Healthy Heart Beats

January-March 2009
Vol 31, Issue 1

Resources

Improve Health and Well-Being of Older Adults

improve health The National Institute on Aging (NIA) has updated their exercise guide for older adults. It is now available online and in print at www.nia.nih.gov/exercise. The 2009 version is titled "Exercise and Physical Activity: Your Everyday Guide from the National Institute on Aging." This resource is useful for the physical activity, aging, and public health fields for both researchers and practitioners.

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DASH Eating Plan Tool Kit Available

Research has documented the effectiveness of the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) Eating Plan, to help lower blood pressure and other cardiovascular risk factors. The DASH Diet emphasizes a balanced eating plan that includes nutrient-rich dairy foods, fruits and vegetables.

The new DASH Education Tool Kit includes downloadable patient education materials, research summaries and a turnkey PowerPoint presentation that reviews the latest science and the Eating Plan. To access the new DASH Tool Kit, click here.

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Two Free Handouts Available for Heart Month

Food & Health Communications, Inc. has made two resources available for free for February 2009. One resource is a Healthy Heart Quiz to help teach the basics of heart disease. The other is a handout that teaches about the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) Diet and stresses the importance of keeping blood pressure low. Go to: http://foodandhealth.com/.

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Tips to Help Lose Weight

being active Losing weight takes time and perseverance. This website from the Department of Health and Human Services can help jumpstart your efforts. Learn how to take small steps to change your lifestyle, and find tips for eating well at home and on the road as well as being more active: Aim for a Healthy Weight.

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Tools to Aid in Portion Control

Keeping portions reasonable can serve to act as a helpful tool in weight loss and weight maintenance. Familiarize yourself with the following tools which may prove helpful.

Portion Pals offers five color-coded discs which can be used as templates to assist with determining recommended portion sizes for meat, chicken, fish, side dishes and dessert: www.portionpal.com.
Bowls and plates with markings for portions sizes of foods for both men and women can be found at www.dietplate.us.
The American Institute for Cancer Research offers several tools to aid in choosing healthy portion sizes. Click on www.aicr.org to view the "New American Plate" brochures and other materials.

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Eat Healthy on a Budget

Minimize food costs but maximize nutrition. This can be challenging and does take time and advance planning before grocery shopping. Consider consulting this helpful resource from the USDA: Eating Right When Money is Tight" by going to: www.fns.usda.gov/FSP/outreach/pdfs/making-ends-meet.pdf.

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Feeding Kids Newsletter

The February 2009 issue of the Feeding Kids newsletter is now available at http://nutritionforkids.com/emlnews/FK-Feb09.htm. The February issue contains a healthy snacking handout to help children choose healthy snack, a kid favorite recipe, lesson plans and more.

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Dairy Council Defines Role of
Dairy in Childhood Nutrition

The National Dairy Council has released a white paper on dairy foods and their role in childhood nutrition. By encouraging the consumption of nutrient-rich foods, including dairy, child nutrition programs can make a contribution to improving the overall quality of Americans' diets, potentially reducing the economic and social burden of chronic disease. The white paper can be found on the home page of the National Dairy Council: www.nationaldairycouncil.org.