February is heart month, a time for all of us to assess our risk. Heart disease is the number one killer for women.

While we can't change our family history, we can reduce our risk. The role that diet plays is the subject of February's Health Check.

Kathleen Victor hits the grocery store with a plan: shop the perimeter for the healthiest food and ESP (Eat Small Portions).

Vegetable Barley Soup

Potato Soup

Rice Taco Salad

Turkey Barley Tomato Soup

Parmesan Fish Fillets

Oven Beef Stew

Dillweed Dip

Grilled Salmon Salad with Orange Basil Vinaigrette

Lemon Squares

Copper Pennies

Chili-Spiced Chicken

Artichoke and Green Chili Dip

Carrot Cake

Chili

Apple Pie in a Glass

Fish and other heart healthy foods make up the bulk of her diet and she says, "As you get older things change and you notice the way you eat impacts the way you feel."

What she buys has also changed.

Victor took a heart-healthy cooking class at Alegent Lakeside Hospital. Chefs from local restaurants team with cardiac dietitians like Toni Kuehneman and Toni tells us, "It's easy to eat a heart-healthy diet."

There's an emphasis on fruits and vegetables like lettuce, cucumbers and strawberries because, "they're high Vitamin C," Toni tells us.

Add whole grains. Barley in soup can soak up cholesterol. Wash a meal down with milk.

Salmon is a great menu addition.

Toni says it's, "rich in omega three fatty acids."

But limit that and other animal protein to four to eight ounces a day. Reduce saturated and trans fats and cut back on sodium and added sugar.

If that's too much all at once, start small.

Toni says, "If they do nothing else from this segment but eat more fruits and vegetables, that would be great. All those pretty colors in fruits and vegetables is what produce antioxidants and they reduce inflammation and clogging of the arteries."

The cooking class helped Kathleen Victor put it all together. She uses seasonings, not butter or deep-frying, to enhance meals.

Kathleen says, "To smell it and taste it, it gives flavor to the food. You enjoy the flavors, not the fat."

Poached tilapia takes eight minutes. Just enough time for some stir fry veggies. With heart-healthy bread, Kathleen has a complete meal.

She says, "I want to be here when my grandchildren graduate from high school and things like that. It's the one thing you can do to grow old gracefully."

Alegent Lakeside offers heart-healthy classes on the second Wednesday of every month. Participants get samples, recipes, and a cookbook. See additional information below.

Alegent Health Heart & Vascular Institute presents a monthly series focusing on heart healthy cooking featuring local chefs and food experts with Alegent Health cardiac rehab dietitians. Food samples, recipes, and a heart healthy cookbook will be given to all participants.

Class occurs second Wednesday of the month.

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Health Check

On the 6th of each month

Channel 6 and Alegent Health are combining to bring you monthly Health Check reports on our 5 p.m. news and here on WOWT.COM. We'll be exploring new innovations and insights into women's health along with providing a few reminders on the basics of staying healthy. For the latest medical news and health resources, tune in Channel 6 at 5 on the 6th of each month and visit us here on the Web for additional updates.

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Bergan Mercy Medical Center	Immanuel Medical Center
Lakeside Hospital	Midlands Hospital
Mercy Hospital	Alegent Health Clinic