All the information below is provided either by Famond Care Network or through coordination of care between Famond Care Network and other provider/care homes/specialists/hospitals.

All the care provided by Famond Care Network which is included in the residents’ treatment plan or daily routine is not limited but includes Psychosocial therapy that covers different mental health diagnosis and management, social and economic aspects of the residents life, healthy living habits (exercise, heathy eating, and self-care).

We make sure all our members have access to all the preventive care needs below as required.

Most plans must over a set of preventive services – like shots and screenings – at no cost to you.

For example, depending on your age, you may have access to no-cost preventive services such as:

• Blood pressure, diabetes, and cholesterol tests

• Many cancer screenings, including mammograms and colonoscopies

• Counseling on such topics as quitting smoking, losing weight, eating healthfully, treating depression, and reducing alcohol use

• Regular well-baby and well-child visits

• Routine vaccinations against diseases such as measles, polio, or meningitis

• Counseling, screening, and vaccines to ensure healthy pregnancies

• Flu shots and other vaccines

Why am I being charged a fee for preventive care?

Your health plan may charge a fee if:

• Out-of-network providers: These services are free only when delivered by a doctor or other provider in your plan’s network. Your health plan may allow you to receive these services from an out-of-network provider but may charge you a fee.

• Office visit fees: Be aware that your plan can require you to pay some costs of the office visit if the preventive service is not the primary purpose of the visit.

• Grandfathered plans: If your plan is “grandfathered,” these benefits may not be available to you.

Questions

• Talk to a health care provider to know which covered preventive services are right for you — based on your age, gender, and health status. 

• Contact your insurance company if you have questions about your plan or fees.

FAMOND CARE NETWORK ENCOURAGES THE FOLLOWING PRACTICES

Get Your Blood Pressure Checked

The Basics

Overview

Nearly half of all adults in the United States have high blood pressure. High blood pressure increases your risk for serious health problems, including stroke and heart attack.

Get your blood pressure checked regularly starting at age 18 years — and do your best to keep track of your blood pressure numbers.

How often do I need to get my blood pressure checked?

• If you’re age 40 years or older, or if you’re at higher risk for high blood pressure, get your blood pressure checked at least once a year

• If you’re age 18 to 39 years and you aren’t at increased risk for high blood pressure, get your blood pressure checked at least every 3 to 5 years

What puts me at higher risk for high blood pressure?

Your risk for high blood pressure goes up as you get older. You’re also at increased risk for high blood pressure if you:

• Are African American

• Have overweight or obesity

• Are currently pregnant or had high blood pressure during a past pregnancy 

• Don’t get enough physical activity

• Drink too much alcohol

• Smoke

• Don’t eat a healthy diet

• Have kidney failure, diabetes, or some types of heart disease

Learn more about your risk for high blood pressure.

What is blood pressure?

Blood pressure is how hard your blood pushes against the walls of your arteries. Arteries are the tubes that carry blood away from your heart. Every time your heart beats, it pumps blood through your arteries to the rest of your body.

What is hypertension?

Hypertension is the medical term for high blood pressure. High blood pressure usually has no symptoms, so it’s sometimes called a “silent killer.” The only way to know if you have high blood pressure is to get it checked.

How It's Measured

What do blood pressure numbers mean?

A blood pressure test measures how hard your heart is working to pump blood through your body.

Blood pressure is measured with 2 numbers. The first number (called systolic blood pressure) is the pressure in your arteries when your heart beats. The second number (called diastolic blood pressure) is the pressure in your arteries when your heart relaxes between beats.

Compare your blood pressure to these numbers:

• Normal blood pressure is lower than 120/80 (said as “120 over 80”)

• High blood pressure is 130/80 or higher

• Blood pressure that’s between normal and high (for example, 125/80) is called elevated blood pressure

If your blood pressure is elevated, it means you’re at risk for developing high blood pressure. Talk to your doctor and make a plan to control your blood pressure.

Learn more about what your blood pressure numbers mean.

How can I get my blood pressure checked?

To test your blood pressure, a nurse or doctor will put a cuff around your upper arm. The nurse or doctor will pump the cuff with air until it feels tight, then slowly let it out. This takes just a few minutes.

