Source: CanolaInfo | Story Posted: February 14, 2010 | Category: Media Releases

Cook with Love This Valentine's Day with Heart-Smart Recipes

CHICAGO, IL – Show your love this Valentine’s Day by giving a gift for the heart with the new cookbook “The Heart-Smart Diabetes Kitchen: Fresh, Fast, and Flavorful Recipes Made with Canola Oil” by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and CanolaInfo. Whether you cook some of these recipes for love or give the cookbook as a gift, you will literally help look after someone’s heart.  

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S. and people with diabetes are at even greater risk, with 65 percent dying of heart disease and stroke, according to the American Heart Association. Yet, cardiovascular disease is often preventable with healthy lifestyle habits such as a heart-smart diet low in saturated and trans fats and cholesterol.

“Heart disease is largely preventable with a healthy diet, exercise, minimizing stress and not smoking,” said Suzanne Steinbaum, D.O., M.D., preventive cardiologist. “It’s important to watch total calories and eat predominantly unsaturated fats along with vegetables, fruits, whole grains and lean meats.”  

Each recipe in “The Heart-Smart Diabetes Kitchen” is made with canola oil, which has the least saturated fat and most omega-3 fat of all common cooking oils. It is free of trans fat and cholesterol. Due to this healthy profile, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized a qualified health claim* on canola oil’s potential to reduce the risk of heart disease.

“Saturated and trans fat consumption increases the risk of heart disease,” Steinbaum continued. “Monounsaturated and omega-3 fats, on the other hand, may help reduce the risk.”

All of the cookbook’s 151 recipes, which meet the ADA’s nutritional guidelines, were developed by renowned cookbook author Nancy S. Hughes with one goal in mind: to make it easier for everyone, whether or not with diabetes, to create quick meals that are nutritious and delicious.

“This cookbook capitalizes on fresh ingredients and natural flavors to make the most of your calories without excess salt or sugar or bad fats,” said Hughes. “This is the way people should eat, while enjoying every bite!”

All proceeds of this colorful paperback go to the ADA to help further its mission of improving the lives of people with diabetes. The cookbook is available through the ADA via 1-800-232-6733 or http://store.diabetes.org. In addition, it is sold on Amazon.com and in Borders, Barnes & Noble and other bookstores nationwide. For more information, please visit www.heartsmartdiabetes.org.

To learn more about canola oil, including health benefits, cooking tips and recipes, go to www.canolainfo.org or find us on Facebook.com/CanolaInfo and Twitter.com/CanolaInfo.

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* Limited and not conclusive scientific evidence suggests that eating about 1½ tablespoons (19 grams) of canola oil daily may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease due to the unsaturated fat content in canola oil. To achieve this possible benefit, canola oil is to replace a similar amount of saturated fat and not increase the total number of calories you eat in a day. 

For more information, please email fyi@canolainfo.org