It would be hard to miss all the heart icons in our stores and on the Let’s Dish! website as we “Go Red” in February.  As Jeremy wrote yesterday, we’ve pledged to learn more about healthy living and do all we can to prevent heart disease.

And, we can do a lot - nutritious meals and heart-health awareness to thousands of families to start. We partnered with the American Heart Association (AHA) in the Mid-Atlantic to bring our healthy meals together with education and real-life tools. Plus, we challenged our menu development team to create the healthiest Let’s Dish! menu yet (kudos - our February menu has 13 heart healthy meals!). 

In doing so, we quickly realized that a commitment to heart health is more than looking for “low fat” labels. Sure, a heart graphic is easy to spot, but what exactly does ”heart healthy” mean? What choices should you make to live a healthy lifestyle?

For over 80 years, the AHA has studied that very question, becoming a national, volunteer-led organization bringing research, awareness and practical advice to the community with tremendous results. So, quite simply, we think their recommendations for healthy living are the guidelines worth sharing.  Let’s start with these helpful links:

American Heart Association’s Healthy Lifestyle Habits
and Dietary Recommendations

Want more detail?  Follow the AHA’s guidelines for an overall healthy eating plan.  

OK, after reading these pages, is your answer to “Am I living a heart-healthy lifestyle?” the same?  I pored over the content, incorporating much into my family’s diet and lifestyle, but I still have more questions: what makes a fat ”good” or “bad”? Are all fruits and veggies not equally nutritious?  How do I identify trans fats while shopping?  What qualifies as whole-grain?  What’s Omega 3 and which fish do I eat?  Excercise obviously helps, but which types? How do I create a healthy lifestyle for my children?  And, I’ve got about - let’s see - 20 more!

We’ll research these types of questions this month and share the discussion with you on Food for Thought.  Enlisting the help of health experts like AHA nutritionist, Catherine Joiner, and exploring the resources available, we’ll pursue answers that make us all aware of the specific steps we can take to truly live a heart-healthy lifestyle.