Heart-healthy diet: Not another dry, skinless chicken breast!

Admittedly, it isn’t a sunny thought in the middle of a freezing Midwest winter: My likely cause of death.

I recently stumbled upon a chart online explaining the average U.S. life expectancy. I learned that most Americans don’t die from the chronic diseases we hear most about in the news, like cancer or dementia.

Instead, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S. and globally, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. And the risk increases as you age. In the U.S., someone has a heart attack every 40 seconds, the CDC reports.

National Heart Month is February, the traditional season of love. And more awareness is needed. There is so much misinformation about heart disease and its causes, especially when it comes to nutrition.

In this issue of the Iowa Dish, we share nutritional advice for a heart-healthy diet. The newest research findings may surprise you.

We also offer easy tips to help you save money on groceries - and reduce food waste at home.

And we’re sharing a trending topic on our Farm Fresh blog, the popularity of Iowa’s fluffy cows. It isn’t easy for farmers to keep these cows looking as cute as a Squishmallow.

Finally, try our recipe for air fryer pork riblets, perfect for snacking during the Big Game this month. Football and food always make a championship team.

Iowa farmers work hard every day, in all kinds of weather, to provide safe, healthy food for our dinner tables.

Try to think warm thoughts – we’re so close to spring!

Take care,

Teresa Bjork
Editor, The Iowa Dish

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Learn more about author Teresa Bjork here.