Maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle is one of the best ways to prevent heart disease, which is the number-one killer of American adults.

According to National Institutes of Health’s Weight-control Information Network, an estimated two-thirds of adults in the United States are overweight. Almost one-third of those are considered obese.

Eating healthy is one part of the American Heart Association’s “Life’s Simple 7,” a list of simple ways that you can adopt a healthy lifestyle that can lead to ideal heart health:

• Don’t smoke
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Engage in regular physical activity
• Eat a healthy diet
• Manage blood pressure
• Take charge of cholesterol
• Keep blood sugar, or glucose, at healthy levels

Healthy food choices, portion control, and regular physical activity are key to keeping you “heart healthy.” Calculate your BMI, or body mass index, to learn how many fruit and vegetable servings your body needs each day.  Also try monitoring your food intake and physical activity throughout each day.
 
To access nutritional eating plans, and interactive tools that will assist you assessing your food choices, check out MyPyramid.gov for more information.

It’s Heart Healthy Month in the MHS, please visit health.mil/hearthealthy for more info.