Wear Your Heart on Your Fork
As the leading cause of death in the U.S., heart disease can be a scary topic. After all, who wants to hear that someone has a heart attack every 40 seconds? Or that heart disease costs the country almost $240 billion every year?
Facts and statistics like these can be useful, but we have a new poster that takes a more positive approach to heart health.
Wear Your Heart on Your Fork is sure to attract attention and start conversations. This poster features beautiful photographs of heart-healthy, unprocessed foods like fruits, vegetable, legumes, nuts, and seeds.
Here are some ways you could use Wear Your Heart on Your Fork with your clients, employees, or students:
- Name that food: Just identifying all the foods on the poster can be quite educational! Put a whiteboard next to the poster and let folks write down the foods they know. See how long it takes for all the foods to be correctly identified.
- Make some lists: Make a document that has three columns: On My Fork, Never Touched My Fork, and Will Go On My Fork. Put copies near the poster so people can write down which of the foods on the poster they eat regularly; the ones they’ve never tried; and which foods they are willing to try over the next week.
- Do a demo: Put on a simple cooking demonstration using heart-healthy foods that appear on the poster. You can find some ideas in our MyPlate Cooking Demo book.
- Swap recipes: Encourage people to submit their favorite heart-healthy recipes. Make copies to share with others who pass by the poster.
- Bask in the beauty: Take time to enjoy the beautiful foods on the poster. Don’t they look more appetizing than processed or fast food? Appreciate all the colors, shapes, and sizes.
Hollis Bass, MEd, RD, LD