Heart Health Month with Not Just Oats!
February is Heart Health Month with Not Just Oats! It’s a time to bring attention to the importance of cardiovascular health and promote ways to reduce our risk of cardiovascular disease. Nine in 10 Canadians have at least one risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Almost 80% of premature heart disease and stroke can be prevented through healthy behaviours (1).
Lifestyle habits including eating a healthy diet, being active and living smoke-free have a big impact on your health. I’m thrilled to have partnered with Rogers Foods for their Heart Health Month with Not Just Oats campaign promoting their oat blends of healthy grains and ancient grains. Making one small change, like adding oats to a balanced diet, can make a huge difference to your health.
Why Oats and Heart Health?
Oats are a rich source of both soluble and insoluble fibre. Soluble fibres help increase satiety (the feeling of fullness); lower blood cholesterol and control blood sugars, while others have been shown to promote a favourable gut environment. Soluble fibres found in oats are called beta-glucans. Over the past decade, researchers have found that not all beta-glucan molecules are the same. From current studies the beta-glucans in both barley and oats have the most beneficial effect on heart health (2-3).
Three Not Just Oats Recipes for Heart Month!
For years, oats have been serving up wholesome goodness in delicious ways, so let’s celebrate Heart Month with Rogers Original Porridge Oats & Healthy Grains and Porridge Oats & Ancient Grains.
1) Make Ahead with Curry Mango Salad Recipe
Oats are a surprisingly appetizing ingredient in savoury recipes. This make-ahead colourful salad is a refreshing blend of sweet and mild heat with the hearty deliciousness of quinoa and Rogers Porridge Oats & Ancient Grains. It is perfect to make on a Sunday as a nutritious and vibrant side dish for dinner, and then pack the heart-healthy leftovers for Monday’s work lunch.
2) Sauté and Broil the Salmon Puttanesca Recipe
This recipe is ideal for that romantic dine-in supper or another celebratory event. It looks extravagant but it’s ready in just 30 minutes. The salmon, Rogers Porridge Oats & Ancient Grains, olive oil and garlic give this vibrant dish an assortment of heart-healthy ingredients. If you want to make it more heart-healthy and reduce some of the sodium, cut out the capers and only use the 1/3 cup (75 mL) of olives.
3) Satisfy your Sweet Tooth with the Honey Walnut Loaf Recipe
This delicious kid-friendly one-bowl loaf recipe is perfect to satisfy your sweet tooth while having the heart-healthy ingredients of walnuts and Rogers Porridge Oats & Healthy Grains. Plus it has the added protein from the Greek yogurt. The honey gives it a moist sweetness that makes it easy to cut into mini loaves after it is baked. Have fun with it this heart health month and remember to leave some walnuts and honey to top it off.
Do you have a favourite Heart Healthy recipe using Porridge Oats & Healthy Grains or Porridge Oats & Ancient Grains? Let me know in the comments!
Jane Dummer is a registered dietitian and expert in food and nutrition. Jane serves as a consultant to the food and beverage industry, including Rogers Foods.
Salmon Puttanesca and Honey Walnut Loaf Photo Credits: Irene Matys
References
- Risk and Prevention. Heart and Stroke Canada
- Wolever TM et al. Physicochemical properties of oat β-glucan influence its ability to reduce serum LDL cholesterol in humans: a randomized clinical trial. Am J Clin Nutr.2010; 92(4):723-32.
- Othman R, Moghadasian M, Jones P. Cholesterol-lowering effects of oat beta-glucan. Nutrition Reviews. 2011; 69(6):299-309.
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