Asisa presents Healthy Cardiovascular Cuisine

The launch of the new book was attended by the President of ASISA, Dr Francisco Ivorra, alongside Rafael Ansón and Gregorio Varela, as well as by the Secretary-General for Health and President of the Spanish Food Safety and Nutrition Agency (AESAN), Pilar Farjas, and Ismael Díaz Yubero, the first winners of the National Healthy Cuisine Awards.

The book is the first in a series dedicated to the promotion of healthy diets, aiming to emphasise that fine cooking is compatible with health, and is one of the primary sources of enjoyment when preventing or even suffering from a disease.

Great chefs

In order to demonstrate fully these principles, fourteen of Spain’s leading chefs contributed their knowledge and creativity to the book, serving up healthy and highly appealing dishes. Juan Mari Arzak, Martín Berasategui, Ricard Camarena, Ramon Freixa, Juanjo López Bedmar, Nacho Manzano, Francis Paniego, Toño Pérez, Fina Puigdevall, Joan Roca, Paco Roncero, Mario Sandoval, Pepe Solla and Óscar Velasco were given the task of creating fourteen appetising, affordable and healthy menus devised to allow those who have suffered cardiovascular disease to continue enjoying food.

In the foreword to the book, the President of ASISA, Dr Francisco Ivorra, emphasises that “although a diagnosis of cardiovascular disease normally comes with a diet setting out the most appropriate foodstuffs for the patient, who could recommend giving up a pleasure which can furthermore be very healthy? And so the key is to learn new guidelines and new ways of preparing the recommended foods to prevent eating from simply becoming an act of refuelling”.

ASISA’s commitment

ASISA maintains a firm commitment to a healthy diet, one of the fundamental elements in disease prevention. It has for this reason been working with the Royal Academy of Gastronomy for some years now with the aim of promoting healthy eating, and is a Founding Sponsor Enterprise of the Association of Friends of the Royal Academy of Gastronomy.
Within the context of this partnership, ASISA has supported the Royal Academy of Gastronomy in setting up the National Healthy Cuisine Awards to recognise the efforts made by an individual and an institution to promote healthy eating. In their first year the awards went to Ismael Díaz Yubero and the Spanish Food Safety and Nutrition Agency (AESAN).