together. The nuts stay properly crunchy, not stale.
Make It Better: Tuck a pouch in your purse before a long outing; it’s the kind of prep that makes vending machine food a non-issue because you’re never hungry enough to reach for it.
Parting Thoughts: Perfect for anyone who needs built-in portion control without the effort of measuring anything out.
3. Two Good Greek Yogurt (various flavors like Meyer Lemon or Vanilla)
Thick and cool from the fridge, this is the yogurt I’d hand someone who thinks eating for their heart means tolerating flavorless food. With only 2 grams of total sugar, a high-protein base, and live cultures, it quietly supports heart health, bone density and digestion — three things women in their 60s are actively working on — without tasting medicinal or chalky.
Taste: Genuinely creamy with real fruit notes that don’t taste artificial or cloying — the Meyer Lemon is bright and tangy, the Vanilla clean and soft. The thickness is proper Greek-style: it holds its shape and doesn’t go watery at the bottom of the cup.
Make It Better: Top a cup with a small handful of mixed nuts and a few thawed wild blueberries — you’ve just turned a simple yogurt cup into something that holds you through a whole morning.
Parting Thoughts: The Meyer Lemon flavor especially is worth seeking out — once it’s in your weekly rotation, you’ll want several cups on standby.
4. Red Pepper Hummus – 10oz – Good & Gather™ – $2.89
Skip the expensive artisanal hummus section — at $2.89 for 10 ounces, this refrigerated red pepper version earns a permanent spot on my weekly Target list without any debate. Chickpea-based dips like this are legitimately good for cholesterol and blood pressure, which gives every scoop actual nutritional weight behind it.
Taste: Smooth and creamy without being pasty, with a mild roasted-pepper sweetness underneath the earthy chickpea base. The seasoning is restrained — not aggressively spiced — which makes it easy to pair with almost anything in the fridge.
Make It Better: Baby carrots and sliced bell peppers are the obvious partners, but this also works well spread on a rice cake when you want something more filling than a simple dip situation.
Parting Thoughts: Grab an extra tub while you’re there; at $2.89, running out is an entirely avoidable disappointment.
5. Seapoint Farms Dry Roasted Edamame Sea Salt – 4oz – See price in cart
For anyone who reaches for chips out of pure habit, dry-roasted edamame is the redirect that actually works — same satisfying crunch, far better payoff. These certified gluten-free soybeans deliver protein and fiber in every handful, and the shelf-stable format means you can keep a bag in your car or everyday bag without thinking about refrigeration.
Taste: Savory and satisfying, landing somewhere between a roasted nut and a salty soy snack — the sea salt seasoning is light-handed, which is exactly right for anyone watching sodium. The dry-roasted preparation gives each piece a genuine crunch that doesn’t go soft on you.
Make It Better: Portion a serving into a small bowl rather than eating straight from the bag — it slows you down enough to notice when you’ve had enough, which matters with any crunchy snack.
Parting Thoughts: Genuinely addictive in the best way — let a skeptic try these before you try to explain what edamame is.
6. Wyman’s Fresh Frozen Wild Blueberries – 3lb – $13.29
Wild blueberries are meaningfully smaller than cultivated ones, and that smaller size concentrates double the antioxidant content — which matters for both brain and heart health. A 3-pound bag lives in your freezer as a constant supply of fiber and vitamin C; thaw a cup the night before for a yogurt topping, or eat a few straight from frozen as a cool afternoon treat.
Taste: Intensely sweet-tart, with a concentrated berry flavor that cultivated blueberries rarely match. Frozen, they have a firm little pop; thawed, they soften and release a deep purple juice that stains everything it touches — which makes them messy and completely worth it.
Make It Better: Thaw a portion in a covered bowl in the refrigerator overnight — they keep well for several days after thawing and are ready to stir into anything first thing in the morning without any extra prep.
Parting Thoughts: A 3-pound bag lasts weeks in the freezer, so the per-serving cost works out far better than the sticker price suggests.
7. Sea Salt Organic Popcorn – 5oz – Good & Gather™ – $2.29
Movie night, a quiet Sunday with a book, or the 4 o’clock stretch when you just need something to munch — this is exactly where a bag of organic popcorn earns its place. Whole-grain, light on sodium, and at $2.29, it’s a snack swap that genuinely doesn’t feel like deprivation.
Taste: Airy and light with a clean, barely-there saltiness that lets the natural corn flavor come through. Nothing heavy, nothing greasy — you can eat a real portion without feeling weighed down afterward, which is half the point of choosing it.
Make It Better: Pour a serving into a bowl rather than eating from the bag, and sit with a cup of herbal tea alongside — it turns a simple snack into an actual evening ritual worth looking forward to.
Parting Thoughts: Swap out one chip-and-dip evening for this and you’ll quickly find you don’t actually miss the heavier option.
8. Himalayan Salted Dark Chocolate Almonds – 13oz – Good & Gather™ – $7.99
Salt, dark chocolate, and that satisfying almond snap — sometimes the snack that keeps you away from the candy drawer has to genuinely feel like a treat. A 13-ounce bag keeps well on the pantry shelf, and the dark chocolate coating means antioxidants and heart-healthy fats are doing real work alongside the flavor.
Taste: The dark chocolate shell is rich without being intensely bitter, and the Himalayan salt adds just enough contrast to make each piece feel balanced rather than cloying. The almond crunch comes through the coating cleanly — you get the snap of the nut, not just a candy shell.
Make It Better: Portion a small handful into a ramekin rather than eating from the bag — it slows you down enough to enjoy each piece, and you’ll likely find that modest amount is completely satisfying.
Parting Thoughts: Even a small serving hits the spot — the salt-chocolate-almond combination makes this feel far more indulgent than it actually is.
9. That’s It. Apple And Strawberry Nutrition Bar – 6oz – 5ct – $6.79
Just apple and strawberry — that is the entire ingredient list, which is exactly the point. Five individually wrapped chewy bars for $6.79 travel anywhere shelf-stable, and they’re the clean answer for anyone who wants real fruit fiber without the added sugar or long ingredient deck that comes with most packaged snack bars.
Taste: Intensely fruity in the way real dried fruit is — you get genuine apple-strawberry flavor that tastes like the actual ingredients, not a flavored coating. The texture is soft and chewy without being sticky or hard, which makes them easy to eat and easy to enjoy slowly.
Make It Better: Pair a bar with a small handful of nuts for a snack that covers protein, fat and fiber together — the combination keeps hunger at bay longer than the bar alone can manage.
Parting Thoughts: Two ingredients, no fillers — that kind of label transparency is what the whole list is built around.
