Here's To Your Family's Health

Publication Number 348-025, posted April 2002

Table of Contents

Introduction Obesity High Blood Pressure The Food Guide Pyramid The ABC's of Changing Your Family's Health Diabetes Cancer Heart Disease Physical Activity for Good Health Preventive Care Check-ups Timeline for Adults Reference

Your family's health is very important. Lifestyle choices greatly affect your family's health. It is up to you to make wise nutrition and health choices for yourself and your family. Healthy eating can help decrease your risk of developing such diseases as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, or high blood pressure.

Heart disease, cancer, and diabetes are the three leading causes of death in African Americans. This publication will provide information on ways to decrease your family's risk of developing chronic diseases by improving eating habits.

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Obesity

Tips to help you lose weight:

• Eat less fried and greasy foods.
• Cut back on added fats and oils.
• Read food labels to find out the amount of calories, fat, and sugar in the foods you eat.
• Eat more fruits, vegetables, and whole-grains.
• Control your portion sizes or amount of food that you eat.
• Eat healthy snacks, such as pretzels, raisins, raw fruits or vegetables.
• Walk your way to a healthier you! Exercise!
• Drink lots of water. You should drink at least 8 (eight-ounce) cups of water every day!

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High Blood Pressure

Tips to lower your blood pressure:

• Learn to enjoy the unsalted flavors of food.
• Use low fat and low sodium broths to flavor vegetables.
• Avoid adding extra salt to foods.
• Eat less smoked, salted, and cured meats or foods.
• Use herbs and spices to add flavor to foods.

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The Food Guide Pyramid

Limit Fats, Oils, & Sweets - butter, fatback, French fries, deep fried foods, gravy, batter-dipped fried foods, potato chips, sweets (cookies, doughnuts, pudding, pies, pound cake, etc.)

Milk, Yogurt, & Cheese Group - Eat More Low Fat Dairy Foods: 2 oz. mozzarella cheese / 1 cup low-fat milk or buttermilk / 1 cup yogurt / Eat Less High Fat Dairy Foods: 2 oz. cheddar cheese or American cheese / 1/2 cup ice cream

Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, & Nuts Group - About 2-3 ounces of cooked lean meat (chicken, fish, beef, pork, etc.) / 1/2 cup dried beans (black eyed peas, red beans, etc.), or / 1 egg, or / 2 tablespoons of peanut butter count as 1 ounce of lean meat (about 1/3 serving) / Eat Less High Fat Meats: 3 oz. bologna or cold cuts / 3 oz. fried chicken / 3 oz. ham, bacon, or sausage

Vegetables - 1/2 cup corn / 1/2 cup cooked greens / 1/2 cup green beans / 1 cup leafy raw vegetables / 1/2 cup potato salad / 1/2 cup squash / 1 medium sweet potato

Fruits - 1 medium fruit / 1/2 cup fresh, cooked, or canned fruits (apples, banana, berries, peaches, etc.) / 1/4 cup dried fruits (raisins, dates, prunes, etc.) / 3/4 cup of 100% fruit juice

Grains - 1 slice bread / 1/2 cup dry cereal / 1/2 cup grits (cooked) / 1/2 cup rice (cooked) / 1/2 cup macaroni noodles (cooked) / 1 small piece corn bread

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The ABC's of Changing Your Family's Health

Aim For Fitness...

• Aim for a healthy weight.
• Be physically active each day.

Build A Healthy Base...

• Let the Pyramid guide your food choices.
• Choose a variety of grains daily, especially whole grains.
• Choose a variety of fruits and vegetables daily.
• Keep food safe to eat.

Choose Sensibly...

• Choose a diet that is low in saturated fat and cholesterol and moderate in total fat.
• Choose beverages and foods to moderate your intake of sugars.
• Choose and prepare foods with less salt.
• If you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation.

