Heart Health


              February is American Heart Month, a month to focus on cardiovascular health. You might be thinking, why is heart health important. Heart health is important because the leading cause of death in America is heart disease. Some people might assume heart disease is only an adult problem, but the health habits of adults are often established when they are children. Plus, over the last 30 years the rate of pediatric obesity has doubled. Being overweight or obese as a child greatly increases their chances of having heart disease. That’s why we wanted to take time to go over some ways that you can protect your child’s heart today. Let’s help them create good habits now!

  • Be active: 60 minutes of exercise a day is a good goal to maintain heart health. For more information on exercise click here for our blog post on this topic.
  • Avoid sugary drinks such as juices or sodas: Drink water or low fat milk instead.
  • Eat a healthy diet: A heart healthy diet includes 4-5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day; lean proteins such nuts, beans, chicken, turkey, or fish; low fat dairy products; fiber rich whole grains; is low in saturated fats, and includes sources of omega-3 fats such as salmon, nuts, and seeds.  More information on diet can be found on www.myplate.gov.  
  • Limit screen time: Aim for 1 hour or less of recreational screen time a day. The more screen time we have the more sedentary we are which increases risk for obesity and heart disease.
  • Early screening: It is important to bring your child to their well child checks where we monitor their weight, blood pressure, and cholesterol at recommended age intervals.

If looking at this list seems overwhelming then pick one for now. Small changes can make a big difference!


              February is American Heart Month, a month to focus on cardiovascular health. You might be thinking, why is heart health important. Heart health is important because the leading cause of death in America is heart disease. Some people might assume heart disease is only an adult problem, but the health habits of adults are often established when they are children. Plus, over the last 30 years the rate of pediatric obesity has doubled. Being overweight or obese as a child greatly increases their chances of having heart disease. That’s why we wanted to take time to go over some ways that you can protect your child’s heart today. Let’s help them create good habits now!

  • Be active: 60 minutes of exercise a day is a good goal to maintain heart health. For more information on exercise click here for our blog post on this topic.
  • Avoid sugary drinks such as juices or sodas: Drink water or low fat milk instead.
  • Eat a healthy diet: A heart healthy diet includes 4-5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day; lean proteins such nuts, beans, chicken, turkey, or fish; low fat dairy products; fiber rich whole grains; is low in saturated fats, and includes sources of omega-3 fats such as salmon, nuts, and seeds.  More information on diet can be found on www.myplate.gov.  
  • Limit screen time: Aim for 1 hour or less of recreational screen time a day. The more screen time we have the more sedentary we are which increases risk for obesity and heart disease.
  • Early screening: It is important to bring your child to their well child checks where we monitor their weight, blood pressure, and cholesterol at recommended age intervals.

If looking at this list seems overwhelming then pick one for now. Small changes can make a big difference!

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