How to Prevent Heart Disease Do you take care of your family? Goes without saying. Do you take care of your home? Of course. Do you take care of your heart? Probably not. It may not be at the top of most women’s to-do lists, but caring for your heart through a healthy diet and regular physical activity is the secret weapon to preventing heart disease. While many may assume that popping a few pills that your healthcare provider prescribed is enough to quell symptoms or prevent a heart attack, the real preventative power lies with real changes to your lifestyle – which can reduce the risk for heart disease by as much as 80 percent. Read on to find out how. Woman Eating Handful Of Almonds Good Fats Tips Saturated and trans fats are bad for you, while monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats can actually be good for you. Explore more good fats tips. » Grandmother mother and granddaughter bike riding Life’s Simple 7 Do you know there are seven easy ways to help control your risk for heart disease? Manage your heart risk by understanding "Life's Simple 7." » Writing Documents Food Diary: Keep Track of What You Eat Want to take control of your eating and weight? Download this food diary from Go Red For Women to keep track of what you eat. » Black woman with closed eyes Sleep & Heart Disease Exercise and eating nutritious foods aren’t the only things that can help increase heart health; sleep is also a factor. Learn how much sleep you need. » Collage of photos all depicting food. Six Common Salty Foods Learn about the six most common salty foods and discover tips on how to minimize sodium in your diet. » Healthy fruits and vegetables arranged in the shape of a stylized heart. Lower Cholesterol with Diet, Foods Lowering your cholesterol can be easy when you know what foods to choose. Learn what foods to eat and avoid to help you maintain a heart-healthy diet. » Sugar lumps piled up together How to Reduce Added Sugar in Your Diet Added sugars — sugars that are not found naturally in foods — contribute additional calories with zero nutrients to food. Learn how to reduce added sugars and your risk for heart disease. » Sugar Heart Sugar & Heart Disease Getting too much added sugar in your diet could significantly increase your risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Learn how to control your sugar intake. » Heart shape of various vegetables and herbs on white plate Vegetarian, Vegan Diet Benefits & Risks A heart-healthy diet may be vegetarian or vegan. To find out more about the potential health benefits and risks of these diets, we enlisted the help of Dr. Rachel K. Johnson. » Vegetables and fruits arranged in the shape of a stylized heart Vegetarian, Vegan Diet & Heart Health Studies have shown that vegetarians seem to have a lower risk of obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and some forms of cancer. Learn more. » Yoga Class at Health Club Tips to Lose Weight, Maintain Healthy Weight If we eat more calories than we need, we gain weight. Try the following tips to lose weight and help you maintain a healthy weight. » Chicken breast with vegetables Portion Control Big portion sizes can mean you’re getting more food than your body can stomach to maintain a healthy weight. Learn about portion control and how much to put on your plate. » A person's feet standing on a scale with the focus just on the feet and the scale. Weight Management Weight management is an important part of preventing heart disease and living heart-healthy. Find out why and how to assess whether your weight is healthy. » Close up of running shoes in use Physical Activity Improves Quality of Life Physical activity can improve your quality of life in a multitude of ways. Learn how much physical activity is recommended and how it improves both physical and mental health. » Three senior women embraced in a huddle, looking down at camera Heart-Healthy at Any Age: 60s & Beyond No matter what your age, you can take matters into your own hands to help reduce your risk of heart disease. It's never too late to live heart-healthy. Learn what you can do to prevent heart disease in your 60s and beyond with the following advice. » Three women dressed in white embraced and talking to each other. Heart-Healthy at Any Age: 50s As women age, we lose some of our body’s natural defenses against heart disease. This can happen because of changes in hormones from menopause, which can affect your cholesterol levels. Learn what you can do to prevent heart disease in your 50s with the following advice. » Group Of Women Carrying Shopping Bags On City Street Heart-Healthy at Any Age: 40s Women are naturally caretakers that don't always put their own needs first. You have to make time and invest in your own health — for yourself and the people who depend on you. Learn what you can do to prevent heart disease in your 40s with the following advice. » Friends talking in cafe Heart-Healthy at Any Age: 30s Juggling a family and career has probably left you with little time to worry about yourself. Life is a balancing act, but your health should always come first. Here's what you should do to stay heart-healthy in your 30s. » Portrait of smiling business women standing together Heart-Healthy at Any Age: 20s Heart disease can happen at any age, which is why Go Red For Women wants you to consider your heart health at every age. Start practicing heart-healthy habits in your 20s with the following advice. » Doctor with red heart positioned within their stethoscope. Heart Doctor Explains Cholesterol Levels Go Red interviews Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum to learn more about cholesterol types, healthy cholesterol levels and heart disease in women. » Senior Woman Relaxing In Hammock With Book Nancy Brown: Tips to Relax, Renew, Recharge American Heart Association CEO Nancy Brown shares tips to "relax, renew and recharge" to help women de-stress and prevent heart disease. » Photo of Crystal Wall supporting Go Red Crystal Wall: “Best Self Challenge” Crystal Wall shares her motivation to live healthy through fitness and nutrition to Go Red readers (just like you). » A woman holding a doughnut looking tempted to eat it. How to Break a Habit Unhealthy habits can be dangerous to your heart. Learn why people often fall into unhealthy habits and how to break them. » Photo of a woman in front of a Go Red poster Doctor-Recommended Healthy Eating Tips, Video What are America’s leading doctors’ recommended healthy eating tips? We asked medical health experts Dr. Leslee Shaw and Dr. Sanjay Gupta for their advice. » Pretty business woman daydreaming Is My Fad Diet Good For My Heart? A dietitian dissects popular fad diets, including the Paleo diet, Atkins diet and cabbage soup diet, to see which ones (if any) are good for your heart health. » A white bowl of fresh fruit salad Eat This, Not That: Healthy Food Options Make The Switch To Heart-Healthy Alternatives Replacing processed, junk food for heart-healthy, […] » A woman and a child chopping fresh vegetables Good Nutrition: Defense Against Heart Disease When you’re juggling family, career, an education and other responsibilities, making your […] » A pair of women sharing a meal together outside at a park 5 Heart Healthy Resolutions for the New Year The New Year is a perfect time to reflect on the past 12 months and assess what habits you want to take with you, and what you want to leave in 2012. » A stylized heart shaped ash bowl with cigarettes Why You Should Quit Smoking Smoking is an addiction that negatively affect your health. Quit smoking to reduce your risk for heart disease. » A woman talking to her doctor Why You Should Get Routine Checkups It’s just as important to check up on your heart health as it is to cross off your daily to-do list. Find out why routine screenings matter. » A close-up photo of a stethoscope and a stylized heart Get Your Heart Score Find out if you’re at risk for heart disease by using this risk assessment tool.» A woman mixing a salad in a bowl Eat Well to Prevent Heart Disease Every woman has the power to dramatically reduce her risk of heart disease by making a few simple, healthy changes in her diet. » A person jogging with arm weights outside on a road Exercise to Prevent Heart Disease Obesity increases your risk for heart disease. Learn benefits of heart healthy exercise. »