Actor Juan Soler And Honey Nut Cheerios®, America's Favorite Cereal*, Join Forces To Help Latinos Learn Ways To Stay Heart Healthy

USA - English

• Latin America - español

LAS VEGAS, July 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Spanish-language novela leading man Juan Soler and Honey Nut Cheerios® today launched a joint, multi-market, education initiative designed to help Hispanics lead a heart healthy life. Among its suggestions: cutting down on the heavy saturated fat and cholesterol intake contained in many Latin dishes.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120709/CL37034 )

Called, "Cuidate, Corazon" (Take Care, Heart), the initiative seeks to help reduce the incidence of heart disease, the leading cause of death among Hispanics, while celebrating the great honey taste of America's favorite cereal*. The initiative kicked off today with a Satellite Media Tour from the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Convention Center, where the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) is holding its Annual Conference and National Latino Family Expo, this week. The tour's message is expected to reach millions of Latino homes across the country, and will be followed by several in-market visits by Soler in the weeks to come.

"I am very proud to be working with Honey Nut Cheerios® on this initiative, which is so important to our community," said Soler. "We Hispanics need to learn about the health risks of eating diets high in saturated fat and cholesterol, so that we can begin to modify ours. We also need to begin ingesting more soluble fiber, which helps rid the body of bad cholesterol."

The star of "Cuando Me Enamoro," among many other Televisa -produced novelas, explained that most Hispanics erroneously believe that eating healthier implies sacrificing "sabor," something they're not willing to do. "Our culture is very sensual and that is reflected in our music and in the way that we eat," he said. "However, we need to dispel the false notion that healthy food need be bland or lack flavor. Take Honey Nut Cheerios®, for instance: The whole grain oats in America's favorite cereal have soluble fiber. Three grams of soluble fiber daily from whole grain oat foods, like Honey Nut Cheerios, in a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease. Honey Nut Cheerios cereal provides 0.75 grams per serving. Eating four daily servings is a delicious way to eat healthy without sacrifice."

The great taste of Honey Nut Cheerios, combined with its ability to help lower cholesterol, makes it a cereal the whole family can enjoy, and Soler assures that it is also his and his family's favorite cereal.

Soler added that cooking Latin food with less amounts of grease, and using vegetable oil instead of animal fat to prepare traditional dishes is also a good way to help protect oneself from heart disease; that along with eating balanced meals, watching our weight and getting plenty of exercise.

Honey Nut Cheerios Fun Facts:

• Honey Nut Bee was the mascot from the start, but he didn't have a name until 2000, when the winner of a nationwide kids contest dubbed him "BuzzBee."
• 210,503,000 lbs. of Honey Nut Cheerios cereal were produced in 2011. This is the weight equivalent of more than 13,000 elephants.
• It would take approximately 3,168,000,000 O's to wrap around the equator of Earth.

About Cheerios®

Cheerios, America's No. 1 cereal, debuted in 1941 as Cheerioats. The nation's first ready-to-eat oat cereal has since become one of the most trusted and recognized brands in America. In fact, one of every eight boxes of cereal sold in America is a box of Cheerios. Honey Nut Cheerios, America's favorite cereal, was introduced in 1979 as the first extension of the iconic Cheerios® cereal brand, currently consisting of 11 varieties. For more information, go to http://www.quericavida.com/Productos/Cheerios.aspx.

About General Mills

One of the world's leading food companies, General Mills operates in more than 100 countries and markets more than 100 consumer brands, including Cheerios, Haagen-Dazs, Nature Valley, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Green Giant, Old El Paso, Progresso, Yoplait, Cascadian Farm, Muir Glen, and more. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, General Mills had fiscal 2012 global net sales of US$16 billion, including the company's $1.2 billion proportionate share of joint venture net sales.

*Based on AC Nielsen 52 weeks ending 2/25/12

SOURCE General Mills