In an effort to address the health of Americans, President Barack Obama has talked about the importance of prevention to avoid illnesses like diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. President Obama has encouraged Americans to quit smoking, exercise more, and cut down on “all the junk food that’s fueling an epidemic of obesity.” Obesity, he says “puts far too many Americans, young and old, at greater risk of costly, chronic conditions,” like high blood pressure and heart disease.

First Lady Michelle Obama knows how convenient junk food can be. As her busy schedule became busier, she started choosing processed foods because they were “quick and easy.” Unfortunately, this convenience had a price. “We started to see that taking a toll on our health,” she said. “And our children’s pediatrician gave me a little tap on the shoulder and said, you might want to make some changes.”

How can you make those changes in your family? Michelle Obama explained the simple steps they took in the First Family. “We added more fruits and vegetables to our plates,” she said. “We eliminated processed foods. We didn’t say no to anything - we still went out - but it was just about moderation, and we were able to engage our children in the process of understanding what foods do to their bodies.” Packaged and processed foods fill your body with fats and salt (or “sodium”). In fact, processed foods contain most of the salt we eat each day, way more than the amount we put on foods we cook. Cutting down on salt can lower your blood pressure, which lowers your risk for heart disease.

Processed foods are also a main source of trans fats in our diet and a source of saturated fats, too. These fats raise your LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol levels and increase your risk for heart disease and stroke. Eating less processed foods will lower these risks for you and your family. If you want more information about heart disease and how you can get involved to help increase heart health awareness in the community, visit www.healthierchicago.org/heart.