Being that heart disease is the number one killer among women and has been for quite some time, the American Heart Association (AHA) has started a campaign called "Go Red For Women", bringing awareness about the warning signs as well as promoting good health and nutrition and on Friday, Lawrence Hospital in Bronxville took part in the nationwide day of awareness.

With nutritionists, dietitians and other medical staff on hand, the hospital not only gave out an array of information to the hundreds of people who stopped by the main lobby, but also offered free cholesterol screenings, which is one of the top ways to check up on a women's exposure to heart disease.

Ellen Petti, an RN and stroke awareness coordinator says that physicians have changed the way they treat heart disease in women but that logical preventative mearures still need to be taken.

"Quitting smoking and lowering of a woman's blood pressure are really the first steps towards treating or hopefully preventing a heart attack or stroke," said Petti.

Diet and exercise are two key tools toward healthy living and doctors reccomend 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week.

In regard to eating heart healthy, here are a few suggestions according to the AHA:

• Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains and high fiber foods.
• Eat fish twice a week, preferably oily fish such as sardines or salmon.
• Eat less salt, limiting your intake to 1500mg per day.
• Avoid trans-fatty acids and no trans fats should be your goal as well
• Try to limit yourself to one alcoholic beverage per day.

If you like more information on the Go Red For Women movement, you can visit their website at goredforwomen.org, or be sure and visit Lawrence Hospital's website as well for information on programs right here in the village that deal with improving your nutrition and more upcoming events on health awareness.