Healthy eating is one of the most important things you can do for your body. A healthy diet and lifestyle are your best weapons in the fight against heart disease. In celebration of March being National Nutrition Month, the American Heart Association in NYC wants to share resources to help our community prepare menus and grocery lists that will lead to healthy choices and improved heart health!
First things first: Fruits and Veggies rule!
Fruits and vegetables are high in vitamin , minerals and fiber, plus they’re low in calories. Eating a variety of fruits and veggies may help you control your weight and blood pressure.
Adding more color to your plate each day with the five main color groups can put you on the path to a longer healthier life. Download the Healthy For Good Eat More Color infographic to share with your friends and family.
But the truth is, not everyone in our community has access to healthy food. You can help change that by joining the You’re the Cure Network and encouraging the NYC Council to Support Healthy Food Access.
Take the pledge to #Breakupwithsalt
When there’s extra sodium in your bloodstream, it pulls water into your blood vessels, increasing the total amount (volume) of blood inside your blood vessels. With more blood flowing through your blood vessels, blood pressure increases.
Here’s the scoop on high blood pressure, also known as the “silent killer” because its symptoms are not always obvious. The truth is, it’s one of the major risk factors for heart disease, the No. 1 killer worldwide. It’s the leading risk factor of women’s deaths in the U.S., and the second leading risk factor for death for men.
Even for people who don’t have high blood pressure, less sodium will significantly blunt the rise in blood pressure that occurs as we age and will also reduce the risk of developing other conditions associated with eating too much sodium.
Download the full 7 Salty Myths Infographic here and take the steps to break up with salt.
Sip smarter; replace sugary drinks with water!
Drinking water plays a huge role in overall healthy diet. Replacing sugary drinks with low- and no-calorie beverages can help you limit calories which may help you achieve or maintain a healthy weight.
Most Americans consume nearly 20 teaspoons of added sugar each day. That’s triple the recommended limit for women and double for men! Sugar-sweetened beverages like soda and energy/sports drinks are the number one source of added sugars in our diet. One can of regular soda alone has about 150 calories and 10 teaspoons of added sugar.
For great recipes for beverages and more visit heart.org/eatsmart
Get the facts: Nutrition Facts Labels 
Learning how to read and understand food labels can help you maker healthier choices. But, you have to know what to look for. For example, start with serving information because this will tell you the size of a single serving and how many servings are in the package. Take a look at the Healthy For Good Nutrition Facts Label Infographic to learn more about reading food labels.
Remember that the information shown in these panels is based on 2,000 calories a day. You may need to consume less or more than 2,000 calories depending upon your age, gender, activity level, and whether you’re trying to lose, gain or maintain your weight.
Want to learn more about National Nutrition Month? Sign-up for for weekly Nutrition Month updates for you and your family.