Atlantic County

Manage Your Blood Pressure Division of

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension,
can damage your heart, arteries, and other organs Public Health
if left unmanaged. Unfortunately most people nev-

Get Heart
er experience any symptoms which is why it is
sometimes called the “silent killer”. Monitoring Healthy People Living in
your blood pressure is very important, especially if Healthy Communities
you have unhealthy lifestyle habits, like smoking or

Healthy
lack of exercise, or your family has a history of 201 South Shore Road
high blood pressure. Your blood pressure consists Northfield, NJ, 08225
of two numbers which describe the pressure of www.aclink.org/public health
your heart when it beats (diastolic) and when it is
at rest (systolic). The American Heart Association Community Health
has new blood pressure recommendation levels.* 609-645-5933

Normal less than and less than 80 Environmental Health

120 609-645-5971

Elevated 120–129 and less than 80 Health Planning

609-645-5853
Hypertension: 130-139 or 80-89
Stage 1
Substance Abuse Services
Hypertension: greater than or greater than 609-645-5932
Stage 2 or or equal to
Animal Shelter
equal to 140 90
609-485-2345
*For more information visit www.heart.org With these action
Ways to Improve Your Blood Pressure
 Don’t smoke
steps!
 Maintain a healthy weight
 Exercise regularly
 Limit alcohol use Atlantic County Executive
 Limit sodium
Dennis Levinson
 Take medication, if recommended

Atlantic County residents 18 years and older can sched- Atlantic County Board of Chosen Freeholders
ule health screenings from the Atlantic County Division Frank D. Formica, Chairman
of Public Health. For more information, or to schedule
an appointment, please call 645-5933.
Patricia Diamond Atlantic County
Atlantic County Health Officer Division of Public Health
Protect your health by getting regular
check-ups!
Heart Facts Nutrition Tips If You Smoke, Get Help Quitting
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for Using food labels can help you make healthier Quitting triggers a healing process that begins
men and women in Atlantic County. Fortunately, choices. Look at the “serving size” and then the almost immediately after you have stopped
there are steps you can take to improve your number of “servings per container” to see how smoking. Within one year of quitting, your added
heart health. Each section of this brochure will much you are actually eating or drinking.* risk of heart disease is half that of a smoker.
give you action steps for improving your overall Having a support system can improve your chances
health and quality of life. of quitting. Ask your doctor for help to quit. You
Nutrition Facts can also use the following resources:
Add Exercise Serving Size 1oz, about 12 chips (28g)
Servings per container 6
Start Here
Free Quit Smoking Resources
Adults should try to get at least 30 minutes of Amount Per Serving  The NJ Quitline is a free telephone counseling
physical activity each day. You can also break
Calories 140 Calories from Fat 60 service for any resident of New Jersey. Call 1-866-
up exercise into three 10-minute periods or two Percent Daily
% Daily Value* NJSTOPS to speak with a quit coach.
15-minute periods for the same benefits.
Total Fat 7g 11% 5% or less is low *
20% or more is high ‡
Talk to your doctor before starting a new Saturated Fat .5g 3%  Mom’s Quit Connection provides free in-
exercise program. Here are a few tips: Trans Fat 0g
person counseling services for pregnant women,
Limit These parents, and caregivers with children seven years of
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
 Choose an activity that you enjoy. age and younger. For more information call 1-888-
Sodium 55mg 2%
 Start slowly if you aren’t used to exercising 545-5191, visit www.momsquit.com or visit
Potassium 260mg 7% Add These
and work your way up. facebook.com/momsquitconnection.
Total Carbohydrate 15g 5%
 Try making small changes in your daily Dietary Fiber 5g 20%
activities such as taking the stairs instead Sugars 0g
*Aim low for fats,
cholesterol, and sodium.
Manage Your Cholesterol
of the elevator. Try parking your car on the Protein 4g
You have two main types of cholesterol in your
‡Aim high for vitamins,
far side of the parking lot so that you can blood. HDL (high-density lipoprotein) is considered
Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 0%
walk more.
Calcium 2% Iron 6% “good” cholesterol and LDL (low-density lipoprotein)
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. is considered “bad” cholesterol. High levels of LDL
Your Daily Values be higher or lower
depending on you calorie needs. can cause plaque build-up and lead to clogged
Limit These Calories 2,000 2,500
arteries. However, good cholesterol (HDL) helps
Saturated fat (e.g. fatty meats, high-fat Total Fat Less than 65g 80g
Sat. Fat Less than 20g 25g remove the bad LDLs. What you eat can affect your
cheese, whole milk, cream, butter) Cholesterol Less than 300mg 300mg

Trans fat (e.g. stick margarine, shortening,

Sodium
Total Carbohydrate
Less than 65g 80g
300mg 375mg
cholesterol. Please refer to the nutrition portion of
and baked goods)
Dietary Fiber 25g 30g
this brochure for examples of foods you should limit.
Sodium (salt)
Alcoholic drinks and sugar-sweetened drinks Ways to Improve Your Cholesterol:
Added sugar, especially if you are diabetic Add These  Exercise regularly
Processed and deep-fried foods  Fruits and vegetables  Eat a healthy diet
Bad cholesterol (LDL) like that found in  Lean meats, fish, and poultry  Don’t smoke
animal products such as meat, egg yolks,  Low-fat or nonfat dairy products  Maintain a healthy weight
and full-fat dairy products.  Heart healthy fats like nuts and vegetable oils  Limit saturated fat
 Make half your grains whole grain  Limit alcohol use
*Check with your doctor before changing your diet.  Fiber-rich foods such as beans, oats, and nuts  Cut out or limit trans fat
 Take medication, if recommended

Heart Health Brochure 1_23_18.pub