This week's focus: Healthy Lifestyle: Diet & Exercise

Note: This page discusses changes to diet/nutrition and lifestyle that published research has shown may support heart health. Talk to your healthcare provider to learn more about your options and before making changes to your everyday nutrition and self-care practices.

Overview

When your body is in prime working condition, you look and feel your best. You have the energy and stamina you need to seize the day, every day. Many of us take shortcuts when it comes to maintaining good physical health. But caring for the whole body requires regularity. You can help protect the health of your heart and reduce your risk of many chronic diseases day after day—and year after year—by looking for ways to work good nutrition into your diet, finding a fun, long-term fitness program, and making time to rest and relax.

Best of all: it's never too late to start. Studies show that even people with existing health problems will often see improvements if they follow a diet and exercise program tailored to their needs. If you are under treatment for a health condition or have not exercised for a long time, work with your doctor to find a safe place to start.

Healthy Diet

Get to know the Dietary Guidelines for Americans:

A joint venture of the US Department of Health and Human Services and the US Department of Agriculture, the Guidelines were developed to advise people older than two years old about diet and lifestyle habits that promote health and reduce risk of chronic diseases. The current recommendations summarize the scientific evidence supporting the healthful effects of specific eating patterns. If you are interested in establishing healthy eating patterns, keep the following in mind:

• Make at least half of the total grains eaten whole grains.
• Eat more dark-green vegetables, orange vegetables, and beans and peas. Do not exceed recommended amounts of starchy vegetables.
• Keep the amounts of fruit juice consumed to less than half of total fruit intake.
• Consume 3 cups of fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk, or an equivalent amount of yogurt, cheese, or other calcium-rich foods per day.
• Choose monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, such as fish, nuts, seeds, and vegetable oils. Choose fat-free, low-fat, or lean meat, poultry, beans, milk, and milk products. Choose grain products and prepared foods that are low in saturated fats and trans fats. Limit solid fats.
• Choose and prepare foods and beverages with little added sugars or caloric sweeteners.
• Choose and prepare foods with little salt. Keep sodium intake less than 2,300 mg per day. At the same time, eat potassiumrich foods, such as fruits and vegetables.
• If you choose to drink alcohol, consume it in moderation. Some people, or people with certain health needs, should not drink.

Eat Right

Shop smart: Get your groceries from the outside aisles or natural foods area where the freshest whole foods are found. Take advantage of seasonal vegetables and fruits. When you buy packaged and prepared foods, read the labels carefully and consider the impact of that particular food on your day's food plan.

Find new ways to fit in healthy food: Follow these inexpensive, simple rules to improve your diet.

• One fruit at each meal or snack
• One vegetable at lunch, dinner, and as a snack
• One whole grain or starchy vegetable at every meal
• One serving of beans or legumes per day
• Use seeds and nuts as a healthy garnish Substitute, experiment, mix it up
• Make your own substitutions or alternatives list. For example, when a recipe calls for cream, try whole or skim milk. For a beef chili, consider bulgur wheat or a meat substitute instead. When a recipe calls for sugar, think about cutting back or substituting fruit.
• Substitute cooking methods. For instance, deep frying is not the only way to produce crisp flavorful potatoes; you can bake them at a high temperature instead. Soups can be thickened with pureed white beans, starch vegetables, or tofu instead of cream.
• Try new combinations or varieties of foods. Artichokes or broccoli make wonderful low-fat dips or spreads when pureed with the herbs of your choosing.
• Experiment with one new food a week to expand your horizons. Try a less common grain, like quinoa, or an exotic vegetable, like radicchio or kohlrabi.
• Try making vegetables or legumes your main course for some of your meals.
• When eating out, politely ask about healthy alternatives to the menu.

Eat your heart healthy: A diet aimed at preventing heart disease might include:

• Eating beans and legumes as substitutes for meat.
• Eating more garlic, along with its relatives onions, leeks, and scallions.
• Food high in antioxidants: yellow, orange and dark green vegetables, and fruits.
• Increasing fiber consumption by eating whole grains, beans, and legumes.
• Reducing overall fat intake, while making oils high in monounsaturated fats, like olive oil, canola oil, and walnuts, your main sources of fat.

Best bets: These foods represent good general choices for people without known food allergies or dietary restrictions.

•  Grains: Whole or multigrain; less than 3 grams of fat per serving; breads with added bran, wheat germ, or fiber
• Snack foods: Popcorn without added fat; rice cakes; whole grain, low-fat baked chips; salted pretzels; dried fruits; whole fruits; trail mixes; cereals; low-fat yogurt
• Produce: Dark green, yellow, or orange fresh vegetables; locally grown, in-season produce; tropical fruits
• Dairy: Fat-free and low-fat varieties, cheeses with less than 3 grams of fat per serving
• Meats: Labeled lean or extra-lean
• Seafood: Kept well-iced or frozen; moist flesh, bright eyes, no dried edges

Healthy Exercise

Work the heart: Aerobic activity is emphatically recommended in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans: a minimum of 30 minutes per day for healthy adults, to help raise HDL ("good") cholesterol and reduce cardiovascular disease risk. Aerobic activity is anything that raises and sustains your heart rate. Think running, swimming, cross-country skiing, and bicycling. For people who need more moderate or low-impact options,walking has also been shown to have benefit.

Create a custom exercise plan: Exercise you truly enjoy is much easier to stick to, so find activities that fit your personal style, fitness level, and workout opportunities. Develop a fitness lifestyle by starting with what you like best, not what you think you should do. If the gym is across town and you always work late, try fitting in a brisk walk at lunch instead. Balance heart-healthy aerobics with complementary activities that emphasize flexibility, such as yoga and tai chi, and strength training, such as lifting weights.

Find friends: Improve your chances for long-term weight loss by joining a group or finding a regular workout buddy while you adjust to new diet and exercise habits.

Cross-train: Avoid boredom and overuse injuries by combining any trio of fitness staples: aerobics, strength training, and flexibility.

Go smoke-free: In addition to making exercise easier, quitting smoking is a critical step in disease prevention.

Support your exercise efforts: It's important to fuel your working body with nourishing foods, plenty of sleep, and a day off at least one day a week.

© 2008 Aisle7. All rights reserved. www.Aisle7.net For further information about this topic please visit walmart.com/wellness

Disclaimer: The information in this page was prepared by Aisle7 for educational purposes only; it is not intended to replace the advice of a doctor. Health claims are based on scientific studies (human, animal, or in vitro), clinical experience, or traditional usage. The results reported may not necessarily occur in all individuals. Consult your doctor, practitioner, and/or pharmacist for any health problem and before using any supplements or before making any changes in prescribed medications, diet, or exercise habits. Aisle7, Walmart, and Pierce Promotions make no representations concerning the information contained in this article and disclaim any liability for such information and the decisions you make based on such information.