Would you be heart-healthy?

Keep moving, then. Our bodies were made for motion, not for sitting in front of a computer or TV screen for hours at a time. What you eat matters a lot, too. Choose raw or lightly cooked vegetables, and fresh or frozen vegetables and fruits instead of canned. Choose fruits for your desserts. Consider red berries and blueberries. They’re anti-cancer food, as well as anti-inflammatory.

Limit fats, especially saturated fat. You need some saturated fat to provide "skin" for your brain cells. Just keep in mind that every tablespoon of pure fat or oil has 117 to 124 calories.

Some fats, especially that in seafoods, promote a healthy heart. Tuna and salmon give you omega-3s. Tuna is also high in Vitamins B6 and B12. Vitamin B6 keeps your nerves functioning well. It’s recommended both to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome and to remedy it. Vitamin B12 gives you energy, helps iron function better in our bodies, and helps folate to synthesize Choline for cell membrane integrity.

Food scientists note as especially heart-healthy these protein foods: almonds, peanuts and peanut butter, pork loin, turkey breast, wild salmon for omega-3 fats (only 120 calories in a 3-ounce serving vs. 160 calories in farm-raised salmon), sardines for another omega-3 source, pork loin as the leanest cut of pork. If you don’t eat pork, or any meat, and don’t like fish, no worries; walnuts also provide both 4 grams of protein per ¼ cup, and some omega-3 fat and folate. Olive oil contains some omega-3 fat, too. Canola oil claims it, but it isn’t a useful kind of omega-3.

White fish, i.e. flounder, cod, and sole, are good seafood choices, offering almost 1/3 of your daily protein needs per 3-ounce serving, with only 68 calories unless you bread and fry it. Try poaching, baking or broiling, or make fish chowder.

So how does all that information apply to using these protein sources in a meal? Try a tuna and pea curry, and a Waldorf salad of diced apple, celery, and chopped walnuts on a bed of shredded green or red leafy lettuce. You may already have the ingredients in your pantry, refrigerator, and freezer. If there’s snow on the Islands rural roads and if you live on one you’ll be glad you stocked your pantry and freezer.

FISH AND PEA CURRY

4 servings

2 (5-ounce) cans chunk tuna packed in water or 1 pound cod cut in 1-inch cubes

2 Tablespoons butter (another omega-3 source)

4 small or 3 larger russet potatoes, thinly peeled and cubed

2 cups frozen peas

2 cups whole milk or ½ and ½ cream

Juice of 1 lemon

2 teaspoons curry powder, or to taste

Dill weed, salt, and pepper

Start potatoes boiling in just enough water to cover. Set timer for 15 minutes.

Heat butter in a large skillet. Start cod cooking in skillet Sprinkle with dill weed, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat, cover. Cook 5 minutes. Transfer to casserole.

Add peas to potatoes for their last 5 minutes of cooking. Most of the water will have boiled away; if not, drain them, keeping the nutrient-rich water for a later soup Label and date it. Use in 4 days or less.

In skillet you cooked the cod in, heat the milk or cream. Thicken with:

2 Tablespoons rice flour mixed with
2 teaspoons curry powder
¼ cup milk or cream

salt and pepper to taste

As the mixture thickens, and while stirring, add the remaining milk or cream

Test potatoes for doneness. When done, drain and combine potatoes and peas with the cod and the sauce. Garnish with minced parsley if desired.