You can find out what your blood pressure numbers are right after the test is over. If the test shows that your blood pressure is high, ask the doctor what to do next.

Blood pressure can go up and down, so it’s a good idea to get it checked more than once.

Can I check my blood pressure by myself?

Yes. You can buy a home blood pressure monitor at a drug store. Many shopping malls, pharmacies, and grocery stores also have blood pressure machines you can use in the store.

If the test shows that your blood pressure is elevated or high, talk to your doctor and make a plan to control it.

If you have high blood pressure, your doctor might ask you to monitor your blood pressure at home to keep track of your numbers — and to see if treatments are working.

Learn how to check your blood pressure at home.

Pregnancy

How can high blood pressure affect pregnancy?

If you’re pregnant, high blood pressure can be dangerous for you and your baby. If you have high blood pressure and you want to get pregnant, it’s important to take steps to lower your blood pressure first.

Sometimes women get high blood pressure for the first time during pregnancy. This is called gestational hypertension. This type of high blood pressure usually goes away after the baby is born — but you may have a higher risk of getting high blood pressure in the future.

If you have high blood pressure while you’re pregnant, be sure to visit your doctor regularly. To learn more:

• Find out about high blood pressure during pregnancy

• Get tips on how to have a healthy pregnancy

High Blood Pressure

What if I have high blood pressure?

If you have high blood pressure, work with your doctor to make a treatment plan to control it. Your treatment plan may include healthy life changes, medicine, or a combination of both.

These steps can help lower your blood pressure:

• Eat healthy, including foods that are low in saturated fat and sodium (salt). Get healthy eating tips.

• Get active — aim for 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity. Use this resource to get more physical activity.

• Watch your weight by eating healthy and getting active. Learn how to stay at a healthy weight.

• Remember to take medicines as prescribed (ordered) by your doctor. Learn more about blood pressure medicines.

Small changes can add up. For example, losing just 10 pounds can help lower your blood pressure.

Take Action

Take Action

Get It Checked

Start by getting your blood pressure checked as soon as possible. You can’t “feel” high blood pressure, so the only way to know if your blood pressure is elevated or high is to get it checked. Once you know your blood pressure numbers, you can take steps to prevent or lower high blood pressure.

Check your blood pressure regularly.

Make sure a doctor or nurse checks your blood pressure at your next visit. Write down your blood pressure numbers so you'll remember them. Print out this list of questions to ask your doctor about blood pressure.

You can also find blood pressure machines at many shopping malls, pharmacies, and grocery stores. Most of these machines are free to use. Print this tool to keep track of your blood pressure [PDF - 663 KB].

If you want to check your blood pressure at home, you can buy a home blood pressure monitor at a drug store. Learn how to check your blood pressure at home.

What about cost?

Under the Affordable Care Act, insurance plans must cover blood pressure testing. Depending on your insurance plan, you may be able to get your blood pressure checked by a doctor or nurse at no cost to you. Check with your insurance company to find out more. 

Medicare also covers blood pressure testing at no cost as part of your yearly wellness visit. Learn more about Medicare wellness visits.

If you don’t have insurance, you may still be able to get free or low-cost blood pressure tests. Find a health center near you and ask about getting your blood pressure checked.

To learn more, check out these resources:

• Free preventive care covered by the Affordable Care Act

• How the Affordable Care Act protects you

• Understanding your health insurance and how to use it [PDF - 698 KB]

Eat Healthy

Eat less sodium.

Eating less sodium (salt) can lower your blood pressure. When you go food shopping, check the Nutrition Facts label for the Daily Value (DV) of sodium. Choose foods with a DV of 5% or less. Foods with a DV of 20% or more are high in sodium.

Get more tips to:

• Reduce the sodium in your diet

• Shop for lower-sodium foods

Choose a mix of healthy foods.

