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The American Heart Association’s Diet and Lifestyle …

Posted: August 18, 2016 at 9:44 pm

A healthy diet and lifestyle are yourbest weaponsto fight cardiovascular disease. Its not as hard as you may think! Remember, it's the overall pattern of yourchoicesthat counts. Make the simple steps below part of your life for long-term benefits to your health and your heart.

Regular physical activity can help you maintain your weight, keep off weight that you lose and help you reach physical and cardiovascular fitness. If its hard to schedule regular exercise sessions, try aiming for sessions of at last 10 minutes spread throughout the week.

If you would benefit from lowering your blood pressure or cholesterol, the American Heart Association recommends 40 minutes of aerobic exercise of moderate to vigorous intensity three to four times a week.

You may be eating plenty of food, but your body may not be getting the nutrients it needs to be healthy.Nutrient-rich foods have minerals, protein, whole grains and other nutrients but are lower in calories. Theymay help you control your weight, cholesterol and blood pressure.

One of the diets that fits this pattern is the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) eating plan. Most healthy eating patterns can be adapted based on calorie requirements and personal and cultural food preferences.

The right number of calories to eat each day is based on your age and physical activity level and whether you're trying to gain, lose or maintain your weight. You could use your daily allotment of calories on a few high-calorie foods and beverages, but you probably wouldnt get the nutrients your body needs to be healthy. Limit foods and beverages high in calories but low in nutrients. Also limit the amount of saturated fat, trans fat and sodium you eat. Read Nutrition Facts labels carefully the Nutrition Facts panel tells you the amount of healthy and unhealthy nutrients in a food or beverage.

For more information on theAmerican Heart Association Diet and Lifestyle Recommendations:

Last reviewed 08/2015.

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