Heart disease is the leading cause of death in America and eating healthier may help reduce your risk. KGMB9 and HMSA have some heart healthy tips for you in this morning's Sunny Side Up.

Chef Sean Priester of Top of Waikiki worked up some of his Valentine's Day recipes and HMSA representative Dominic Bojorquez shared healthy eating tips to take care of your heart.

• Eat a diet rich in vegetables and fruits, with whole grains, high-fiber foods, lean meats and poultry, fish at least twice a week, and fat-free or 1 percent fat dairy products. Also, the diet should be low in saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol.
• Choose fish, shellfish, poultry without the skin, and trimmed lean meats, no more than 6 ounces, cooked, per day.
• Eat a diet rich in vegetables and fruits to help control your weight and blood pressure. Color is everything. The more colorful the vegetable, the more heart-protective antioxidants contained within. Steaming is better than using the microwave for preserving nutrients. However, over-steaming or boiling will remove many of these heart healthy elements.
• Keep an eye on your portion sizes. You can always eat half your meal and take the other half home to enjoy later.
• Help control your cholesterol by watching your intake of meats, poultry, shellfish, eggs, butter, cheese and whole or 2 percent milk.
• Also watch out for foods high in saturated fats and trans fats, which cause your body to make more cholesterol.
• Choose fish over red meat. Enjoy at least 2 servings of baked or grilled fish each week, especially oily fish.
• Choose low-sodium, low-fat seasonings such as spices, herbs and other flavorings in cooking and at the table.

Eat less Fat

Some fats are more likely to cause heart disease-saturated fats and trans fats. These fats are usually found in foods from animals, such as meat, milk, cheese, and butter. They also are found in foods with palm and coconut oils. Eat less of these foods.

Eat less Sodium

Eating less sodium can help lower some people's blood pressure. This can help reduce the risk of heart disease.

Sodium is something we need in our diets, but most of us eat too much of it. Much of the sodium we eat comes from salt we add to our food at the table or that food companies add to their foods. So, avoid adding salt to foods at the table.

Eat fewer Calories

When we eat more calories than we need, we gain weight. Being overweight can cause heart disease. When we eat fewer calories than we need, we lose weight.

Eat more Fiber

Eating fiber from fruits, vegetables, and grains may help lower your chances of getting heart disease.

Source: Food and Drug Administration

Top of Waikiki, Hawaii's rotating restaurant a top the Waikiki Business Plaza, is celebrating Valentine's Day with it's Sexy Tasting Menu, $85. Entertainment includes Live music by Flamenco Jazz Trio, Cerro Negro at 6:30 p.m.

Chef Sean Priester has created some tantalizing delights including the following starter and dessert.

Warm Antipasti of Asparagus, Roasted Local Eggplant with Citronette and Baby Carrot Namasu
Top of Waikiki, Chef Sean Priester
Makes 2 servings

Ingredients:

4 Baby Carrots, peeled (Marinade in Namasu overnight for best flavor)
4 Asparagus spears (Blanched in boiling water for 1 minute and cooled in ice bath)
1 Eggplant, small (Slice and toss with light olive oil and salt and pepper. Transfer to sheet pan and roast in oven at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes until tender)

1 Garlic Bulb to make garlic paste (Rub bulb with light olive oil and roast in oven at 350 degree for about 20 minutes or until soft. Puree soft cloves with about 3/4 cup of olive oil to make garlic paste.)

Namasu:
1 cup Mirin
1 cup Rice Vinegar

Bring to a boil Mirin and Rice Vinegar. Pour over carrots in a boil and marinade overnight in refrigerator.

Citronette:
2 T shallots, diced
1/4 cup Lemon Juice (fresh preferred)
1 T Dijon mustard
2 T Parsley
salt, pepper, sugar to taste

Whisk shallots, lemon juice, dijon and parsley in mixing bowl. Slowly drizzle in olive oil and continue to whisk until thick and combined. Lightly salt, pepper and add sugar to taste.

Preparation:

Heat 1 T of olive oil in skillet. Add 2 T Garlic paste, 2 T of citronette and mix. Add in carrots, asparagus, roasted asparagus. Saute on medium heat to combine flavors and serve. Drizzle with small amount of citronette to garnish.

Sexy "Bubble Bath"
Vanilla Bean Panacotta with Orange Blossom Foam
Top of Waikiki, Chef Sean Priester
Makes 10 (4oz) servings

Ingredients:

2 cups Heavy Cream
1/2 cup Milk
1/4 cup Sugar (to taste)
2 sheets of gelatin
1 T Vanilla extract or 1/2 Vanilla bean
Honey

Fruit topping per cup:
2 raspberrys
2 blackberrys
3 blueberrys

Orange Blossom Bubble Bath:

2 cups Orange Juice
1/2 Tsp Orange Blossom Flower Water (available at health food stores)
2 T Soy Lecethin Protein (available at health food stores)

Boil orange juice. Add orange blossom water, stir. Add in Soy protein and stir until dissolved.
Pour off into mixing bowl. Cool. Using a hand blender, aerate mixture until you have your frothy foam.

Preparation:

Bring to boil, cream, sugar and vanilla extract or vanilla beans. Turn off heat and let stand to cool about 10 minutes. Re-warm, adding milk and gelatin sheets and stir until gelatin fully dissolved, making sure not to re-boil the mixture. Pour into chilled cups and refrigerate over night until firm. Once set, garnish each cup with fresh berrys. Drizzle a little honey over the berrys and spoon Orange Blossom "bubble bath" foam on top. Serve.

Related Links:

www.hmsa.com/eat - HMSA's Eat Healthy Campaign

www.topofwaikiki.com - Top of Waikiki

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