Both my husband and I have been diagnosed with high-blood pressure, and both of us are on medications to help lower it, but we have also tried to incorporate more heart healthy foods into our lives as well. We have always primarily used olive oil for cooking but I didn't realize that Mazola® Corn Oil contains more cholesterol-blocking plant sterols than other cooking oils. It has 4x more than my trusty olive oil, 40% more than canola oil and 3x more than vegetable (soybean) oil.
What exactly are Plant Sterols? Plant sterols, also known as phytosterols, are plant-based substances naturally present in fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, cereals, legumes and vegetable oils. Clinical studies indicate that when consumed as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, plant sterols can help to reduce the absorption of cholesterol in the gut, which in turn can lower LDL blood cholesterol.
So with Mazola® Corn Oil in hand, I set off to make one of their delicious recipes, Sweet & Spicy Salmon with Grapefruit Salsa. For this recipe and more, check out the Mazola® collection on AllRecipes.
The rub for the salmon was nice and it had a little heat to it, which was tamed by the fruit salsa. Because of the medications we take, we had to eliminate the grapefruit, but we used mango, pineapple and a little canteloupe as a substitute and we were not disappointed. I've not done a sweet salsa on seafood before but this was a really nice change from citrus.
Paired with a cilantro-lime rice and some freshly steamed broccoli, it made a wonderful and heart-healthy Mazola® dinner!
To learn more about the healthy benefits of cooking with Mazola®, click here.
