February is Heart Health Month and adopting healthy habits can reduce the risk of heart disease.
Weight control is one of the main ways to reduce the risk of heart disease. Controlling portion size and being physically active are both good steps to controlling weight, according to UGA experts.
Research shows that if people are given larger portions, they eat one-third more no matter how hungry they are. A good strategy at home is to use the smallest plate, bowl or cup available.
Serving sizes at restaurants have exploded in the past 15 years. To cut back, share a meal with someone else or take the extra food home to eat the next day.
A serving of meat, chicken or poultry or a portion of rice, potatoes or pasta should be about the size of a deck of cards, or about four ounces or half of a cup.
No matter where you eat, fill your plate with streamed vegetables and fresh fruits. Replace red meat with salmon, tuna, trout or other fish (not fried) at least twice a week. Eat more non-starchy vegetables like green beans, broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, carrots and salad greens.
Use fruit for dessert and snacks. Keep fruit portions to the size of a baseball.
Eating right is important, but so is being active.
Walking briskly for 30 minutes a day reduces heart disease risk by about 32 percent. Consider both planned exercise, like riding an exercise bike or doing water aerobics, and activities of daily living like taking the stairs, doing yard work or walking to errands.