February is the month of hearts, and what could be more important than caring for heart health? Heart disease is the number-one cause of death in the United States—and a global concern, too, according to the World Health Organization.

Recognizing diet as one of the lifestyle factors we can each use to protect heart health, the American Heart Association provides science-based dietary guidelines to help combat this disease. Here are nutrients and food components to target for reducing the risk:

• Fiber: helps reduce cholesterol
• Folate: along with other B vitamins, helps break down homocysteine in the body. High levels of homocysteine can be damaging to the heart and blood vessels.
• Omega 3 fatty acids: can lower blood pressure
• Antioxidants: Antioxidants such as fruits and vegetables help lower the LDL or “bad cholesterol”.
• Vitamin E: a fat-soluble vitamin that prevents LDL cholesterol from becoming oxidized
• Vitamin C: helps keep blood vessels open
• Flavonoids: Flavonoids are a category of antioxidants. Scientists have discovered over 6000 flavonoids! One type, quercetin, appears to be good for the cardiovascular system. Epicatechins are another type, thought to benefit the heart. Cocoa is a great source of catechins.

For more insights into heart disease prevention, visit:

• American Heart Association Try the heart-healthy quizzes, too.
• CDC's Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention. The new site contains updated information and a wealth of resources.

The heart-protective flavonoids are types of antioxidants. What does that mean? Antioxidants are substances in food that help repair body cells that are damaged every day by—you guessed it!—oxygen (technically, a chemical reaction involving oxygen called oxidation).

Antioxidants in the diet can help slow down aging and lower risk for many common diseases, like heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, immune system disorders, cataracts, and macular degeneration (affecting vision).

Vitamins C and E, as well as beta-carotene (a form of vitamin A in yellow vegetables), are antioxidants. So are substances like lycopene (in tomatoes), polyphenols (in green tea), and many others.

Foods that contain high levels of various antioxidants include dark chocolate, pomegranates, blueberries, strawberries, dried plums, red wine, pecans, green and white teas, as well as most fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and nuts. Experts emphasize getting antioxidants from real food, rather than nutritional supplements. We are still discovering and researching many components of foods. The more we learn, the more it looks like Mother Nature had it right all along!

Chocolate contains flavonoid antioxidants that can be beneficial to heart health. Cocoa and dark chocolate contain the most flavonoids. Research from the Stockholm Heart Epidemiology Program, published in the Journal of International Medicine in 2009) showed exciting news about chocolate and heart disease. For patients who had already had a heart attack, eating chocolate at least twice a week reduced the risk of dying from a heart attack later on by 66%.

Can you imagine yet another excuse to eat chocolate? New research shows dark chocolate also helps lower stress hormone levels. Just 1.4 ounces of dark chocolate per day, every day for two weeks, reduced levels of the stress hormone cortisol, as reported by the Nestle Research Center in Switzerland last fall.

To learn more about the many antioxidants identified and their food sources, check out the Functional Foods table from the International Food Information Council, and a mega-list of resources at the USDA Food & Nutrition Information Center

If you (or your customers) have a taste for chocolate, check out this new mocha latte chocolate mousse recipe, scaled for quantity production!

For a high quality dessert, you can always use farm fresh pasteurized shell eggs. Recipes that include chocolate—tiramisu, mousse, and other desserts—take on a fresh flavor and rich texture. Even used raw, pasteurized shell eggs give you Salmonella-free assurance.

Download the lively inservice training presentation for food service, “FOOD SAFETY— the fork stops here!” Food safety starts on the farm, works its way through food processing & distribution… and then finds its way to those who cook and serve food. About 7 of every 10 of foodborne illnesses are linked to food we eat away from home. That means, in foodservice operations, the fork stops here!

Download your free PowerPoint, handouts, and more at SafeEggs.com!

Can a Salmonella outbreak cost real money? Apparently the answer is Yes. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported on Feb. 2, 2010, that some victims of the Salmonella outbreak from peanut butter will be splitting a $12 million settlement.

More than 700 people suffered foodborne illness from the outbreak linked to products packaged by Peanut Corp. of America. About 123 filed claims, which will be paid by an insurance company for the corporation.