Entertain at home and help spread the word about good health – without expanding your waistline.
The Heart Foundation’s newly-launched Meals 4 Heart is a fun way to get you and your friends cooking, and at the same time help raise funds for its community-based health programmes and children’s programmes. You and your friends, dinner clubs, corporate teams, societies, and anyone else who would like to make a difference are invited to register as hosts at www.heartfoundation.co.za.
Once registered, you will receive a kit with leaflets, invitations, registration forms and thank you cards. The Heart Foundation will also supply you with heart healthy menu options selected especially for you by its team of qualified dietitians. Meals 4 Heart Hosts raise funds by asking their guests to make a contribution to their dinner parties in return for a heart healthy sumptuous meal. The money raised helps 1,9 million people aided by the Heart Foundation’s community programmes.
Established in 1997, the Heart Foundation’s Community Children’s Programme is aimed at criche aged children (3-6 years), and primary school children, in previously disadvantaged areas. Many of the cryches feed the children their only meal of the day but an informal survey found that they focussed on providing bulk rather than nutrition.
The Heart Foundation programme teaches the children, their teachers, parents and child minders the basics of good nutrition, exercise, the effect of smoking, basic hygiene, HIV and Rheumatic Fever awareness. Qualified dieticians from the Heart Foundation offer individual counselling to assist with menu planning within their budget and course material is presented in English, Afrikaans, Sotho, Xhosa and Zulu.
To make your dinner party heart-healthy:
* Choose cooking methods that grill, steam, bake, microwave, stir-fry or poach rather than fry.
* Cut off all visible fat before cooking.
* Use only lean cuts of mutton, beef and pork.
* Keep meat portions small.
* Use sunflower, canola or olive oil in food preparation, baking and in salad dressings. Use very little oil when frying foods.
* Skim fats off sauces, soups, canned soups and stews. Refrigerating after cooking will allow you to remove hardened saturated fats. Add vegetables later to prevent them from absorbing excess fat.
* Roast, bake or grill on a rack or grid to drain fats.
* Baste with unsaturated fats, tomato juice, fruit juice, lemon juice, wine or low-fat marinade.
* Don’t cook with discoloured oils.
* Make gravy from pan juices after fat has been removed.
* Use skim milk or low fat yoghurt in creamed soup and sauces.
* For every teaspoon of butter, margarine and oil you cut out, you save 4g fat
* One cup full cream milk has 10g fat. One cup skim milk has 1g fat
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