SANOFI JOINS THE WORLD IN CELEBRATING WORLD HEART DAY BY ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGES OF THE TIMES

• CELEBRATES WORLD HEART DAY BY HIGHLIGHTING THE EMPOWER PROGRAM FOR HYPERTENSION

September 29 is World Heart Day all around the globe. 

More than just a celebration, World Heart Day was established in the hopes that it could reach more people and be able to spread awareness about the perils of heart diseases and stroke.

Sanofi recognizes that this is a unique time to be worried about heart health and learn more about the steps that should be taken to ensure risk-free living, especially under a cloud of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s heartbreaking to see those with comorbidities battle a critical to severe form of the virus- forcing them to put their lives on hold, be isolated from family, friends and people who matters most to them,” Amal Makhloufi Benchouk, the Philippines Country Lead for Sanofi, shared in her opening remarks.

Statistics have shown that 7 out of 10 people are diagnosed with hypertension, and 2 out of 10 hypertension patients die. Sanofi continues to respond to the challenge of dealing with comorbidities during this time, by emphasizing the need to address the lack of awareness and limited access to cardiovascular disease management. 

“Cardiovascular Disease remains the number 1 killer in the world, resulting in about 18.6 Million deaths worldwide and over 520 million people globally living with cardiovascular disease that has been disproportionately affected by the pandemic,” she remarked.

Sanofi’s mission has led them to create the Empower Hypertension Program, which aims to deliver awareness, prevention, and management to patients. The program provides enlisted patients with free coaching sessions led by nurse educators to arm them with information that tackles myths and facts about the disease, among others.

Sanofi has also partnered with Omron, a leading medical electronics company, to extend a 20% to 25% discount to patients, encouraging them to procure the technology in order to monitor their blood pressure regularly.

Sanofi remains committed to its mission to promote hypertension management at the early stages and to inspire individuals to take control of their own health.

To learn more about the program, visit www.sanofi.ph or thru their Instagram account @sanofi.ph. 

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My Top 3 Reasons Why I Love U.S. Potatoes + Potato Gnocchi Recipe

My kids have started school last month and we are still adjusting to their new schedules. This leaves me with not much time to prep for our daily meals, so I’m always on the lookout for quick and healthy recipes.

I try to incorporate their favorite vegetables in our meals and I’m thankful our family loves potatoes. We regularly buy spuds from the supermarket. Our choice? U.S. potatoes, of course! 

Here’s my top 3 reasons why I love U.S. potatoes:

1. HEALTHY

Potatoes are more energy-packed than any other popular vegetable and have more potassium than a banana. A serving of potatoes (148 grams with skin on) contains 30% of the recommended daily value of Vitamin C. It is also a good source of Vitamin B6; contributes 7% of dietary fiber, 6% of iron and 3 grams of protein — and all with only 110 calories and no fat, cholesterol or sodium. Potatoes are naturally gluten-free, too.

2. AVAILABILITY

Top-quality U.S. potato products come in many forms: fresh, frozen and dehydrated. They are available in supermarkets, groceries, and membership shopping outlets nationwide. 

3. VERSATILITY

Did you know you can also make dumplings, donuts, and whole lot of desserts using potatoes? I didn’t know that until I came across some potato recipes that really blew my mind! Amazing, right? 

Lately, I have been enjoying cooking with the multipurpose U.S. dehydrated potatoes! Let me share with you a delicious and nutritious recipe I recently discovered: U.S. Potato Gnocchi with Basil, Parmesan and Butter.

Gnocchi are a varied family of dumplings in Italian cuisine. The dough of gnocchi is most often rolled out before it is cut into small pieces. The dumplings may be pressed with a fork or a cheese grater to make ridges or cut into little lumps.

I used U.S. potato dehydrated flakes to make my Potato Gnocchi. I rehydrated it first by boiling water with butter and salt. Once the butter and salt have melted, I removed them from the heat. I then added cold milk and the potato flakes. I stirred it gently until all the ingredients were incorporated. So easy! You can also easily adjust it for your desired texture.

Preparation of U.S. potato dehydrated flakes

I enjoyed making my Italian dumplings from scratch. The gnocchi was soft and chewy, just the way I like it. It was a hit with the kids and I’ll definitely cook this again. Another dish added to our menu! Check out my recipe below:

Ingredients

U.S. Potato Gnocchi with Basil, Parmesan and Butter

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rehydrated U.S. dehydrated potato flakes

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

• ¼ cup all-purpose flour (for dusting)

• 1 large egg

• 1 liter water

• 1 tbsp butter, unsalted

• 1 tbsp garlic, minced

• ½ cup of basil leaves

• parmesan cheese, grated

• salt & pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Rehydrate the potato flakes. Follow packaging instructions.

2. Add flour and egg to the rehydrated potato flakes and mix well until a soft dough forms. 

3. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface. If the mixture is still sticky, add a little more flour. 

4. Cut dough into 4 equal-sized pieces. Using your hands, gently roll each piece out to form a log about 2cm wide. Using a lightly floured knife, cut each log into 1.5cm-long pieces.

5. Roll each piece of gnocchi over a fork and pressed gently with another fork to form a dent in the back of each sides. This will help the sauce to cling to your cooked gnocchi. 

6. Bring water to a boil. Add the gnocchi into the boiling water. The gnocchi will rise to the surface of the water once cooked. Continue cooking the gnocchi for 30-60 seconds then remove from the water and drain well.

7. Melt butter in a pan on medium heat. Sauté garlic. Toss cooked gnocchi until slightly toasted. Put salt and pepper to taste. Add basil leaves and remove from heat. Transfer to a plate and sprinkle with parmesan cheese and garnish with lemon (optional). 

Have you tried this recipe before? Share with me your U.S. potatoes recipes, too! 

For more information on U.S. potato products and Potatoes USA, check out:

Website: www.potatogoodness.ph 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PotatoesUSAPhilippines/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/PotatoesUSAPhl/