More Than Chocolate

ADVOCATES: DIET IMPORTANT FOR HEART HEALTH

Mercy Cafe offers a variety of healthy meals to patients and visitors at Mercy Medical Center in Rogers.
Mercy Cafe offers a variety of healthy meals to patients and visitors at Mercy Medical Center in Rogers.

February is synonymous with hearts and chocolate.

The American Heart Association also wants the valentine month to be known for hearts and health.

A healthy diet is one step everyone can take to avoid heart disease, experts agree.

“Eating heart healthy is a good way to increase overall health,” said Laura Hill, a clinic dietitian for Mercy Medical Center in Rogers.

Heart disease kills approximately 600,000 people in the United States each year and is responsible for one in every four deaths. It is the leading cause of death for both men and women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The term “heart disease” refers to several types of heart conditions, but the most common type in the U.S. is coronary heart disease or coronary artery disease. It occurs when plaque builds up in the arteries and can cause a heart attack, angina, heart failure and arrhythmia,a disorder of the heart rate or heart rhythm.

Arterial plaque is made from various substances that circulate in blood, including calcium, fat and cholesterol. A healthy diet can lower the amount of these materials. “Limit fat and sodium,” Hill said. “Also look at what types of meats you eat.”

She said lean meats are best.

The United States Department of Agriculture states lean meat is any serving of meat, 3 ounces or the size of a deck of cards, with less than 10 grams of fat, 4.5 grams saturated fat and 95 milligrams cholesterol.

Portion size is also key, Hill said.

“Serving sizes are getting bigger and bigger,” Hill said. “How much you eat is as important as what you eat.”

Using low-fat or fat-free dairy products can help people cut back calorie intake considerably, she added.

Increasing fruit and vegetable consumption is also important. Mercy started addressing staff health issues in a four-part Healthifi cation program initiated in November 2010. Eat for Life, the first phase of the program, transformed the menu at the Mercy Cafe inside the hospital in Rogers.

“Habits are hart to break, and Mercy is being proactive with Healthification,” said Brad Bulot, executive chef at Mercy. He said the cafe serves foods with reduced fat and sodium. “We are steaming and roasting more and frying less.”

Approximately 80 percent of the cafe’s customers are hospital employees. Mercy encourages employees to make healthy choices by offering a discount. “We have seen an increase with our salad bar items,” Bulot said.

People have the hardest time switching to healthy snacks, he added. “Bags of chips are easy to grab, but veggies are the best choice.”

Springdale-based Tyson Foods is also addressing heart health.

“We recognize health and wellness are also important to our customers and consumers, and there is growing interest in issues such as childhood obesity, weight control and heart health,” said Gary Mickelson, Tyson spokesman.

“As such, we are committed to providing food products that contribute to a healthy lifestyle and off er great taste and convenience for our customers and consumers.”

The company’s corporate-based Nutrition Team includes both registered dietitians and advanced practice nutrition technicians. They create and maintain nutrition data on Tyson products.

Tyson Foods first developed consumer product nutrition guidelines in 2005.

Eating a heart healthy diet is not limited to people with or at risk or heart disease.

Hill said Mercy has a youth weight management program that teaches healthy eating practices and the importance of exercise. “Parents get involved as well,” she said. “It helps children learn how to make good choices.”

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Heart-healthy dishes can be delicious, as demonstrated by this grilled lime cilantro chicken, created by Brad Bulot, executive chef for Mercy Medical Center in Rogers.

Tyson adjusted products for its Food Service K-12 school business after new government nutrition standards were established in the fall of 2012.

The Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, enacted by the Food and Nutrition Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, works to ensure school breakfast and lunch programs off er healthy food options while encouraging students to make healthy meal choices.

Key parts of the act include an increase in fruits and vegetables, increase in whole grains, reduced sodium, minimum and maximum calorie levels, and limits on trans fats andsaturated fats.

“All of Tyson Foods’ school food service products contain zero grams of man-made trans fat per serving,” Mickelson said.

No matter what age someone is, the important thing in creating a healthy diet is fi nding what works.

“Some people do better with one change at a time,” Hill said. “Find what works and continue the success.”

Life, Pages 6 on 02/13/2013

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