Spotlight Food For Thought American Technion Society hosts a heart-healthy evening. Robin Schwartz Special to the Jewish News R Scott Leemaster of Franklin, president of the American Technion Society's Detroit chapter; Allan Gelfond of Farmington Hills, regional director; and speaker Micky Aviram Annabel Cohen of Bloomfield Hills and Gail Posner of West Bloomfield Sheila Cuscutis of Farmington Hills, Rosann Barak of Bloomfield Township, Zelda Getcher of West Bloomfield, Joan Bassey of Bloomfield Hills and Marshall Lesser of Bingham Farms A58 May 21 . 2009 Aimee Kovan of Franklin and Inez Garfield of Farmington Hills Alan Kovan of Ferndale, Hugh and Rachel Victor of Huntington Woods and Sally Sarin of Farmington Hills ed wine, pomegranates and olive oil top the list of heart-healthy foods, and rich, dark chocolate containing 80-percent cocao (eaten in moderation) is also good for you. That's according to Dr. Michael Aviram, director of the Lipid Research Laboratory at the Technion—Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa. Dr. Aviram, a heart-disease researcher and one of the leading experts in cho- lesterol and lipoproteins, was a featured speaker along with Gail Posner, a long- time West Bloomfield-based nutrition counselor and coach, at an April 30 event called "The Power of Food." About 70 people gathered at the Franklin home of Rick and Aimee Kovan to learn more about healthy eating and the cutting-edge research that takes place at the Technion. "Thirty percent of Technion's graduates run Fortune 500 companies," said Zelda Gechter of West Bloomfield, a board member and volunteer with the Detroit branch of the American Technion Society. "Some of their advances include defense projects that ensure Israel's safety, stem cell research and groundbreaking work to find new methods of attacking cancer. Our aim is to create public awareness about Technion and its importance to our planet:' she said. Guests enjoyed a healthy buffet din- ner and learned how to make better food choices. "Polyunsaturated oils and prod- ucts containing them are a strict no-no," according to Posner. The experts say the old food pyramid is out and eating complex carbohydrates like wholegrain breads, oats and brown rice is the way to go because they take longer to digest and maintain a more constant blood sugar level. "The tips were interesting and plentiful," said Gechter. "Between the red wine, dark chocolate and the outstanding speakers, everyone was ecstatic." ___ --- For information about the Technion, go to wwwl.technion.ac.il . To reach Gail Posner or for information on her nutrition counseling, call (248) 855- 4558 or visit her Web site, gailposner.com .