Cholesterol Month {Gift Card Giveaway}

Did you all know that September is National Cholesterol Education Month?

Now you do.

Mazola has launched a campaign to bring awareness to high cholesterol and ways to lower it. Some of my family members have high cholesterol and I am all about managing your health without prescriptions when possible. High cholesterol is one of the major risk factors leading to heart disease, heart attack and stroke.

If you’ve been around my blog before, you’ve probably noticed that I believe in (most) everything in moderation. Let’s just say I’m making a few exceptions while pregnant….

*ahem* ice cream *ahem*

BUT, I try.

I found a great document from the American Heart Association outlining some food suggestions for managing cholesterol. Here’s a quick summary:

Foods to Avoid:

• Whole milk, cream, ice cream (whoops)
• Organ meats (I have no problem avoiding those!)
• High-fat processed meats like sausage, bologna, hot dogs
• Butter, egg yolks, cheese
• Saturated oils like coconut oil, palm oil
• Fried foods
• Solid fats such as shortening

 Foods to Eat:

• Deeply colored fruits and vegetables
• Fiber-rich grain products
• Fat-free or low-fat milk products
• Nuts, seeds, beans, peas
• Lean meats
• Fish
• Unsaturated vegetable oils like canola, corn, olive, safflower and soybean

There has also been some recent research showing that plant sterols, like the ones in Mazola corn oil, can significantly reduce the body’s cholesterol absorption. Plant sterols are found in foods such as soybeans, nuts, corn and vegetable oils, legumes, and whole grains.

Here are some recipe suggestions from Mazola:

• Sweet and Tangy Fattoush Salad
• Baked Parmesan Zucchini Fries with a Creamy Yogurt Dip
• Zesty Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes

Giveaway Details: One (1) winner will receive:

• One bottle of Mazola Corn Oil
• One $100 American Express gift card
• One autographed copy of Best-Loved Mexican Cooking by Chef LaLa

To Enter (Required): Create a “Cut Cholesterol” Pinterest board featuring healthy recipes or other ways to cut cholesterol. Once you have created this board and added two pins from Mazola’s website, come back here and leave me the link to your board in the comment section of this post. Here’s my “Cut-Cholesterol” Pinterest board. Feel free to re-pin if you want! 

For Extra Entries (You must do the above entry first for any of these to count. You must also leave a separate comment for each or they will not count):

• Follow me on Pinterest
• Subscribe to my RSS feed or add your name to my email list (please confirm when you get the email asking you to do so)
• “Like” Rachel Cooks on Facebook 
• Follow @rachelcooksblog on Twitter
• “Like” Mazola on Facebook
• Tweet about this giveaway, coming back here to leave a link to your tweet.

Giveaway will end at midnight EST on September 19th, 2012. Winner will be announced the following day. Prize will be shipped by Mazola.

Disclosure: Winner will be contacted via the email address used to leave a comment on this blog post. Winner will have 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen. Open to US residents over the age of 18 only. This giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook in any way. No purchase necessary to enter. Please refer to my privacy policy for details regarding information collection. This post and giveaway are sponsored by Mazola.

Disclosure #2: I realize there is much controversy in the realm of oils/fats. Some people like butter, some people like olive oil, etc. Use what you like and do your research. I am NOT a registered dietitian or a medical doctor and you should discuss any dietary changes with your physician, especially if you have a history of high cholesterol, stroke, or heart disease. Don’t send me hate mail. Or do. I’ll respond. 

Tagged as: cholesterol, sponsored