Dr. Seuss served up green eggs and...

Dr. Seuss served up green eggs and ham and made them seem almost edible. Visitors to the first heart-smart family festival and heart-healthy food fair at the Torrance Memorial Medical Center on Saturday can expect much more sensible and tasty dietary advice.

“There is so much interest in heart-related health issues that we decided to focus our festival around the heart theme,” said Laurie Lundberg of the medical center’s public relations staff.

The festival includes four events from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the medical center’s Health Conference Center, 3330 Lomita Blvd., Torrance. A food fair, fitness walk, health test and health-theme costume contest are designed to help children and adults get smart about their heart.

The food fair features cooking demonstrations and samples of low-fat cuisine from 18 South Bay restaurants, including Chez Melange, Kabab Curry Cuisine of India and the Spot Natural Food restaurant. Samples will be served from 11 a.m. Admission is $2 for adults and $1 for children 2 to 12 years old. Children under 2 are free.

Sally Donner, a registered dietitian, will talk about low-fat, low-salt, high-fiber and low-cholesterol recipes and tips for healthy shopping and dining.

Taking a cue from health-conscious diners, restaurants are looking for ways to offer “flavor without the fat,” said Michael Franks, owner of Chez Melange. “If you want to be a community restaurant, you have to be responsible to your customers.”

Anyone interested in learning about the benefits of walking can join more than 30 physicians during two 30-minute “Walk With Your Doc” strolls at 8:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. Registration for the walk begins at 8 a.m.

From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. festival-goers can have tests done for cholesterol levels, body fat and lung function. The cost is $7 for the first test and $5 for each one after that. Day care is available for children ages 3 and up while their parents are participating in the health screening.

Wearing a health-theme costume, including something “goofy and funny,” will qualify young children, teen-agers, adults and members of community groups for awards in each of those categories, Lundberg said. Judging takes place at 9:30 a.m.

For more information, call 517-4706.