Did you know that February is American Heart Month? The month of February is dedicated to raising awareness about heart disease and educating the population on ways to prevent it. Unfortunately, heart disease continues to be one of the leading causes of death in America prematurely ending the lives of 1 in 4 people. Although there are many risk factors, a healthy diet and exercise continues to be the best defense.
This infographic was created by The American Recall Center. Learn more here.
At MANNA we make every effort to ensure that our meals are heart healthy, following the nutrition guidelines of the American Heart Association. In each meal delivery, we send our clients fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Our soups are made with low sodium stocks and they are flavored with spices, like garlic and sage, to ensure that they are heart healthy and flavorful. In addition, to help our clients control their cholesterol levels, we limit red meat in our meals to once per week and we send low-fat dairy alternatives.
All of the MANNA clients are following a heart healthy diet, below are some tips from our Registered Dietitian on how you can do the same!
Heart Healthy Tips provided by Alura Costa, RD at MANNA
- Incorporate fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy into your diet daily. Think green!
- Be careful with canned soups which contain a lot of sodium. Purchase a low sodium soup option or make your own soup utilizing low sodium broth instead. Try adding different types of whole grains like barley or quinoa…yum!
- Use spices and flavorful herbs to season foods. Utilizing salt alternatives are key to reducing sodium intake. Basil and cayenne are some of my favorites! MORE
- When using canned vegetables, make sure to rinse any excess sodium off by running the vegetables under cold water. This trick is simple and helpful.
- Opt for sauce on the side when dining out. Sauces at restaurants are usually high in sodium. Also, some restaurants indicate which meals are low in sodium by placing a small heart icon next to menu items.
Take Action
- Go red! Celebrate National Wear Red Day with MANNA and help raise awareness about women and heart disease on February 6th. More: goredforwomen.org
- Share American Heart Month Tweets via your twitter account.
- Get screened and encourage others to do the same with this e-card generated by Health Finder.
- Make a vow to cook more heart healthy meals – recipes.
