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CanolaInfo offers heart-smart, family-friendly recipes for home cooks

WINNIPEG - A Canadian dies about every seven minutes from cardiovascular disease (CVD), which is one of the leading causes of death nationwide. The good news is that attention to risk factors - including those involving lifestyle choices - can prevent up to 80% of premature cardiovascular deaths. In honour of World Heart Day on Sept. 29, 2011, CanolaInfo is promoting heart-healthy eating at home.

"CVD is largely preventable," says Eldon Smith, O.C., M.D., cardiologist, professor emeritus of medicine at the University of Calgary and chair of the Canadian Heart Health Strategy and Action Plan. "Consuming a nutritious diet low in saturated and trans fats is essential for protecting the heart along with regular exercise, maintaining a normal body weight and not smoking. People have the power to reduce their risk of CVD with relatively simple changes to their lifestyle."

CanolaInfo partnered with Julie Van Rosendaal, cookbook author, food writer (DinnerwithJulie.com) and mother, to create a family-friendly, heart-healthy recipe collection that allows parents to quickly and easily prepare meals that their children will enjoy. Recipes include:

Breakfast: Cinnamon Oatmeal Pancakes
Lunch: Quinoa, Black Bean & Mango Salad
Snack: Chewy Blueberry Oatmeal Cookies
Dinners: Oven-Roasted Falafel; Maple Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Rosemary
Dessert: Roasted Stone Fruits with Cookie Crumble

Each recipe is made with canola oil, which has the least saturated fat of all cooking oils and is free of trans fat and cholesterol. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized a qualified health claim for canola oil on its potential to reduce the risk of heart disease when used in place of saturated fat.

"It's easy to fall into bad eating habits," says Van Rosendaal, who benefitted from healthy lifestyle changes in her own life. "But with the right tools and planning, it's just as easy to adopt healthy eating habits that will help you lose and keep off weight as well as look after your heart."

The "Home is Where the Heart is" Recipe Collection is available at CanolaInfo.org and a new, interactive game featuring the recipes and heart health information will be live at Facebook.com/CanolaInfo in early September.