Tobacco

Quitting Methods and Effectiveness: http://tobacco-cessation.org/whatworkstoquit/ 

Cigarette smoking is the #1 cause of preventable death in the US

Healthy People 2020 Objectives:

Reduce cigarette smoking by adults from 20.6% to 12%
Reduce cigarette smoking by adolescents from 19.5% to 16%

Smoking causes damage throughout the entire body:

Blindness (Macular degeneration), impaired sense of smell & taste, cancer of lips & mouth.
Throat, larynx, esophageal, and tracheal cancer
Heart disease, lung cancer, COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), Asthma
Gastric, colon, and pancreatic cancer
Cervical cancer, early menopause, reduced fertility, infertility, and impotence

Financial burden of smoking: annually, cigarette smoking costs the US $193 billion

$97 billion in lost productivity (missed work due to illness)
$96 billion in health care spending
Cost calculator for individual 

Why is smoking so hard to quit?

Smoking is difficult to quit because an individual who smokes has not only a physical addiction, but relies on a behavioral pattern and is psychologically dependent.
Combining quitting methods such as Nicotine replacement and behavioral counseling is an effective method for quitting.

Physical Activity

Physical Activity Guidelines 

Healthy People 2020 Objectives

Reduce the proportion of adults who engage in no leisure-time physical activity.
Increase the proportion of adults who meet the Federal MVPA (Moderate to vigorous physical activity) standards.

Federal MVPA standards

Children & Adolescents should partake in 60 minutes of physical activity daily.
Adults should partake in 150 minutes of moderate physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity weekly.
Also recommends adults to partake in 2 days of strength training.

Benefits of engaging in regular physical activity

Reduces the risk of heart disease and cancer
Reduces premature death from ALL causes
Children: improved cardio-respiratory and muscle fitness, improved bone health, favorable body composition
Adults: lowers the risk of the following; early death, coronary heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, adverse blood-lipid profile, type II diabetes, colon cancer, breast cancer, falls, depression, and weight gain

Nutrition

Eat low energy dense foods (kcal/g). Energy density is the amount of energy (calories) in a particular weight of food. Foods with low energy density provide fewer calories per gram than foods of higher energy density. A person can eat a larger portion of low-energy dense food.

Water= 0 kcal/g
Fiber= 1.5-2.5 kcal/g
Protein= 4 kcal/g
Carbohydrates= 4 kcal/g
Fat= 9 kcal/g

Low energy dense diets have been proven to be an effective method to control hunger while attempting to lose weight.

Food for Life Recipe of the Week  - Get delicious weekly recipes that make eating for cancer prevention and survival easy. Developed by nutrition experts, each recipe features detailed instructions and ingredient lists - a simple way to put yourself on the road to good health.

Put Your Best Fork Forward  - Just when many of us have begun backsliding on our New Year's resolution of eating healthier, March's National Nutrition Month serves as an opportunity for us to refuel and refocus on eating right and developing better diets.