Italian Concept Wants Healthy Hearts
Author:
QSR Magazine Online
Posted: Wed, 20 Jan 2010 12:52 PM
Every year since 1963, Congress and the President have proclaimed
February as "American Heart Month." Russo's New York Pizzeria's
Houston, Texas–Westheimer and Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen
Richardson, Texas, locations celebrate "American Heart Month" by
offering heart-healthy alternatives to your diet.
Russo's New York Pizzeria partnered with Medical City Heart in the
Restaurant Partner Program. Selected menu items have been endorsed by
MCH using ingredients with approved low levels of sodium. Only recipes
that meet approved levels of total fat, calories, and sodium earn this
endorsement. No trans fats are permitted.
With MCH's endorsement, New York Pizzeria offers customers a variety of
choices that meet the heart-healthy guidelines, such as Pollo con
Limoni—chicken breast topped with Portobello mushrooms, capers,
sundried tomatoes, served with fettuccini cooked in a lemon garlic
white wine sauce.
Penne Mediterranean is another pasta dish that makes the heart-healthy
list, made with fresh spinach, sundried tomatoes, pine nuts, feta
cheese, and Sicilian extra virgin olive oil.
Additional approved heart-healthy dishes are Pescatori di Gamberi
(jumbo shrimp, angel hair pasta, and spicy marinara sauce), Grilled
Shrimp Calzone, and Slice Heart Healthy Pizza.
Russo's is taking it one step further by distributing the heart-healthy
menu to medical center hospitals, local gyms, dieticians, and personal
trainers, giving them healthy meal options to pass along to their
clients. The menu will include information such as nutritional value so
customers can make better choices when they dine at Russo's.
"We want to offer our customers healthy choices when they dine with us
without depriving them of flavorful ingredients that they've come to
expect from New York Pizzeria," says owner Anthony Russo.
Russo's New York Pizzeria is setting an example for local and
national restaurants as they meet the country's new heart-healthy
standards by reducing the amount of sodium used in their dishes. The
New York City Health Department issued an initiative on January 11
urging restaurants and food companies across the country to voluntarily
reduce their products' salt levels gradually by 25 percent over five
years. Doing that would reduce the nation's salt intake by 20 percent.
Many restaurants in New York and other partnering states may be joining
Russo's New York Pizzeria in their fight against heart disease.
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