Eating healthy with the NEW food guide

The U.S. Government has a new tool called MyPyramid to help all Americans live healthier lifestyles.

The new federal government guide is an updated version of the old U.S. Food Guide Pyramid. Experts updated it because we now know today just how important exercise is.

It’s not just about what you eat, but also how much you move.

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The Importance of Good Nutrition

Good nutrition and good health or a sense of well-being go hand in hand. In fact, the old saying "You are what you eat" may be more true than we ever realized -- especially when it comes to heart disease (for example, angina or heart attack).

Several factors are known to increase your risk for the development and progression of heart disease. These are called risk factors. Risk factors are either nonmodifiable (cannot be changed) or modifiable (can be changed).

• Men 45 and older
• Women 55 and older (or with premature menopause without estrogen-replacement therapy)
• Family history of premature coronary artery disease

Thus, men are more likely than women to get heart disease at any given age. The risk of getting heart disease increases as we get older (above age 45 years in men and above age 55 years in women), and your risk for developing heart disease is greater if one or more of your blood relatives has had a problem with heart disease.

These factors help define your basic likelihood for developing heart disease.

Modifiable risk factors are related to lifestyle or personal habits. They can be divided into primary and secondary risk factors.

Primary risk factors play a major role in the development and progression of coronary artery disease. Secondary risk factors affect the development of this disease and have an additive effect on the primary risk factors.

• Smoking
• High LDL cholesterol
• High blood pressure -- more than 140/90 mmHg at rest or on high blood pressure medication(s)
• Diabetes
• Low HDL cholesterol
• Secondary risk factors include:
• Obesity (being very overweight)

The more of these risk factors you have and the longer they have been present, the greater risk you have for the development and progression of coronary artery disease.

Take a good look at the foods you eat. You may need to make some changes to help reduce risk factors and improve your overall health.

Seven rules for healthy eating :

Eating a healthy diet takes common sense and the knowledge of seven simple rules. These rules give you the basics for a nutritious, heart-minded eating plan.

From 2003 - 2004, approximately 17.4 percent of U.S. teens between the ages of 12 and 19 were overweight. Overweight children & teens are at high risk for developing serious diseases. Type 2 diabetes and heart disease were considered adult diseases, but they are now being reported in children & teens.

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