People are invited to see how easy it can be to eat healthy during this year’s Go Red for Your Heart cooking class at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Top Floor Events.
Combining the talents of chef Brian Crabb from Top Floor and Table Time Mom Sarah Wipf, a local Wildtree representative, participants will learn how a little planning ahead is key to healthy meals.
“Meal planning is really the key to eating healthier, reducing stress and making mealtime about reconnecting with your family — which is important in today’s busy world,” Wipf said. “Plus, planning ahead makes grocery shopping easier and saves on wasted groceries and impulse fast food decisions.”
The event is hosted by Huron Regional Medical Center and Healthy Huron. The cost is $10 and includes a heart-healthy meal. Everyone is encouraged to wear red. RSVP at www.huronregional.org/
GoRed.
“When you talk to people about the barriers to eating healthy, one common theme is not knowing how to prepare healthy meals day-in and day-out,” said Kim Rieger, vice president of marketing for HRMC and a member of Healthy Huron. “Sarah has a unique approach to helping people take the mystery and challenge out of that daily chore we all face.”
Wipf said she will choose four volunteers from the audience to prepare 10 make-ahead meals. As they prepare the meal options, guests will enjoy one of the meals prepared by Crabb.
“We’re doing a salad, a chicken entree and a dessert,” Crabb said. He has been at Top Floor as chef since it opened in 2013.
Wildtree creates 11 meal kits, with 10 meals in each prep kit. Each of the four volunteers will pick which meal they would like to take home, and the other six meals will be given away as door prizes.
“We just want to show how easy it can be,” Wipf said. “I do all the grocery shopping, they come and leave with freezer meals.”
Wipf lives at Lake Byron with her husband, Jordan, and three children, ages 10, 4 and 18 months, with a new baby on the way.
“We started this one year and three months ago and it’s been a huge adjustment in our house,” Wipf said. “I have more energy and I’m more accountable for what we put in our bodies.

“My kids love it,” she added. “My 10 year old loves to cook. She’s getting healthy snacks and she’s learning how to cook.”
Wipf said her kids like to help her prep the freezer meals they use at their home.
“When they’re involved helping with the meal, they’re not picky” eaters at mealtimes, she added.

Get the facts:

HURON — To celebrate American Heart month, Huron Regional Medical Center (HRMC) is encouraging the community to “Go Red” and get the facts and protect themselves from the crippling effects of a heart attack or stroke.
One of every three deaths in the U.S. are from heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases, while heart disease is the No. 1 killer worldwide, according to American Heart Association’s (AHA) 2018 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Update.
In the U.S. the data showed:
• cardiovascular diseases claim 836,546 lives each year — more than all types of cancer combined;
• approximately every 40 seconds, an American will have a heart attack.
• stroke kills someone in the U.S. about every 3 minutes 45 seconds.
• Stroke is a leading cause of serious long-term disability in the US.
A heart attack occurs when the blood supply to part of the heart muscle (the myocardium) is severely reduced or stopped because one or more of the heart’s arteries is blocked. If the blood supply is cut off for more than a few minutes, heart muscle cells suffer permanent injury or die. This can kill or disable someone, depending on how much heart muscle is damaged.

A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts (or ruptures). When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood and oxygen it needs, so it and brain cells die.
The best protection against heart attack and stroke is to arm yourself with information about your risks, the signs and symptoms of heart disease and steps you can take to reduce your risk. AHA recommends an easy formula dubbed “Life’s Simple 7”:
• Eating better, which can stave off chronic disease. Steps include increasing your intake of vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds.
• Maintaining a healthy weight because this can reduce the burden on your heart, lungs, blood vessels and bones.
• Exercising, which can help with your cholesterol levels, weight and muscle tone.
• Quitting cigarettes because even one can hurt you.
• Managing blood pressure. Unhealthy ranges strain the heart, arteries and kidneys.
• Controlling cholesterol to give your arteries the best chance to stay clear of fatty blockages that reduce blood flow.
• Reducing blood sugar. This can lower the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.
To help community members learn to eat better by planning ahead, HRMC is hosting a Go Red for Your Heart cooking class on Thursday, February 15, 5:30-7:00 p.m. at Top Floor Events. HRMC will also host discounted Heart and Vascular screenings to help the community learn their risk for heart disease. Sanford’s mobile screening unit will be at HRMC Physicians Clinic on Wednesday, Feb. 28, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Each screening costs $25 and appointments can be made by calling 1-888-996-4673. More information about American Heart month and how to recognize and reduce risk factors for heart disease is available online at www.americanheart.org or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1.