Mexican Chicken and Lime Soup
Contributed by: News Canada
Are you heart smart?
(NC) - While the prevalence of heart disease continues to grow, maintaining a healthy heart is still your best weapon against Canada's number one killer. By incorporating small lifestyle changes into your diet, exercise regime and stress management practices, you can make a big difference to your heart:
1. Eat your way to a healthy heart
You don't need to revamp your diet overnight, but start considering more heart healthy choices. A heart smart diet is low in saturated and trans fats, and rich in "good" unsaturated fats. A simple way to decrease saturated and trans fats is to replace spreads such as butter and hard margarines with soft, non-hydrogenated margarines, like Becel, that are low in saturated fats and trans fat free.
2. Get on your feet and get active
Physical activity is a key factor in the improvement of heart health and quality of life. It can also help reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke and obesity. Try adding a brisk walk to your daily routine - it's simple to do, you don't need any special equipment and you can do year round. Brisk walking is a great form of exercise as it increases your heart rate and gives you a solid workout. On rainy or snowy days don't skip your walk, just move it inside and take a few laps around the mall or your office building.
3. Relax your way to a less stressful day
Many factors can lead to stress in our lives, including a busy lifestyle and pressures at home or work. To combat stressful days try taking a five-minute relaxation break. Simply close your eyes, listen to soft music and focus on deep breathing. Or, take a humour break - read one of your favourite jokes or share an amusing story with a co-worker or family member. Remember, one of the best ways to keep your perspective is to have pictures of special places or people close by, to remind you of what's really important.
For more information about heart health, visit www.becel.ca. You can sign up for the Heart Healthy Living e-newsletter that delivers tips on nutrition, exercise and stress reduction straight to your inbox each month.
Preparation: 10 minutes - Cook Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
- 10 mL Becel Oil
- 1 onion (medium), chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast (1 lb/500g), diced in 1/2-inch (1.25 cm) pieces
- 1.5 litres chicken stock (reduced sodium)
- 1 tomato (medium), seeded and diced
- 125 mL ripe avocado, diced
- 30 mL fresh lime juice
- 0.5 mL hot sauce, or to taste
- 50 mL fresh coriander, coarsely chopped
Directions:
In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium-low heat. Add onions and garlic and cook for about 3-5 minutes or until softened, stirring occasionally.
Add stock and bring to a boil. Stir in chicken and reduce heat to low. Partially cover and simmer very gently for about 10 minutes.
Just before serving, stir in tomato, avocado, lime juice, hot sauce, and coriander. Serve immediately.
Serving Size: Makes 6 Servings
Nutritional Information: Per Serving: energy (kilocalories) 87 kcal; fat 4 g; saturates 0.6 g; polyunsaturates 1.1 g; monounsaturates 2 g; cholesterol 16 mg; carbohydrate 5.6 g; fibre, total dietary 0.9 g; protein 8.5 g; sodium 745 mg; potassium 529 mg; vitamin C 6 mg; vitamin A 31 R.E.; calcium 13 mg; iron 0.4 mg; vitamin D 0 mcg; vitamin E 0.2 mg
