Lifestyle Recommendations from the American Heart Association

The American Heart Association (americanheart.org) has published guidelines on their website for a heart healthy lifestyle. According to the American Heart Association, "A healthy diet and lifestyle are the best weapons you have to fight cardiovascular disease.".

The guidelines are fairly simple and common sense. Based upon the most up-to-date information and research, the guidelines may sound amazingly like what your grandmother, or mother, used to tell you.

Following are the most up-to-date lifestyle guidelines, gathered from the website of the American heart Association (americanheart.org):

Know how many calories you should eat and drink to maintain your weight. Keep your calorie intake at the level of the calories you know you can burn. Don't eat more calories than you can burn in a day. Try to match the amount of calories that you eat with the amount of calories that you burn through physical activity. Calories requirement vary with gender, age and activity level. There is a chart on the American Heart Association website (americanheart.org), or you can get the information from a healthcare provider.

Exercise: Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate daily physical activity. If you can't exercise every day, try to exercise most days of the week. If a 30 minute increment is difficult, get three 10 minute increments of exercise. The benefits of exercise are many, including: improved blood pressure and blood sugar levels. Exercise also reduces risk for chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, obesity, depression, breast cancer and colon cancer

Eat a variety of nutritious foods from all the food groups. The body needs a variety of nutrients to be healthy. The best nutrient rich foods provide vitamins, minerals, fiber and other nutrients. Foods that provide nutrients while being low in calories get the most nutritional bang-for-the-buck. The best high nutrition foods include:

Fruits and vegetables provide a lot of nutrition, in the forms of vitamins, mineral and fiber, while being low in calories. Fruits and vegetables contain a number of healthful elements, such and phytochemicals and antioxidants. If you don't currently eat enough of these foods, and most of us don't, start out by substituting them as healthful snacks, instead of chips and crackers. The deeply colored fruits and vegetables tend to pack more nutritional punch. Select the most brightly, or deeply colored fruits and vegetables that you can.

Whole-grain foods, which are unrefined, contain valuable fiber which can help to lower blood cholesterol. Whole grains also help you feel full, decreasing appetite. This may help you lose weight. Whole grain, high fiber foods include: whole wheat, oats, oatmeal, rye, barley, corn, brown rice, wild rice, buckwheat, millet and quinoa. When looking at ingredient labels for breads and other foods, look for labels that list the whole grains as the first item.

Fish, which contains omega-3 fatty acids, should be eaten at least twice a week. Oily fish, such as salmon, trout and herring, may help to lower risk of death form coronary artery disease. Prepare fish by grilling, baking or poaching. Limit fried fish and don't add cream sauce. A serving size is about 3 ounces cooked, which is about the size of a checkbook.

Eat less nutrient poor foods. If you use your daily calories allotment on high calories foods and beverages, chances are that you won't get the nutrients you need, because these very foods have low nutritional value.

A good daily eating plan includes the following:

Lean meats and poultry, without skin and prepared without saturated and trans fat
Fat-free, and low fat dairy products
Reduce foods with partially hydrogenated vegetable oil
Cut back on high cholesterol foods
Cut back on foods and beverages with added sugar
Cut back on salt and high sodium foods.
Drink alcohol only in moderation, if at all. Maximum one drink daily for women and two for men.
Follow the same guidelines when you eat out. Keep portions sizes smaller by splitting entrees or taking half home, asking for sauces on the side, choosing foods that have been prepared without a lot of fat, oil and salt.

Don't smoke tobacco. In addition, you should avoid second hand smoke. the American Heart Association states, "Cigarette smoking is the most important preventable cause of premature death in the United States."

Following these guidelines should help you to live and longer, healthier life. The benefits of healthy lifestyle includes healthier weight and reduced risk of disease.

The information in this article is not intended as a substitute for medical advice. If you have a medical condition, consult a doctor.

Resources:
American Heart Association