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

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. Go Red For Women Luncheon
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
Eating right is an important part of living a healthier, longer life.

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.
Reducing your controllable risk factors – those you can change – may help prevent a heart attack or stroke in the future. It can also help you reach and maintain a healthy weight.

6. Recommendations to reduce your risk
Fruits & veggies
Whole-grain, high fiber
Oily fish
Lean meats
Fat-free, skim, low fat, 1% dairy
Reduce added sugars
Little or no salt
If alcohol, moderation
Consume a diet rich in fruits and vegetables
Choose whole-grain, high fiber foods
Eat fish twice a week, especially oily fish like salmon or albacore tuna
Choose lean meats
Select fat-free (skim) or low fat (1%) dairy products
Minimize beverages and foods with added sugars
Choose and prepare foods with little or no salt
If you consume alcohol, do so in moderation

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
SODIUM: For most American women, this is no more than 100 calories per day and no more than 150 calories per day for men (or approximately 6 teaspoons/day for women and 9 teaspoons/day for men).
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
Use the nutrition facts panel and ingredients list when choosing foods to buy, look for the AHA Heart Check Mark

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
Tip
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
Limit beverages and foods high in added sugars
Cut back on pastries and high-calorie bakery products (eg, muffins, doughnuts).
Remove skin from poultry before eating
Reduce sodium (salt) intake by:
Comparing sodium content of similar products using the nutrition facts panel
Choosing varieties of processed foods (including cereals and baked goods) that are low-sodium
Limit condiments (eg, soy-sauce, ketchup)

10. Limit portion sizes 1 portion = 2 servings
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
For example, bagels or muffins are often sold in sizes that constitute at least two servings, but consumers often eat the whole thing, thinking that they have eaten one serving. They do not realize that they have selected a large portion size that was more than one serving.

11. Watch your portion sizes
Many portions served in restaurants and at home are more than one serving.
1 cup of vegetables or fruit
3 oz portion of meat, fish, or poultry
1 single-serving bagel
1 oz of cheese
1 baked potato
Use these visuals to help you judge what a portion size should be:
1 cup of vegetables or fruit is about the size of a baseball.
A three-ounce portion of meat, fish, or poultry is about the size of a deck of cards.
A single-serving bagel is the size of a hockey puck.
1 ounce of cheese is the size of 3 dice.
1 baked potato is the size of a computer mouse.

12. Read Labels

13. Limit your use of salt when preparing foods and at the table
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).
Enjoy some interesting new flavors by trying a variety of herbs and spices to enhance food’s natural flavors without adding salt (sodium).
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.

14. Make eating an activity in itself. Be a list-maker.
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.
Make eating an activity in itself. Don’t pair it with other activities like watching TV or reading. That can lead to overeating.
Be a list-maker. Create a grocery-shopping list and stick to it. Planning ahead can help keep you on track and reduce the temptation to buy items that may defeat your healthy eating plan.
Focus on what you can do. Eat more fruits and vegetables, substitute low-fat or fat free dairy products. Stay positive!
Take baby steps. Choose 1-2 areas in your diet to modify as a beginning.

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 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

18. Questions?