| A healthy lifestyle begins with the choices we | | | | Read Labels Before Making a Decision |
| make in everyday life. When finding ways to live | | | | The next time you are tempted to pick up a |
| a healthier lifestyle, it's important to take a | | | | quick meal or gulp down a tasty drink, read the |
| personal inventory and understand who we are. | | | | label first. Healthy choices start with adopting |
| How do you define your lifestyle habits? Gym rat, | | | | healthy eating habits. If you know what is in your |
| couch potato, or somewhere in the middle? Most | | | | food, you are more likely to make smart |
| people are somewhere in the middle. We want to | | | | decisions about what you are putting in your |
| make healthy choices with what we eat but | | | | body. Foods that you might not think are too bad |
| maybe we don't have a lot of time to hit the | | | | might surprise you. Many foods with saturated fat |
| gym everyday and the restaurants we go to for | | | | or trans fat can raise your cholesterol. Salt and |
| the business lunch meetings don't offer the | | | | sugar are two of the biggest culprits to an |
| healthiest options. So what do we do? | | | | unhealthy lifestyle. Foods high in sodium can raise |
| Whatever your situation, there are a few things | | | | blood pressure, and extra sugar gives your body |
| you can do to improve your health without having | | | | a quick boost of energy without anything to |
| to take a lot of time or spend a lot of money. | | | | nourish your body. |
| Here are a few things you can start doing today | | | | Worried about the foods you are eating? Not |
| to live a healthier life: | | | | sure what some of those ingredients are on the |
| Cut Back on Foods and Beverages with Added | | | | nutritional labels? The American Heart Association |
| Sugars | | | | has established a Food Certification Program to |
| Many of today's on-the-go foods and tasty drinks | | | | provide you with an easy reference to develop a |
| are crammed full of added sugar and | | | | healthful eating plan. Make use of your online |
| high-fructose corn syrup. Food and beverages high | | | | resources to start making smart eating choices, |
| in sugar generally contain little to no nutritional | | | | one day at a time. |
| value. What we put in our bodies gives us the | | | | Complement Your Busy Lifestyle with Nutritional |
| energy we need to be happy and healthy; the | | | | Supplements |
| more sugary foods and drinks we consume, the | | | | To make sure you are getting all the essential |
| less room our body have for healthy, nutritional | | | | vitamins and minerals your body needs, consider |
| foods. | | | | picking up a nutritional supplement. Gender, age, |
| Plus, eating sugar makes us crave more, ending | | | | and other health factors should be taken into |
| with a vicious cycle of consuming foods and | | | | consideration before committing to a nutritional |
| beverages with nothing of value for our bodies. | | | | supplement plan. Many people today are lacking |
| Read the ingredient list before you consume. | | | | important nutrients like calcium, Vitamin C, iron, |
| Examples of added sugars are sucrose, glucose, | | | | and fiber. There are many healthy options |
| fructose, dextrose, corn syrups, and | | | | available for you to get essential vitamins that |
| concentrated fruit juice. These items will be listed | | | | you may not be getting from your everyday diet. |
| on the food or drink ingredient list. If you see any | | | | Talk to your doctor about devising a plan that |
| of these ingredients, you are best to stay away. | | | | would work best for you. |