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A Recipe For A Healthy Heart
By Keith Hagarty
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--Photo By Keith Hagarty
Jacqueline DiAngelo, of Whole Foods Market, proudly displays a tray full of Moroccan lentil salads for the 70-plus patrons to sample at Ocean Medical Center last week for Meridian Health's annual "Cooking With Heart" program.
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A delicious yet healthy diet was a tasty proposition for dozens of residents who came out to Ocean Medical Center last week for their annual "Cooking With Heart" presentation.
"We find that there's a definite interest to learn more about heart health and heart healthy behaviors, and the importance of changing our behavioral lifestyles," said Rosalyn Seawright, manager of community and senior services for Meridian Health. "Programs like this help reinforce the importance of doing that."
About 70 people attended Ocean Medical Center last week - the largest turnout for the program at any of the three hospitals - where attendees were treated to series of presentations from medical experts, dieticians and nutritionists about making the right food choices, along with a plethora of cooking demonstrations from chefs from Whole Foods Market, who provided an array of savory healthy dishes to sample, some of which included Moroccan lentil salad, wild rice with corn and spice cake with ginger peach compote.
"The recipes were very tasty," said Seawright. "I think many of those in attendance were quite surprised that you don't have to sacrifice taste by just changing the ways in which you prepare your food."
Seawright had some personal favorite dishes which stood out.
"The gingerbread was amazing, and the lentil and garbanzo bean salad was very good," she said. "The salmon with mango chutney salsa was excellent."
Doing something as simple as taking the time to find new ways of eating right can go a long way towards preventing heart disease, the number one killer in the Unites States, said cardiologist Todd S. Cohen, of Shore Cardiology Consultants, LLC.
"It's an extremely important part in promoting lifestyle changes," said Cohen, who spoke about the new, improved food pyramid, cutting out tobacco use, exercise and the variety of diets available and recommended by the American Heart Association and the National Institute of Health.
"There's many ways to improve your diet, such as including lots of fresh vegetables, fruits, low-fat and non-fat dairy products and proteins."
Modern medicine and technology can only do so much in waging the war against heart disease. Ultimately, it's up to the individual to make the right choices to help in prevention.
"We can do certain things with medicine and procedures, but without the patients and the people participating, it's almost fruitless," said Cohen. "We'll lose the battle against heart disease unless we make lifestyle changes."
While the overall ingredients comprising the dishes were nothing too exotic or extreme, Seawright said the program focused more on opening people's eyes to the idea that flavor doesn't have to be sacrificed for a healthy diet.
"It's trying to just kind of break the mindset," she said. "Sometimes we think food can't taste good unless it has lots of salt, or lots of butter or sugar, or whatever ingredient which might not be the most healthy for us, but by learning alternative preparation techniques, you'd be surprised at what a wonderful opportunity there is to learn how to fix the same old foods in a much different, more healthy way."
Whatever can be done to try and stem the American obesity epidemic is a step in the right direction, according to Cohen.
"Eleven million children are obese in the United States, with 13 million more at risk for being obese," said Cohen. "Obesity leads to high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol as adults. Those diseases in adults tend to lead to a high risk of heart attacks."
With a number of outlying adult communities, Brick's demographics make it a particularly attractive area for holding a program geared towards instilling healthy habits amongst the elder generation.
"It's one of the largest senior populations in Ocean County," she said. "Everybody I spoke with told me that the program was most beneficial, and thanked for making sure that it happened."
Cohen agreed, saying he's seen firsthand how taking a more proactive approach to a healthy lifestyle has lasting positive effect for those well into their later years.
"We have a fairly educated population, and if you just look at the population around here, they're living a lot longer," said Cohen. "They're working very hard to maintain their lifestyles and activity levels well into their 90s."
The cuisine and recipes presented to the guests were not so much Earth shatteringly new as much as they were viewed as an introduction for those who may have never even thought of cooking them before for their own dinner table.
"It's all about exposure," said Seawright. "No matter what culture you're from, it's all about learning what foods are as heart healthy as possible is the focus."
Now in its third year, the program is a system wide initiative of Meridian Health, with presentations being held in each of its three medical facilities: Ocean Medical Center, Jersey Shore University Medical Center and Riverview Medical Center.
"They keep getting better and better," said Seawright.
The program was made possible through the community partnership and cooperative efforts of Meridian Health, Whole Foods Market and the Cardiovascular Institute of Philadelphia's Community Hospital Nutrition Education Program.
A HEALTHIER DIET
The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends the following guidelines for administering a therapeutic lifestyle change to your diet:
• Limit sodium intake to 2,000 mg per day
• Limit total fat to 25 to 35 percent of total calories
• Saturated fat should be less than seven percent of total calories
• Trans fat should be kept to minimum
• Cholesterol should be kept to less than 200 mg per day
• Polyunsaturated fat up to 10 percent of total calories
• Monounsaturated fat up to 20 percent of total calories
• Carbohydrates should make up 50 to 60 percent of total calories, mainly from whole grains, fruits and vegetables
• Consume 20 to 30 grams of dietary fiber per day
• Soluble fiber should be 10 to 25 grams per day
• Protein should be 15 percent of total calories
• Include two grams of plant stanols/sterols per day
• Balance calorie intake with calories burned to maintain a healthy body weight
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