22% of all Canadians have high blood pressure, 42% of them don't know it, and 16% of Canadians treat their high blood pressure and control it.

66% of all Canadians are overweight or obese, and 25% of children are overweight or obese. More than 1.3 million Canadians have diabetes and about 90% of those are type 2 which is for the most part preventable. A diabetic woman has 8 times as great a risk of heart disease as a man. About 50% of all Canadians over 12 years old are not active physically.

25% of Canadians 31-50 years of age get more than 35% of their calories from fat which increases their heart health risk. 64% of adult Canadians and 70% of children between the ages of 4 Years and 8 years of age eat less than 5 servings of fruit and vegetables daily. By making specific dieting changes many people are able to successfully improve their blood test results and so stay away from prescription drugs.

Some people are able to reduce or stop taking their medication completely with their doctor's approval. If you have one or more of the heart disease risk factors, adopting a heart healthy diet can help reduce your risk. Eating to guard against heart disease is more than limiting, or avoiding, certain foods, such as saturated fat, trans fat sodium, and excessive alcohol, It also requires you to add foods rich in soluble fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, and monounsaturated fats to your diet to help reduce LDL cholesterol in your bloodstream.



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