The American Heart Association marks products with a red heart and white check mark for products meeting nutrition criteria per standard serving for saturated fat and cholesterol for healthy people older than age 2.
The American Heart Association determines heart healthy foods by the following standards:
* “Low fat” has less than or equal to 3 grams.
* “Low saturated fat” means is has less than or equal to 1 gram.
* “Low cholesterol” is less than or equal to 20 milligrams.
* “Moderate in sodium,” with less than or equal to 480 milligrams for individual foods.
* “Nutritious,” containing at least 10 percent for the Daily Value of one or more of these naturally occurring nutrients: protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, iron or dietary fiber.
For meats to be eligible for the heart-check mark, they must meet the USDA standard for extra lean.
For more information, visit www.heartcheckmark.org or www.americanheart.org.
Entertaining booklet
A free “Crisco Celebrates the Flavor of the Holidays” booklet is available, with about 20 recipes for a range of festive dishes for holiday entertaining. The recipes, shown in color photos, were judged the best from many offered by home cooks across the country.
Readers may obtain a copy of the recipe booklet by sending a postcard with their name and address to The J.M. Smucker Co., Attn: Crisco Celebrates the Flavor of the Holidays Recipe Booklet, Consumer Relations Dept., P.O. Box 197, Orrville, OH 44667.
For more information, visit www.crisco.com.
Cut fat and cholesterol
If you’re looking to cut out fat and cholesterol from your diet, try filling your shopping cart with fresh fruits and vegetables, which are naturally low in saturated fat and cholesterol.
Also, choose whole-grain products, including oatmeal, rice and whole-grain breads.
Select extra-lean protein sources such as skinless poultry, fish, legumes and lean meats.
Substitute low-fat, low-cholesterol snacks for traditional high-fat, empty-calorie snacks. Try baked tortilla chips and salsa or fruit and low-fat yogurt dip.
Roast vegetables in a hot oven to caramelize their natural sugars and bring out flavor without extra sauce or calories.
Cut down on saturated fat in creamy dressing by mixing in some nonfat or low fat plain yogurt.
From Herald staff and new services
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
