Eating for a Heart-Healthy Lifestyle

1. Understanding Basic Nutrition: The AHA’s Diet and Lifestyle Recommendations Eating for a Heart-Healthy Lifestyle

2. American Heart Association – Louisville, KY • How we got started... Recognizing the need for a national organization to share research findings and promote further study, six cardiologists representing several groups founded the American Heart Association in 1924. • Our mission… To build healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke. • Our impact goal… By 2020, to improve the cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20% while reducing deaths from cardiovascular diseases and stroke by 20%. • How we do it… Raise funds for research, education and advocacy to fight cardiovascular diseases and stroke – America’s #1 and #3 causes of death. Locally, we raise over $1.2 million through our 3 signature events. Current AHA research awards at the University of Louisville exceed $1.6 million. In Kentucky, over $4.2 million.

3. Our Signature Events • Crystal Heart Ball • Saturday, February 25, 2012 • Go Red For Women Luncheon • Friday, May 18, 2012 • Start! Heart Walk • Saturday, September 22, 2012

4. Why bother eating a well-balanced diet? Heart disease and stroke are American’s No. 1 and No. 3 killers, eating an overall healthy diet reduces a majority of the controllable risk factors for these diseases. Maintain a healthy weight Maintain healthy cholesterol levels Maintain a normal blood pressure Maintain normal blood glucose (sugar) levels Physical inactivity Use of and exposure to tobacco products

5. Focus on what you can change: reducing controllable risk factors Adopting better dietary habits and choosing a varied combination of foods is your first step. Consuming the right amounts of the proper foods may be the single most important thing you can do to lower your risk.

6. Recommendations to reduce your risk

7. Recommendations to reduce your risk 1/2 Limit your intake of added sugars to no more than ½ of your daily discretionary calories <7% Limit saturated fat to less than 7 % and trans fat to less than1 % of daily calorie intake <300 mg Limit cholesterol intake to less than 300 mg per day. 1 tsp Limit sodium intake to 1,500 mg per day (this is about 1 teaspoon of salt).

8. Make simple changes in your food choices and food preparation Choose: • fresh, frozen and canned vegetables and fruits in light sauce/syrup, sugar-free, or low-sodium varieties • whole-grain products, beans, fruits and vegetables to increase fiber • liquid vegetable oils in place of solid fats • Lean cuts of meat • Grill, bake or broil fish, meat and poultry • Choose whole fruits and vegetables in place of juices

9. Make simple changes in your food choices & food preparation Watch out! • Limit beverages and foods high in added sugars • Cut back on pastries and high-calorie bakery products • Remove skin from poultry before eating • Reduce sodium intake by: • Comparing sodium content of similar products using the nutrition facts panel • Choosing varieties of processed foods that are low-sodium • Limit condiments Tip

10. Limit portion sizes por·tion [pawr-shuhn, pohr-] Noun: the amount of a single food item served in a single eating occasion, such as a meal or a snack. **Many people confuse portion size with serving size, which is a standardized unit of measuring foods—for example, a cup or ounce. 1 portion = 2 servings

11. Watch your portion sizes Many portions served in restaurants and at home are more than one serving.

12. Read Labels

13. Spice it up! • Limit your use of salt when preparing foods and at the table • When using commercially prepared foods alone or in recipes, check the label for sodium content. • Try a variety of herbs and spices to enhance food’s natural flavors without adding salt (sodium).

14. 5 Tips for success • Make eating an activity in itself. • Be a list-maker. • Focus on what you can do. • Stay positive! • Take baby steps.

15. Losing weight and maintaining weight loss Talk to your physician, nurse or healthcare provider for assistance. Make a plan together. Be informed and know your body mass index (BMI). To achieve steady weight loss, eat 200-300 calories less each day. 60 minutes of physical activity most days of the week is recommended for adults attempting to loose or maintain weight • ** All other adults should accumulate at least 30 minutes of physical activity most days of the week.

16. 3 important reminders about weight loss and maintenance • Weight control is a lifetime project. • Short-term rapid weight loss diets usually fail in the long run. • The key to long-term weight loss is lifestyle change: reducing calories and increasing your level of physical activity. Consider the AHA’s No Fad Diet book for the tools you need to create a personalized, lifelong weight maintenance plan. Tip

17. The result will be a healthier you and improved quality of life! At the heart of health is good nutrition. Get information on diet goals, heart-smart shopping, healthy cooking, dining out, recipes and more in the Nutrition Center at www.heart.org/Nutrition.

18. Questions?