--- title: "Reach for More Fruits and Veggies, Heart Association Says" id: "25886" type: "post" slug: "reach-for-more-fruits-and-veggies-heart-association-says" published_at: "2014-11-04T21:17:01+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-16T13:00:36+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2014/11/04/reach-for-more-fruits-and-veggies-heart-association-says/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2014/11/04/reach-for-more-fruits-and-veggies-heart-association-says.md" excerpt: "To help encourage Americans to adopt healthier food choices, the American Heart Association is sponsoring its sixth annual National Eating Healthy Day this week." taxonomy_category: - "Marketing / Communications" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "healthy eating" - "Leadership" - "nutrition" - "public health" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "Director" - "Manager" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Reach for More Fruits and Veggies, Heart Association Says Tomorrow marks the American Heart Association’s National Eating Healthy Day, a day the association hopes will change Americans’ eating habits throughout the year. Taking place the first Wednesday of every November, the campaign focuses on educating Americans about healthy food choices and how to incorporate more healthy foods into their diets. “Adopting healthy behaviors—whether it’s increasing physical activity or eating healthier-—happens one day at a time,” Rachel K. Johnson, Ph.D., MPH, RD, chair of the American Heart Association’s nutrition committee, [said in a statement (opens in a new tab)](http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/Top-Tips-for-National-Eating-Healthy-Day_UCM_459442_Article.jsp) . “If you devote one day to healthy eating, you will know you can do it again and learn to enjoy it.” On its website, AHA is offering free toolkits to registered organizations, schools, and individuals, with a variety of good-eating information and resources, including incorporating more fruits and vegetables into busy, on-the-go lifestyles; the amount of produce to include in a daily diet; and encouraging kids to eat more fruits and veggies. AHA recommends eating eight or more fruit and vegetable servings daily. That’s roughly four and a half cups for an average adult consuming 2,000 calories a day. “The link between diet and heart disease has been recognized for more than 50 years,”Dr. Karen Aspry, a cardiologist and member of the AHA’s Rhode Island Board of Directors, said in a statement. “The research shows three easy diet changes that reduce cardiovascular risk: Replace saturated fat (found in whole-fat dairy foods and beef and pork fat), with polyunsaturated and mono-unsaturated fat (found in nuts, safflower, corn, olive, and canola oils), increase intake of omega-3-fats (found in fatty fish), and increase intake of dark fruits and vegetables and whole grain.” AHA groups around the country are hosting activities and programs to promote National Eating Healthy Day this year. AHA in Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts, for example, is inviting local organizations, including Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, Raytheon, and Banneker, to host lunch and learn sessions and distribute AHA’s “Holiday Healthy Eating Guide.” (iStock/Thinkstock) [Katie Bascuas](https://associationsnow.com/author/katie-bascuas/) Katie Bascuas is a former associate editor at Associations Now in Washington, DC. 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