Heart disease kind of haunts me. My mom died of it and my dad has had two heart attacks. That family history can raise my risk of heart disease. And while I cannot control my genes, I can control my lifestyle. So can you. Here are three simple things you can do to be heart-healthy when you cook.
From the American Heart Association’s (AHA) BetterU Program:
- Add healthy ingredients to recipes: Use frozen vegetables, beans and brown or wild rice in soups and casseroles; top pizza with fresh vegetables; and add frozen or fresh fruit to cereal and baked goods.
- Delete or cut down on less healthy ingredients in recipes: Remove skin from chicken; use less cheese and butter in casseroles, pasta and salads; and cut back on the amount of salt you add to dishes. You probably won’t even notice the changes.
- Replace less healthy ingredients with more healthy ones:. Top baked potatoes with salsa instead of butter and sour cream; sauté with a little olive oil instead of butter; use low-sodium chicken broth to make mashed potatoes creamy.
For more information on heart disease and how you can prevent it, go to the AHA’s Go Red for Women site.
Be good to your heart, okay?
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