Eating a mix of healthy foods can help prevent high blood pressure — and help control your blood pressure if it’s already high. Choose a variety of:

• Whole fruits — like apples, berries, oranges, and mango

• Veggies — like broccoli, sweet potatoes, beets, okra, peppers, and jicama

• Whole grains — like brown rice, millet, oatmeal, bulgur, and whole-wheat bread

• Healthy proteins — like lean meats and chicken, seafood, beans and lentils, nuts and seeds, and tofu

• Low-fat or fat-free dairy — like milk, yogurt, cheese, lactose-free dairy, and fortified soy beverages (soy milk) or soy yogurt

• Vegetable oils — like olive and canola oil

Try to limit foods that:

• Are high in saturated fat — like fatty meats, full-fat dairy, and tropical oils like coconut and palm oil

• Have added sugars — like sugar-sweetened drinks, desserts, and many breakfast cereals

Eating more potassium can also help lower your blood pressure. Good sources of potassium include potatoes, spinach, bananas, beans, and yogurt.

Check out these tips to eat healthier with the DASH eating plan (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension).
  

Healthy Habits

Watch your weight.

A healthy diet and physical activity can help you control your weight — and your blood pressure. If you have overweight or obesity, losing weight can lower your risk for high blood pressure.

Get tips to help you watch your weight.

Get active.

Getting regular physical activity can lower your risk of high blood pressure. Aim for at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity a week, like:

• Walking fast

• Dancing

• Riding bikes

• Swimming

• Aerobics

Check out this information on getting active.

Drink alcohol only in moderation.

If you choose to drink alcohol, drink only in moderation. That means 1 drink or less in a day for women and 2 drinks or less in a day for men.

Get more information about drinking alcohol in moderation.

Manage your stress.

Managing stress can help prevent and control high blood pressure. Deep breathing and meditation are good ways to relax and manage stress.

Check out these tips on managing stress.

Quit smoking.

Smoking damages your heart and blood vessels. Quit smoking to help lower your risk of high blood pressure, stroke, and heart disease.

Learn more about quitting smoking.

The Basics

Take Steps to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes

The Basics

Overview

Diabetes is a leading cause of disability and death in the United States. Diabetes also increases the risk of serious health problems like:

• Heart disease

• Stroke

• Blindness

• Nerve damage, which can lead to amputation (removal by surgery) of a toe, foot, or leg

• Kidney failure

The good news is that you can do a lot to prevent or delay getting type 2 diabetes, including:

• Reaching and staying at a healthy weight

• Staying active

• Eating healthy

• Quitting smoking

Types of Diabetes

What is diabetes?

Having diabetes means the glucose (sugar) levels in your blood are too high. Your body depends on glucose for energy. When you eat, most of the food turns into glucose. Your blood carries the glucose to other parts of your body.

When you have diabetes, your body has trouble turning glucose into energy. Instead of being used by your body, glucose builds up in your blood. Over time, high blood glucose can damage almost every part of your body.

Diabetes is a chronic (long-term) condition.

What is type 2 diabetes?

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. You're more likely to get type 2 diabetes if you have overweight or obesity, don't get enough physical activity, or have prediabetes.

Having prediabetes means your blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not yet high enough for you to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. 

What other types of diabetes are there?

• Type 1 diabetes seems to be caused by a problem with the immune system (the system in your body that fights infection). Right now, there’s no way to prevent type 1 diabetes.

• Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that some people develop during pregnancy. Gestational diabetes increases the risk of health problems for you and your baby. For example, gestational diabetes can make it more likely that you or your baby will develop type 2 diabetes later in life. Learn more about gestational diabetes.

Am I at Risk?

Am I at risk for type 2 diabetes?

Many things can put you at risk for type 2 diabetes. For example, you may be at risk if you:

• Have prediabetes

• Are older than 45 years

• Have overweight or obesity

• Have a parent or sibling with type 2 diabetes

• Are African American, Alaska Native, Native American, Asian American, Hispanic or Latino, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander

• Have high blood pressure or high LDL ("bad") cholesterol

• Are physically active less than 3 times a week

You're also at higher risk for type 2 diabetes if you:

• Have had gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy) 

• Have given birth to a baby who weighed more than 9 pounds

• Have polycystic ovary syndrome (a health condition where the ovaries make more male hormones than normal)

Learn more about the risk factors for type 2 diabetes.

What is prediabetes?

If you have prediabetes, the glucose levels in your blood are higher than normal — but not high enough to mean you have type 2 diabetes. Prediabetes increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes and other serious health problems, like heart disease and stroke.

