For most women, breast cancer is a more top-of-mind concern than heart disease. While breast cancer accounts for one in 30 deaths in women, cardiovascular disease accounts for one in every 2.7 deaths.¹ Cardiovascular disease (“cardio” for heart and “vascular” for blood vessels) causes nearly 455,000 deaths in women every year.¹

To help raise awareness and educate women about cardiovascular disease (CVD), Campbell Soup Company is supporting the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women™ movement. The AHA’s Go Red For Women movement echoes the theme originally initiated by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) campaign to reduce CVD in women. The Go Red For Women movement empowers women with knowledge and tools so that they can take positive action to reduce their risks of heart disease and stroke and protect their health.

Reducing Risk for Heart Disease

The good news is that many of the factors that increase your risk for cardiovascular disease are in your control, as evidenced by the American Heart Association (AHA) recently issued “Diet and Lifestyle Goals for Cardiovascular Disease Risk Reduction”² These suggest everyone:

• Consume an overall healthy diet;
• Aim for a healthy body weight;
• Aim for recommended levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and triglycerides;
• Aim for normal blood cholesterol;
• Aim for a normal blood glucose level;
• Be physically active;
• Avoid use of and exposure to tobacco products.

In fact, for all but one risk-factor (tobacco exposure), a healthful diet and physical activity are the key for most individuals.

To reach these goals, the AHA has also published Dietary Recommendations, which say ¹:

• Balance calorie intake and physical activity to achieve or maintain a healthy body weight.

• Consume a diet rich in vegetables and fruits.

• Choose whole-grain, high-fiber foods.

• Consume fish, especially oily fish, at least twice a week.

• Limit your intake of saturated fat to <7% of energy, trans fat to <1% of energy, and cholesterol to <300 mg per day by

— choosing lean meats and vegetable alternatives;

— selecting fat-free (skim), 1%-fat, and low-fat dairy products; and

— minimizing intake of partially hydrogenated fats.

• Minimize your intake of beverages and foods with added sugars.

• Choose and prepare foods with little or no salt.

• If you consume alcohol, do so in moderation.

• When you eat food that is prepared outside of the home, follow the AHA Diet and Lifestyle Recommendations.

To learn more about these recommendations visit AHA's 2006 Diet and Lifestyle Recommendations . To learn more about heart health, visit our heart health section with information from the American Heart Association.

Building a Healthful Diet

To build a healthful diet, take your lead from the USDA’s MyPyramid and AHA’s Dietary and Lifestyle Recommendations for Cardiovascular Disease Risk Reduction. Look when shopping at your local supermarket for convenient, delicious options to help you build a healthful eating plan.

Here are some useful tips to help you meet daily recommendations:

• Increase your consumption of fruits and vegetables by aiming for 2½ cups of vegetables and 2 cups of fruit a day for a 2,000 calorie diet.
• Did you know that 12 ounces of V8® vegetable juice or Campbell’s® tomato juice gives you 1½ cups of vegetables? Both V8 vegetable juice and Campbell’s tomato juice are also available in low-sodium varieties.
• Many delicious Campbell’s® soups such as Tomato and Vegetarian Vegetable and Prego® Italian sauces also provide ½ cup or more of vegetables per serving. Campbell’s® V8® soups like Butternut Squash, Southwestern Corn and Garden Vegetable Blend provide a savory taste and more than ½ cup of vegetables per serving.
• See which Campbell’s soups provide a ½ cup or more of vegetables per serving.
• Look for V8 V-Fusion® 100% juice—a unique blend of fruit and vegetable juices, providing ½ cup of vegetables and ½ cup of fruit in every 8-ounce glass. Try refreshing blends like V8 V-Fusion® Acai Mixed Berry and Goji Raspberry.

• Make half your grains whole by consuming 6 oz.-equivalents of grains, with at least 3 being whole grain and the rest of the recommended grains coming from enriched or whole-grain foods. In the meantime, try:
• Pepperidge Farm® 100% Whole Wheat Swirl bread, 100% Whole Wheat bagels and mini bagels and 100% Whole Wheat muffins. These are great whole grain options for breakfast.
• A wide variety of whole grain breads, including Pepperidge Farm 100% Natural Nine Grain and Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse™ Whole Grain White bread. Make your lunchtime sandwich with whole grain breads.
• Pepperidge Farm® Cheddar Made with Whole Grain Goldfish® crackers are made with half whole grain flour and are great for snacking.
• For more information about Pepperidge Farm and whole grains visit the Pepperidge Farm website.

• Know the limits on fats, salt, and sugars. Keep total fat intake between 20%-35% of calories; sodium at less than 2,300mg of sodium daily; and look for foods and beverages low in added sugars.
• Over 200 Campbell products are low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol and have zero grams of trans fat.
• Check out our reduced sodium Campbell’s Chunky™ Healthy Request® soups in varieties such as New England Clam Chowder and Campbell’s Healthy Request Select Harvest® soups like Italian-Style Wedding and Chicken with Whole Grain Pasta soup.
• Diet V8 Splash® juice beverages have only 10 calories and 2 grams of sugar in every 8-oz glass.
• New V8 V-Fusion® 100% juice is a unique sweet blend of fruit and vegetable juices.

• Find your balance between food and physical activity by including physical activity daily to maintain the balance between the energy (calories) you eat and the energy (calories) you expend.
• Use the nutrition facts label on the food package to tell you how many calories are in a single serving and how many servings are in the package.
• Many Campbell’s soups contain 100 calories or less for an 8-ounce serving, which provides you with a large selection of choices. There’s no need to feel deprived or bored when trying to control your calories. Try Campbell’s® Select Harvest® Light Italian-Style Vegetable or Light Southwestern-Style Vegetable soup.
• V8 vegetable juices and Campbell’s tomato juices are 50 calories for every 8-ounce glass.

The amounts given above for the food groups are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your requirements may be different. Please see www.mypyramid.gov to determine your individual calorie needs and to find your personal pyramid.

You’ve got the power to live a heart-healthy life by making healthful dietary choices that include choosing from a variety of great-tasting, lower sodium foods, eating plenty of whole grains, vegetables, fruit, low-fat dairy and lean meat, poultry and fish while increasing physical activity. In many cases, women still focus on caring for others first, but taking care of yourself helps you take better care of others. Empowered with the facts on women and heart disease and information on healthful eating and lifestyle choices, you can improve and maintain good health. And, you will be a great role model for your friends and your family.

For menu ideas to help manage weight and meet the Dietary Approaches for Stopping Hypertension (DASH) diet guidelines, try these menus.

Go Red For Women™ and Choose To Move ^SM are owned by American Heart Association, Inc.

¹Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics – 2009 Update, American Heart Association.

² Lichtenstein AH, et al. Diet and Lifestyle Recommendation Revision 2006. A Scientific Statement from the American Heart Association Nutrition Committee. Circulation 2006;114