OTHELLO - Cynthia Rosenow, Columbia Basin Health Association (CBHA) Registered Dietician, is excited about the new guidelines issued by the American Heart Association (AHA) in November, 2013 - especially those regarding the food we eat and Lifestyle choices.

"Research consistently shows that sticking to an overall heart-healthy diet is more important than avoiding the occasional indulgence," Rosenow said.

The American Heart Association has found that if people make healthy decisions the great majority of the time and stay mindful of the big picture, they can build cardiovascular health that's muscular enough to handle the rest.

The new guidelines continue to emphasize fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, poultry, fish and nuts - all items that can be easily worked into cultural and food preferences.

The guidelines also place limits on unhealthy nutrients such as sodium (salt), saturated fat and trans fat. Cutting out processed foods high in sodium and cooking at home more often is a good start.

Being physically active is very important to prevent heart disease and stroke. Brisk walking, swimming, bicycling or a dance class are excellent choices that, when done 30 to 40 minutes a week is enough to stay healthy.

New cholesterol guidelines no longer recommend patients shoot for a target cholesterol level. Instead, the AHA and the American College of Cardiology recommend options based on an individual's risk of a heart attack or stroke.

Lifestyle choices such as heart healthy diet, regular exercise, avoidance of tobacco products and healthy weight still matter and should be considered before and during any treatment with statin drugs.

Doctors are urged to treat obesity as a disease under the new guidelines. Obesity is now considered a nationwide epidemic.

The American Medical Association (AHA) also recognized obesity as a disease in June of 2013.

One in three U. S. adults is obese, increasing their risk for high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

Another third of Americans are overweight. New strategies in the guidelines include doctors prescribing patients a diet that cuts out 500 or more calories a day and an exercise plan that gets patients moving at least 2 ? hours each week.

Patients who are severely obese and who have one of more obesity-related health problem, such as diabetes, sleep apnea or high blood pressure are also considered for weight loss surgery.

The final guideline issued by the AHA involves Risk Assessment. Many factors determine our risk to develop heart disease. We've already discussed lifestyle issues, cholesterol levels and obesity. We need to add in age, race, gender, family history, blood pressure, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, use of blood pressure medication, diabetes status and smoking status. A third of Americans die from cardiovascular heart disease and 60 percent suffer major vascular events.

These new AHA guidelines underscore the importance of discussions between healthcare providers and their patients. These deeper patient-physician conversations can help save lives.