Celebrating American Heart Month

Why do we observe American Heart Month every February? Well, every year more than 600,000 Americans die from heart disease. The number one cause of deaths for most groups, heart disease affects all ages, genders, and ethnicities. Risk factors include high cholesterol, high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, and excessive alcohol use. Do you know how to keep your heart healthy? You can take an active role in reducing your risk for heart disease by eating a healthy diet, engaging in physical activity, and managing your cholesterol and blood pressure. This is a great chance to start some heart-healthy habits! This year your PGC Health Team will focus on healthy eating which you can control. We hope you find the information shared to be helpful!

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    The Heart Truth

    The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and many groups around the country observe National Wear Red Day® each year on the first Friday in February to raise awareness about heart disease as the leading cause of death among Americans, especially women.

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    heart truth

    Use Herbs and Spices

    Eating less salt and sodium can help protect your heart. Try these herbs and spices instead of salt to season your food. Start with small amounts to see if you like them.

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    Read the Food Label

    Food labels help you choose foods that are lower in calories and sugar. Watching your calories and portion sizes can make it easier to reach or stay at a weight that's healthy for you. Learn about how to read food labels, starting with this one for sweetened tea.

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    mental health

    Warning Signs of Mental Illness

    Diagnosing mental illness isn’t a straightforward science. We can’t test for it the same way we can test blood sugar levels for diabetes. Each condition has its own set of unique symptoms, though symptoms often overlap.

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    Heart-Healthy Eating Plan

    What you eat makes a difference to your heart. A heart-healthy eating plan emphasizes vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, includes fat-free or low-fat dairy products, and limits foods high in saturated fat and sugar-sweetened beverages and sweets. Use the guide below to determine how much you should eat from each food group.

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    heart truth

    Choose Foods Low in Sodium

    Choosing and preparing foods that are lower in salt and sodium might help prevent or lower high blood pressure.

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    Tips for Eating Out

    You don’t have to give up eating out to eat right. Here are some heart-healthy choices.

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    mental health

    You Are Not Alone

    Millions of people are affected by mental illness each year. Across the country, many people just like you work, perform, create, compete, laugh, love and inspire every day.

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    How does a healthy weight help my heart?

    Maintaining a healthy weight can help keep your cholesterol and blood pressure in healthy ranges. Unhealthy cholesterol and blood pressure levels can lead to heart attack or stroke.
    Overweight and obesity, which means having excess body fat, can increase your low-density lipoprotein (LDL), sometimes called “bad” cholesterol, and lower your high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the “good” cholesterol. Overweight and obesity can also increase triglycerides, a type of fat.

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    Health Heart Tracker

    Keep track of important numbers related to your heart health.

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    mental health

    Ripple Effect of Mental Illness

    Having a mental illness can make it challenging to live everyday life and maintain recovery. Beyond the individual, these challenges ripple out through our families, our communities,
    and our world.

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