Did you know that your heart beats about 35 million times in a year or about 100,000 times per day and during an average lifetime, the human heart will beat more than 2.5 billion times? There are many simple steps you can take to keep your heart healthy. 

 Tioga County's Healthy Begins at Home committee encourages everyone to challenge themselves to try some of these ideas:

  Replace bad fats with heart healthy fats. There are fats that are considered to be good for your heart for example: omega -3 fats. The American Heart Association  (AHA) recommends eating fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, albacore tuna, sardines, herring) at least twice a week. Additionally, include oils and foods rich in heart helping fats like: flaxseed oil, canola oil, soybean oil, flaxseed, and walnuts. Toss walnuts in with your salad to add a heart healthy crunch.

  Skip the salt. During cooking and at the dinner table skip the salt; this can help to maintain a healthy blood pressure. The American Heart Association recommends 2300 mg of sodium or less per day and in just one little teaspoon of salt there is 2400 mg of sodium. Add spices like garlic, oregano, pepper, or cumin to add flavor without adding salt.

  Kick up the fiber. When you're buying breads, cereals, and other grains opt for whole wheat. Whole grains taste great, can make you feel full longer, and lower your cholesterol levels. On the Nutrition Facts panel of the product look for the words "whole wheat" on the ingredient list and more than three grams of dietary fiber per serving. Next time you're making a pasta dish, ease your taste buds into whole grains by using 1/2 whole-wheat noodles and 1/2 regular noodles. Then slowly convert over to using all whole-wheat.

 One last fact… the Rock on Café is a new program in the Broome-Tioga 
elementary school cafeterias that offers kid approved recipes and products. The menu follows heart healthy guidelines of 30% or less of calories from fat and 10% or less of calories from saturated fat. For more information visit: www.rockoncafe.com

 Remember, heart health begins with you, and healthy begins at home.