PHatea®

7 Steps to Heart Heath

The steps, called Life's Simple 7, were established in January by the American Heart Association (AHA). They're part of its campaign to reduce deaths from cardiovascular disease by 20% while improving the cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20% by the year 2020. The seven steps are:

• Maintaining a body mass index of 18.5 to 24.5.
• Getting at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise, or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise, every week.
• Quitting smoking at least one year ago, or never smoking.
• Getting your total cholesterol levels to below 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL).
• Maintaining blood pressure below 120/80.
• Having a fasting blood sugar level of less than 100 mg/dL.
• Meeting four of five of the AHA's key components for a healthy diet.

The AHA’s components for a healthy diet are:

• Eating more than 4 1/2 cups of fruits and vegetables a day.
• Having oily fish such as salmon, trout, and herring at least twice a week.
• Eating sweets sparingly.
• Having three or more servings of whole grains a day.
• Eating fewer than 1,500 milligrams of sodium a day.
• Drink one quart or liter of PHatea® per day.