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Diabetes

Diabetes (Type I or Type II) is a disease that affects the way the body uses energy in food. People with diabetes have trouble controlling their blood sugar levels. Diabetes can have serious, even life threatening effects on health, if not managed properly. How do you know if you have diabetes?

Symptoms of diabetes include:

• Tiredness
• Increased thirst
• Increased urination
• Infections and cuts that don't heal
• Blurred vision
• Hunger
• Diabetes is often detected by a urine test.

Tips if you have diabetes:

• Follow a low fat, diabetic eating plan and an exercise plan. Being overweight is a significant risk factor for developing diabetes.
• Lose excess weight and be physically active to control your blood sugar levels and maintain good health.
• If necessary, take pills or shots to keep your blood sugar levels under control.

Having diabetes increases your risk of developing other health problems:

• Adults with diabetes are 2-4 times more likely to have heart disease or stroke.
• Of adults with diabetes, about 60-65% have high blood pressure.
• Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness in adults.

*Information obtained from the Center for Disease Control's Chronic Diseases and their Risk Factors: The Nation's Leading Causes of Death, 1999

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Cancer

White women have or develop breast cancer at a higher rate than African American women. However, African American women are 2.2 times more likely to die from breast cancer than White women.*

Tips to reduce your family's risk of cancer:

• Eat plenty of vegetables and fruits - at least 5 A Day. Fruits and vegetables contain cancer-fighting nutrients (phytonutrients) and supply fiber. Fiber may protect you from colon and rectal cancer.
• Eat a diet with lots of dried beans and whole grains. They are low in fat and full of fiber. Fiber helps move waste through your digestive system to keep you healthy.
• Eat colorful meals. A variety of two to three colorful fruits, vegetables, and whole grains on your plate give you many cancer-fighting nutrients.
• Limit your fat and eat less smoked, salted, and cured foods.

*Information obtained from the Center for Disease Control's Chronic Diseases and their Risk Factors: The Nation's Leading Causes of Death, 1999

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Heart Disease

Tips to reduce your family's risk of heart disease:

• Eat a diet low in fat, especially saturated fat or animal fats.
• Follow an eating plan that is low in cholesterol. Watch consumption of egg yolks, whole milk, high fat cheeses, and organ meats.
• Eat more fiber.
• Eat more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
• Exercise.
• Manage stress.

*Information obtained from the Center for Disease Control's Chronic Diseases and their Risk Factors: The Nation's Leading Causes of Death, 1999

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Physical Activity for Good Health

There are several reasons why regular physical activity improves health:

• Reduces the risk of premature death
• Reduces the risk of developing diseases
• Helps maintain strong bones, muscles and joints
• Promotes psychological well-being
• Improves physical appearance

Walking is an easy and convenient form of physical activity for people of all ages and in almost any physical condition. Thirty minutes per day is all it takes! And you can break up your workout into 10 or 15-minute sessions. Try these suggestions:

• Take the stairs instead of the elevators.
• Park as far from the door as you can when shopping and walk.
• Walk or march in place as you talk on the phone or watch TV.
• Build up your walking activities slowly, especially if you have been inactive for a long period of time.
• If you are currently physically in-active, begin your program by walking for 10 minutes three times a day. Slowly build up to a total of 30 minutes, most days of the week.
• If you are a man over 40 or woman over 50 or if you have a chronic disease, such as high blood pressure, heart disease or diabetes, you should talk to your doctor before beginning a walking program

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Preventive Care Check-ups Timeline for Adults

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Reference:

National Institutes of Health. (2001). Detecting, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (Adult Treatment Panel III) Executive Summary. NIH Publication No. 01-3670). Washington, DC.

If you would like more information on nutrition, you may contact your local Virginia Cooperative Extension Office. The phone number for your local Extension Office can be found under the county or city listing for Virginia Cooperative Extension or at the following website: www.ext.vt.edu. This information is provided by Virginia Cooperative Extension in partnership with the following organization in your community:

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