Heart to Heart

Christy’s Corner

February is known as Heart Healthy Month and not just because of Valentine’s Day. There are five key things that you can do right now without medication to improve your heart.

Don’t Smoke or use Tobacco: The chemicals in tobacco can damage your heart as well as your blood vessels. The carbon monoxide in cigarette smoke replaces some of the oxygen in your blood, forcing your heart to work harder than it should.

Exercise 30 minutes per day: Staying in motion is always good! Whether you take the stairs, walk the dog or simply park further away – all are great benefits to a healthier heart. By doing some or all of these daily you can help reduce your chances of developing other conditions that put a strain on your heart.

Eat a Heart Healthy Diet: Eat foods that are low in fat, cholesterol and salt. (e.g. red meat, dairy, coconut and palm oils, packaged snacks.) And don’t forget to add heart-healthy items to your diet such as fruits and vegetables. Most of us don’t get enough of either one so try adding apples, oranges, raw broccoli or carrots to your snack menu.

Maintain a Healthy Weight: If you gain weight you can potentially increase your risk of high blood pressure, high cholestrerol and diabetis – all of which contributes to heart disease.

Get Regular Health Screenings: Know what your blood pressure and cholesterol levels are and should be. Screening for diabetes helps determine heart conditions as well. By speaking with your doctor he can provide you with a specific guideline to follow.

See the attached link for Screening/ Risk Factor Guide provided by the American Heart Association.

http://www.heart.org/idc/groups/heart-public/@wcm/@hcm/documents/downloadable/ucm_428691.pdf

Exercise Tip

By now many of you have started your New Year’s Resolution of working out. If youre doing it right that means you have intergrated some type of cardio routine into your workout. The most common is walking/running. Whether you take to the outdoors or if the treadmill there are a couple of tips you can use to enhance your results:

Increase your speed
Vary your stride
Combine sprint and incline intervals

Many studies have shown that varying your heart rate and the intensity of your workout will increase your metabolism more than exercising at the same rate for prolonged lenth of time. Remember to always warm up with a good paced walk for a couple of minutes prior to running in order to properly stretch your muscles. On the flip side, a cool down of walking for a few minutes is key to preventing muscle cramps.

Recipe

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Cherry Salsa

Impress your sweetie this Valentine’s Day with a homemade gourmet meal! The end result will leave your special someone thinking that you slaved all day in the kitchen, when actually you don’t have to. The pleasantly sharp and biting flavors of the cherry sauce pairs nicely with the tenderness of the pork. To save more time and achieve more flavor try marinating the pork overnight and making the sauce the day before cooking.

1 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro, divided
1/2 cup minced shallots, divided
6 tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 pork tenderloins, about 2 1/2 pounds total
1/2 pound fresh cherries, stemmed, pitted,halved
1 fresh Fresno chile, red jalapeño, or Holland chile, thinly sliced crosswise
1 tablespoon. extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Prepare a grill to medium-high heat. Combine 1/2 cup cilantro, 1/4 cup minced shallots, 4 tablespoons lime juice, and vegetable oil in a resealable plastic bag. Add pork; seal bag and turn to coat. Marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes, turning occasionally.

Meanwhile, combine remaining 1/2 cup cilantro, 1/4 cup shallots, 2 tablespoons lime juice, cherries, chile, and olive oil in a medium bowl. Season salsa lightly with salt and pepper and set aside to let flavors to meld.

Remove tenderloins from marinade and season generously with salt and pepper.

Grill tenderloins, turning frequently, until a thermometer inserted into meat registers 145°F, about 15 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes. Cut into thin slices and serve with salsa.

Raspberry Velvet

And let’s not forget about dessert! If you have a martini glass – you can finish out the night with another showcase recipe that only takes minutes to prepare.

1 12-ounce package frozen unsweetened raspberries, defrosted, or 12 ounces fresh raspberries
1/3 cup seedless black raspberry preserves
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon sugar
4 fresh mint sprigs

Puree the berries with the preserves in a food processor, then strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl to remove seeds. Add the water and mix well. (You should have about 2 cups.)

Place the bowl in the freezer and freeze, stirring every hour or so, until it is half frozen and velvety.

Meanwhile, pour the lime juice into one small saucer and put the sugar in another. Dip the rims of four stemmed glasses (preferably tulip champagne glasses) into the lime juice and then into the sugar, to create a border. Place the glasses in the freezer or refrigerator until serving time.

At serving time, divide the raspberry velvet among the prepared glasses and decorate each with a sprig of mint. Serve immediately.

Did You Know February Is….

Superbowl

Chinese New Year

Valentines Day

Presidents Day

Chocolate Lover’s Month

National Wise Health Consumer Month

American Heart Month