More tips for heart month…
More heart-healthy tips…
Take Action: Food and Alcohol
Eat healthy.
Eating healthy can help lower your risk of heart disease. A heart-healthy diet includes foods that are low in saturated and trans fats, added sugars, and sodium (salt).
Heart-healthy items include high-fiber foods (whole grains, fruits, and vegetables) and certain fats (like the fats in olive oil and fish). Use this shopping list to find heart-healthy foods.
Check out these heart-healthy recipe collections:
- Keep the Beat™
- Heart Healthy Home Cooking African American Style [PDF – 3 MB]
- Delicious Heart Healthy Latino Recipes [PDF – 3 MB]
Get heart-healthy tips for dining out [PDF – 3 MB]. For example, ask for a side salad instead of chips or french fries.
Drink alcohol only in moderation.
If you choose to drink alcohol, drink only in moderation. This means limiting your drinking to no more than 1 drink a day for woman and no more than 2 drinks a day for men. Drinking too much alcohol can increase your risk of heart disease.
Take Action: Physical Activity
Get active.
Getting active can help prevent heart disease. Adults need at least 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate aerobic activity each week. This includes walking fast, dancing, and biking.
If you are just getting started, try walking for 10 minutes a day, a few days each week. Then add more activity over time.
Stay at a healthy weight.
People who are overweight or obese are at an increased risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes. If you are overweight or obese, losing just 10 pounds can lower your risk of heart disease. Find out how to control your weight.
If you don’t know if you are at a healthy weight, use this BMI calculator to figure out your BMI (body mass index).