Please Be Careful with your HEART: The PRO-HEART HEALTH tips


Heart month is here again and everybody is just ready to spread love, love, love! But have you thought about your heart’s health lately especially during this time of pandemic? Matters of the heart, especially its health, shouldn’t be put aside and must be given proper attention too. Before loving others, love yourself first. No one can love you better than yourself. How else could we show our love if our hearts are not in good shape?

 

Did you know that heart disease has been consistently one of the top ten causes of death in the Philippines? Amazingly, this condition is preventable through a proper lifestyle and a heart-healthy diet! Only a few risk factors such as age, gender, family history, can’t be controlled. However, despite these uncontrollable risks, lifestyle and food choices have a bigger impact on our heart’s health.

 

So, here are some Pro-Heart Health tips you can follow:

 

  • Try to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. The general goal is to prevent excessive weight gain. Reduce weight if necessary, and maintain the ideal body weight over the long term.
  • Exercise regularly. Spend at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity endurance activity on most days of the week.
  • Limit alcohol intake. One drink per day only for women and two drinks per day for men.
    • Choose your food wisely. Choose foods high in soluble fiber such as oats, barley, beans, and fruit. Soluble fiber helps lower your bad cholesterol.
    • Limit saturated fat to less than 7% of total calories and cholesterol to less than 200 milligrams a day. Maintaining a fat intake that is 25-35% of total calories may help with this goal. Consult with a Registered Nutritionist-Dietician for more specific details.
    • Avoid food products that contain trans-fat. You can check this out with the labels and ingredients list. If you see “partially hydrogenated vegetable oil” on the list, there’s your red flag.
    • Lessen the intake of fats coming from animal sources (e.g lard, butter, bacon) and choose fats from plant sources (e.g. avocado, olive oil, canola oil) instead.
    • Replace saturated fats with carbohydrates from whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables or with unsaturated fats from fish, vegetable oils, and nuts.

 

Good thing, Gardenia offers a wide variety of bread which is also a good source of carbohydrates. Not only does it smell and taste good, but it is also super-packed with nutrients, vitamins, minerals, and fiber! Just like the Gardenia High Fiber Whole Wheat Bread, made from 100% real premium wholemeal flour which is high in fiber, plus vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin B1, Calcium, and Iron. Two slices provide 20% of your daily fiber needs. Moreover, it has zero trans-fat, and zero cholesterol which is good for our heart health. You can try this healthy recipe, Gardenia Smoked Salmon and Chives, which is not only yummy and healthy but also quite easy to prepare.

Gardenia Smoked Salmon and Chives

Carbohydrates: 14.9g

Protein: 11.2g

Fat: 23.6g

Energy: 316.8 kcal

Dietary Fiber: 8g/serving

 

INGREDIENTS

2 slices Gardenia High Fiber Wheat Bread

4 strips Smoked Salmon

4 slices Sliced tomato

Alfalfa Sprout (optional for garnish)

 

Cream Cheese Base:

1/2 cup Cream Cheese, softened

1/4 cup Spring Onion

1 tsp Lemon

Salt and Pepper, to taste

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 Tsp Dill leaves (Optional )

 

PROCEDURE

1.) Toast Gardenia High Fiber Whole Wheat Loaf slices until golden brown. Slice diagonally and set aside.

To make the cream cheese base:

1.) In a bowl, combine softened cream cheese, dill, spring onion, olive oil, lemon and season with salt and pepper.

2.) Spread the cream cheese mixture on the toasted bread.

3.) Top with smoked salmon, garnish with sliced tomato and alfalfa sprouts and drizzle with olive oil

4.) Serve and enjoy! 🙂

 

So give yourself this hearty healthy, heart-healthy treat this Valentine season! With careful planning and conscious efforts, coupled with discipline, you are on your way to improved heart health. Eat healthily and spread the love!

 

 

Sources:

http://www.eatright.org/resource/health/wellness/heart-and-cardiovascular-health/heart-health-and-diet