You Are What You Eat
March is National Nutrition Month®, and a good time to review your current eating habits to see where there's room to improve. A healthy, nutritious diet provides you with energy, strengthens your heart, keeps the brain active and promotes muscle functioning.
There is a direct connection between what you eat and your health status. In fact, foods you eat — and what you avoid — could either present or inhibit health risks, as follows:- Eating too much fat, especially the wrong kind of fat, can increase your health risks. The American Heart Association warns that saturated fat, trans fat and dietary cholesterol could pose a threat to your heart.
- According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), more than 200 studies confirm that beta-carotene, lycopene, and isoflavones — found in fruits, vegetables and grains — can fight many diseases. Increasing these foods in your diet could help to reduce the risks for cancer of the lung, mouth, esophagus, stomach and colon.
- ACS also attributes one-third of all cancer-related deaths to poor diet and lack of activity. That's 186,000 lives per year.
- At least 10 million Americans who are at high risk for type-2 diabetes can sharply lower their chances of getting the disease with proper diet and exercise, according to the findings of the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), a major clinical trial of more than 3,200 participants. The DPP was sponsored by a number of agencies of the Department of Health and Human Services.
To receive support
from a LifeSteps health coach on any health matter, call
1-877- LIFE-123
(1-877-543-3123) 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Personal health information provided to a LifeSteps health coach is protected by federal and state privacy laws and will not be disclosed to American Standard Companies except as authorized by law for administration of the company’s group health plans.