Love Your Heart 

Attaining a healthier lifestyle involves making the right food choices, eating the recommended amounts, and preparing foods in a healthy way. As the saying goes, “You are what you eat.” 

An ideal eating plan incorporates a variety of: 

• Fruits
• Lean beans, eggs, fish, nuts, meats, and poultry
• Low-fat dairy products
• Vegetables
• Whole grains and fiber
• Limited amounts of high-cholesterol foods, saturated fats, and trans fats
• Limited amounts of salt and sodium
• Limited amounts of alcohol

Becoming physically active and maintaining your ideal weight will reduce your risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) as well. Physical activity allows you to better align the calories you take in with the calories you burn. Trying to maintain your weight without being physically active each day is like trying to fish without a pole. 

To reach your physical activity goal—to catch your fish—you need to take the time to find out what you don’t already know in order to sharpen your skills and have a more enjoyable experience. You might have been using the wrong pole the whole time, or you may have been fishing in the wrong pond altogether! Figure out where your weaknesses are when it comes to physical activity, and then decide whether you can overcome them yourself or need to find others to help. Ask your physician about incorporating physical activity into your life before you begin so that you can maximize your workouts and minimize pain, discomfort and complications. 

According to the American Heart Association (AHA), the prevalence of heart disease has steadily increased over time, and one in three adults have one or more types of CVD. According to the Framingham Heart Study conducted between 1980 and 2003, the lifetime risk for CVD is two in three for men and more than one in two for women at age 40.¹ These alarming statistics make it clear that the health of your heart is very important—and achieving better lifestyle habits can help reduce your risk of heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure and other heart-related conditions. 

To read additional information on the following nutrition groups, please click on the link you want to learn more about. 

Fruits | Vegetables | Whole grains and fiber | Low-fat dairy products | Beans, eggs, fish, lean meat, nuts, poultry, and seeds | Limited amounts of high-cholesterol foods, saturated fats, and trans fats | Limited amounts of salt and sodium | Alcohol