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Make the decision to live healthy. You’re in control — a healthy diet and lifestyle are the best tools you have for long-term benefits to your health and your heart. Use these quick tips from the American Heart Association to master this three-pronged approach to wellness:
1. Fitness
2. Nutrition
3. Partnering with your doctor
  
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Fit in fitness
Why should you be active? Because physical fitness can help you manage stress, keep your weight under control, reduce your risk for heart disease, prevent hypertension and boost your energy level. Try these easy ways to fit in fitness:
• Home, Healthy Home — do housework, work in the garden, rake leaves, shovel snow, walk or bike to the store, take a short walk before breakfast or after dinner — start with 5 to 10 minutes a day and work up to 30 minutes.
• Make Work a Workout — walk with colleagues while brainstorming, take the stairs, walk while waiting for your plane to board, walk down the hall to talk to your coworker instead of e-mailing or calling, park your car or get off the bus a few blocks shy of your office and walk the rest of the way, walk around the block at lunch.
• Fitness for Fun — Hit the dance floor, rent a rowboat at the lake, have a snowball fight, go ice skating, walk on the beach or play volleyball, walk when golfing, include hiking and swimming during family vacations and try sightseeing on foot.
Eat to Enjoy
Eat a wide variety of nutritious foods from all the food groups, and keep your eye on serving size. To get the nutrients you need, first choose foods like vegetables, fruits, whole-grain products, fat-free or low-fat dairy products, lean meat, poultry and fish.
• Look for foods high in whole grains. Unrefined whole-grain foods contain fiber that can lower blood cholesterol and make you feel full, which may help you manage your weight.
• Eat fish at least twice a week. Recent research shows that eating oily fish containing omega-3 fatty acids (such as salmon, trout and herring) may lower your risk of death from coronary heart disease.
• Make heart-healthy grocery shopping simple. Look for the American Heart Association’s heart-check mark on food products. It’s your assurance that the food is low in saturated fat
and cholesterol and/or high in whole grains.
• Shop easy. A heart-healthy grocery list is just a click away. Before heading to the grocery store create your free, personalized list using the tool provided by the American Heart Association at heartcheckmark.org.
Partner with your doctor
Enlist help in living healthy from your health professional. Ask your doctor about high blood pressure, blood cholesterol, quitting the use of tobacco products and weight control issues. Some important questions to remember to ask your doctor are:
• What should my blood pressure be?
• Should I reduce my sodium intake?
• Will I need to take blood pressure medication?
• What do my cholesterol numbers mean?
• Will I need cholesterol-lowering medicine?
• What are the best types of physical activities for me?
• How much activity do I need?
• How can I control my food portions?
For more quick tips for better health, visit americanheart.org.
Tilapia with Smoky-Pepper Sauce
Serves 4; 3 ounces fish and 1⁄3 cup sauce per serving
4 tilapia or other mild, thin fish fillets (about 4 ounces each)
1⁄2 tsp paprika
1⁄4 tsp pepper
1 tsp canola or olive oil
3⁄4 cup finely chopped roasted red bell peppers
1⁄2 cup mild picante sauce (lowest sodium available)
1⁄2 to 1 chipotle pepper canned in adobo sauce, finely chopped and mashed
2 tsp olive oil
1⁄4 tsp minced garlic
Rinse fish and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle paprika and pepper on both sides of fish. In large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat, swirling to coat bottom. Cook fish 3 minutes on each side, or until it flakes easily with fork. Transfer fish to plates.
In small microwaveable bowl, stir together remaining ingredients. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Microwave on 100 percent power (high) 2 minutes, or until thoroughly heated. Spoon over cooked fish.
Nutrition Analysis (per serving): Calories 151, Total Fat 5.5 g (Saturated 1.0 g, Polyunsaturated 1.0 g, Monounsaturated 3.0 g), Cholesterol 57 mg, Sodium 329 mg, Carbohydrates 3 g, Sugars 0 g, Fiber 0 g, Protein 23 g
Dietary Exchanges: 3 lean meat
This recipe is reprinted with permission from “Love Your Heart,” Copyright © 2007 by the American Heart Association. Published by Publications International, Ltd. Available at ShopGoRed.org.
Chocolate Pudding Cake
This decadent dessert is best when served warm.
Serves 24; 1 square per serving
Vegetable oil spray
Cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour
11⁄2 cups sugar
1⁄2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tblsp plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
1⁄4 tsp salt
1 cup fat-free milk
1⁄2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tsp vanilla extract
Pudding:
2 cups boiling water
11⁄2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
1⁄2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 13- by 9- by 2-inch baking pan with vegetable oil spray; set aside.
In large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Whisk in remaining cake ingredients, blending thoroughly. Pour into baking pan, spreading evenly.
In large bowl, whisk together pudding ingredients until sugar and cocoa are dissolved. Pour carefully over batter. (Pudding layer will be thin and runny.)
Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until top is firm to touch. (Toothpick inserted in center of cake won’t be accurate test for doneness.) Let cake rest 15 minutes before cutting.
To serve, slice cake and top with sauce, or pool sauce on plate and top with cake. Cover and refrigerate leftovers up to 7 days or wrap tightly and freeze up to 2 months.
Nutrition Analysis (per serving): Calories 152, Total Fat 1.0 g (Saturated 0.0 g, Polyunsaturated 0.0 g, Monounsaturated 0.0 g), Cholesterol 0 mg, Sodium 94 mg, Carbohydrates 37 g, Fiber 2 g, Protein 2 g
This recipe is reprinted with permission from the “American Heart Association Meals in Minutes Cookbook,” Copyright © 2002 by the American Heart Association. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, a division of Random House, Inc. Available from booksellers everywhere.
