Time to Face the Fats

Valuable facts from the American Heart Association

National Cholesterol Month Continues...

It's time to meet the Fats - some are bad and some are better.
According to a consumer survey conducted for the American Heart Association, fewer than half of Americans know that the "better" fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated) can help reduce their risk of heart disease.

Do you know everything you need to know to make healthy fat choices? Do you know:

• Which dietary fats you should limit or avoid?
• Which are better for you than others?
• Which foods contain which types of fat?
• How many calories – and how much fat – you should eat each day?
• If foods labeled "trans fat-free" are always healthy?

Don’t worry if you don’t know the answers. Most Americans are confused about fats. That’s why the American Heart Association created this Web site — to help you face the facts about fats.

To begin learning more about fat facts and eating sensibly, go to any of the links on this page.

Fats 101 Take our crash course on fats. It's everything you need to know, easy to read and all in one place.	My Fats Translator A cool calculator that translates our fat recommendations into daily limits just for you.	Live Fat-Sensibly Learn how you can be smart about dietary fats when eating out or cooking at home.

Effective Steps you can take to Lower your Cholesterol Now!

National Cholesterol Month is Here!

Cholesterol

Knowing the facts about cholesterol can reduce your risk for a heart attack or stroke. But understanding what cholesterol is and how it affects your health are only the beginning.

To keep your cholesterol under control:

• schedule a screening
• eat foods low in cholesterol and saturated fat and free of trans fat
• maintain a healthy weight
• be physically active
• follow your healthcare professional's advice
  

How well do you know cholesterol? Take this brief quiz to test your cholesterol IQ.

Knowing the facts about cholesterol can help you improve your heart health and reduce your risk of heart disease.

Be prepared with these tips for ordering low-saturated fat, low-cholesterol meals at any restaurant.

If Your not taking Advantage of National Cholesterol Month Now here is Your Chance!

National Cholesterol Education Month

September is National Cholesterol Education Month, a good time to get your blood cholesterol checked and take steps to lower it if it is high. National Cholesterol Education Month is also a good time to learn about lipid profiles and about food and lifestyle choices that help you reach personal cholesterol goals.

High blood cholesterol affects over 65 million Americans. It is a serious condition that increases your risk for heart disease. The higher your cholesterol level, the greater the risk. You can have high cholesterol and not know it. Lowering cholesterol levels that are too high lessens your risk for developing heart disease and reduces the chance of having a heart attack or dying of heart disease.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute offers helpful resources to use during National Cholesterol Education Month.

For Individuals

• High Blood Cholesterol: What You Need to Know , (196 KB)
• On the Move to Better Heart Health for African Americans , (3.76 MB)
  (Be sure to see Section 4: Keep Your Cholesterol in Check)
• Your Choice for Change: Honoring the Gift of Heart Health for American Indians , (9.35 MB) NEW for 2009
  (Be sure to see Section 4: Be Heart Healthy! Learn Ways to Lower Your Blood Cholesterol)
• Do You Know Your Cholesterol Levels? / Cómo están sus nivels de cholesterol? , (6.01 MB) (bilingual Spanish/English) NEW for 2009
• Be Heart Smart: Keep Your Cholesterol in Check / Maging Matalino sa Pangangalaga ng Puso: Panatilihing Nasusuri ang lyong Kolesterol (bilingual Tagalog/English for Filipino Americans) NEW for 2009
  Available only in print

Get these public education booklets for yourself and share them with family and friends.

For Persons with High Blood Cholesterol Who Need to Lower It

• Your Guide to Lowering Your Cholesterol with Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) , (1.74 MB)
  This booklet is a "must read." It offers lots of practical advice for steps you can take to reach a lower cholesterol and to improve your lipid profile.

Heart Healthy Recipes

• Keep the Beat: Heart Healthy Recipes
• Heart Healthy Home Cooking African American Style
• Delicious Heart Healthy Latino Recipes

For Community Group Education Programs

Offer an educational session for groups who may benefit from a better understanding of cholesterol. Use these teaching tools:

• With Every Heartbeat Is Life program for African Americans: Session 5: Be Heart Smart: Keep Your Cholesterol in Check, Available only in print
• With Every Heartbeat Is Life Picture Cards, Available only in print
• Your Heart, Your Life: Session 5: Be Heart Smart: Keep Your Cholesterol in Check, Available only in print
• Su corazón, su vida: Sesión 5: Sea bueno con su corazón: Mantenga su colesterol bajo control (Spanish), Available only in print
• Your Heart, Your Life/Su corazón, su vida Picture Cards, Available only in print
• Healthy Heart, Healthy Family: A Community Health Worker's Manual for the Filipino Community:
  Session 5: Be Heart Smart: Keep Your Cholesterol in Check. Available only in print. NEW for 2009
• Healthy Heart, Healthy Family: Picture Cards. Available only in print. NEW for 2009
• Your Heart, Your Drum: Strengthening the Heartbeat of American Indians and Alaska Natives, Available in VHS tape

Make cholesterol information booklets available at your worksite, health center, community center, or HMO. Have plenty of copies on hand for screening events.

• High Blood Cholesterol: What You Need to Know
• On the Move to Better Heart Health for African Americans
  (Be sure to see Section 4: Keep Your Cholesterol in Check)
• Your Choice for Change: Honoring the Gift of Heart Health for American Indians NEW for 2009
  (Be sure to see Section 4: Be Heart Healthy! Learn Ways to Lower Your Blood Cholesterol)
• Do You Know Your Cholesterol Levels? / Cómo están sus nivels de cholesterol? (bilingual Spanish/English) NEW for 2009
• Be Heart Smart: Keep Your Cholesterol in Check / Maging Matalino sa Pangangalaga ng Puso: Panatilihing Nasusuri ang lyong Kolesterol (bilingual Tagalog/English for Filipino Americans), Available only in print NEW for 2009

For Clinicians

Refresh your skills in cholesterol assessment and management with:

• Summary Report: Third Report of the Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (Adult Treatment Panel III = ATP III)
• ATP III at a Glance: Physician's Quick Desk Reference
• ACC-AHA-NHLBI Clinical Advisory on the Use and Safety of Statins
• ATP III Update 2004: Implications of Recent Clinical Trials

For Everyone

• Online Heart Disease Risk Calculator Tool

For Bulletin Board Displays

Use pages from these resources to create an educational display in September:

• High Blood Cholesterol: What You Need to Know
  
  
• Tables and Text from Your Guide to Lowering Your Cholesterol with Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC)
  • What's Your Heart Disease Risk? - p. 8
  • What's Your 10-Year Risk for a Heart Attack? - pp. 10-12
  • Drop Your Cholesterol with TLC - p. 16
  • Setting Your LDL Goal - p. 9
  • The TLC Diet: A Heart Healthy Eating Plan - p.19
  • Sample Saturated Fat Intakes - p. 22
  • Fiber Solutions - p. 28
  • Fiber Really Counts - p. 29
  • How to Make Heart Healthy Meals - pp. 39-40
  • Losing Weight and Gaining Heart Health - pp. 49-50
  • How to Lower Your Calories on TLC - p. 50
  • Choose the Foods That Help You Lose - pp. 51-52
  • A Handy Guide to Calories Burned in Common Activities - p. 46
  • Benefits of Regular Physical Activity - p. 42
  • Getting Active - p. 44

P.S. Get your FREE Health & Fitness Test today 480-212-1947 or 1-888-568-4388 or fax your request 623-399-4199 for your FREE spot!