Prairie Heart Institute to offer realistic ways to be heart healthier

SPRINGFIELD - This February is Prairie Heart Month and Prairie Heart Institute at St. John's Hospital is hoping to show people how to take better care of their self while still living a normal life. The theme for Heart Month is Heart Smart for the Real World.

"In a society where we never have enough hours in a day to accomplish all that we'd like to do, it's important to realize that we have to put ourselves and our families first once in awhile so we feel healthy enough to accomplish all of the daily tasks that we want to do," said Marc Shelton, MD at PHI. "We plan to teach people how to be heart healthy and still be able to live in the real world."

In February, Oprah's chef is coming to Prairie Heart to give tips on healthy eating in a fast paced world. The Prairie Heart Cart Smart program, where a registered dietitian offers personalized supermarket tours, is hosting four grocery store tours throughout the month. And Prairie Heart's Spice for Life seasoning will be unveiled during the month at an annual heart fair that offer free cholesterol, bone density, body fat and other screenings. Life-saving techniques such as CPR and AED also will be taught to the community for free and a new interactive on-line Prairie Heart risk assessment will be available through www.prairieheart.com.

Prairie Heart also is encouraging the public to learn how to dine out and dine healthy. (see attached release)