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Today's Heart Tip: More Home Cookin'

Megan Cochran, RN
Emergency Department Nurse
St. Luke’s Nampa
By Anna Fritz, Health and Wellness
February 19, 2014

Prepare your meals at home as often as possible. A heart-healthy diet can reduce your risk of heart disease or stroke by 80%, and cooking at home can help you control what goes into your food. Compared to restaurant or processed food, you can greatly reduce excess salt, saturated fat, trans fat, and sugar, all of which contribute to your risk of disease. Steam, poach, or sauté food in a flavorful broth; use small amounts of healthy oils to grill, roast, or bake instead of frying; and get half of your calories from veggies.

Megan's Heart Advice: “The heart is a muscle and it’s only going to perform as well as you feed it. Eating healthy foods that don't cause strain to your heart is very important. Unhealthy foods cause your heart to work harder and therefore, wear it out! Nutrition truly is the best way to prevent all kinds of health-related illness. That old adage that ‘junk food is cheaper and easier’ is just false, and I feel passionately that healthy options are affordable and efficient with a bit of effort. Do that big ol’ lovable heart a favor and eat your veggies!”

February is Heart Month, so kick start your best year yet with 28 days of heart health. Every day in February St. Luke’s will send a heart health tip directly to your email. It’s easy to subscribe!

We’re also offering Free Heart Seminars throughout the month. Click here to find one in your area.

Join us for a seminar today in Twin Falls: Is Sugar Bad for Your Heart?

About The Author

Anna Fritz

Anna Fritz is a writer and editor with St. Luke’s Communications and Marketing.

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