Hormel February - Heart Healthy Meals

February is the month for Heart Awareness, Healthy Hearts, etc. I'm never entirely sure what the official title is, but I do know it's February.

Mr. Ben participated in Jump Rope for Heart last week at his school and he was the top fundraiser! He raised over $250 for the American Heart Association and was so proud to get to do this. I shared with him how my one grandma and one grandpa both passed away from heart related issues and that he was helping to raise money to help learn more about heart diseases and help doctors be able to fix things. It's always fun phrasing things for the six year old set, isn't it?

Now, we're also trying pretty hard to be heart healthy ourselves, because someone (who shall remain nameless, but isn't F or B or me) has a wee bit of high cholesterol and as the person who cooks, I'm tasked with the job of helping it bring it down.

Hormel offered these tips to help with more heart healthy meals:
  • Substitute high-fat foods for lower-fat counterparts. Use liquid oils when cooking like olive and canola oil instead of solid fats like butter and margarine.
  • Reduce fat and keep an eye on salt consumption by trying out a variety of spices and seasonings. Bouillons are a great way to add seasonings without adding fat. Try beef flavored Herb-Ox® bouillon sodium-free granules that are perfect to add a unique flavor
  • to gravies, marinades, soups, stews, rice dishes, pasta dishes and stir-fries.
  • Most fruits and vegetables are low in calories and high in fiber, which is great for your heart. Grabbing a handful of vegetables is a quick, perfect, heart-healthy snack during the day. Use the leftovers to throw into a pasta dish later in the evening. If you’re on the
  • go, try the small, compact, and delicious CHI-CHI’S® Snackers® with carrots or celery.
  • Consume at least 4 servings of nuts, legumes, and seeds each week and avoid more than 36 ounces of sugar-sweetened beverages each week.
Lean proteins help to provide you with a sense of fullness and keep hunger at bay in between meals. Try a Hormel® Always Tender® pork roast for dinner, packed with 18g of protein, in either a roast flavor or onion and garlic roast.

I'd love to hear your heart healthy tips too! Especially recipes, since I'm trying to be extra careful with cholesterol, and while I generally cook fairly healthy, I don't usually monitor these things.

Disclosure: I have received product and information from Hormel Foods in exchange for being a Hormel Foods Extended Family Blogger. All opinions expressed within the post are my own.

Comments

  1. My stepdad had a cholesterol scare last year and immediately we cut out all butter, salt etc from our cooking and also reduced the number of desserts and treats we ate. He started taking yogurt supplement drinks (I don't know if they are available in the US but they are advertised as lowering cholesterol) and at his latest checkup, the doctor declared that his levels were totally normal and in fact lower than average! So it really does work, and I don't think he feels he is missing out at all; it's all about making healthier choices, rather than depriving yourself.

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