The good news about prediabetes is that healthy life changes, like losing weight and getting enough physical activity, can prevent or delay type 2 diabetes. Find out more about prediabetes.

Symptoms

What are the symptoms of type 2 diabetes?

Symptoms of type 2 diabetes often develop over several years. Many people with type 2 diabetes have symptoms for a long time without noticing them. Some people may never notice any symptoms.

Symptoms of diabetes include:

• Being very thirsty or hungry

• Feeling more tired than usual

• Urinating (peeing) more than usual

• Losing weight without trying

• Having cuts or bruises that are slow to heal

• Having blurry vision

• Feeling numb or tingly in your hands or feet

Because symptoms of type 2 diabetes can be hard to spot, it’s important to talk with your doctor about your risk for type 2 diabetes. If you have risk factors or notice any symptoms, ask your doctor about getting tested.

Learn more about diabetes symptoms.

Take Action

Take Action

Talk to Your Doctor

Talk to your doctor about your risk for type 2 diabetes.

Use this tool to find out if you're at risk for prediabetes, which makes it more likely that you'll develop type 2 diabetes. Print out the results and take them to your next checkup.

• Ask your doctor or nurse how to prevent type 2 diabetes.

• Ask about diabetes prevention programs near you or online.

• If you're pregnant or planning to get pregnant, talk to your doctor or midwife about gestational diabetes.

Find out if you need to get tested for diabetes.

If you're at risk for type 2 diabetes, ask your doctor about getting tested. People ages 35 to 70 years who have overweight need to get tested for diabetes. Your doctor can tell you how often to get tested.

Your doctor may also recommend that you get tested if you're younger than 35 years and at risk for other reasons, like having high blood pressure or having a family member with type 2 diabetes.

Keep in mind that the test for diabetes can also show if you have prediabetes. Learn more about getting tested for diabetes and prediabetes.

Cost and Insurance

What about cost?

Under the Affordable Care Act, insurance plans must cover:

• Diabetes screening for adults ages 35 to 70 years who have overweight or obesity

• Diet counseling for adults at higher risk for chronic disease

Depending on your insurance plan, you may be able to get these services at no cost to you. Check with your insurance company to find out more. 

If you don’t have insurance, you may still be able to get free or low-cost diabetes screening. Find a health center near you and ask about getting tested for diabetes.

To learn more, check out these resources:

• Free preventive care covered by the Affordable Care Act

• How the Affordable Care Act protects you

• Understanding your health insurance and how to use it [PDF - 698 KB] 

Food and Physical Activity

Eat healthy.

Eating healthy can help you control your weight — and help prevent or delay type 2 diabetes. If you have any type of diabetes, eating healthy can also help manage your condition. Learn more about healthy eating.

Choose foods that are low in saturated fats, added sugars, and sodium (salt). Try these healthy recipes.

If you need help eating healthy, your doctor may also refer you to a registered dietitian. A registered dietitian is a health professional who helps people with healthy eating.

Get active.

Getting active can lower your risk of type 2 diabetes. It can also help you manage any type of diabetes. Aim for at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, like walking fast or biking.

• Learn more about how to get active.

• Build a weekly physical activity plan.

• Try this simple walking program.

If you have a health condition or disability, try these tips for staying active. Your doctor can help you choose the best activities for you.

Healthy Weight

Aim for a healthy weight.

If you have overweight or obesity, losing weight can help lower your risk for type 2 diabetes. Eating healthy and getting active are great ways to help you lose weight.

Try following these tips:

• Set small, realistic goals — like walking for 10 minutes each day

• Keep a food and activity diary — write down what and how much you eat each day, as well as how many minutes of physical activity you get

• Eat smaller portions — and choose water instead of sugar-sweetened drinks

Learn more about reaching a healthy weight. You can also create your own weight loss game plan to help prevent type 2 diabetes.

Know Your Numbers

Get your blood pressure and cholesterol checked. 

• Starting at age 18 years, get your blood pressure checked every 3 to 5 years. If you're older than 40 years or if you're at increased risk for high blood pressure, get your blood pressure checked once a year. You can also buy a blood pressure monitor to check your blood pressure at home. Learn more about getting your blood pressure checked.

• It’s important to get your cholesterol checked every 4 to 6 years. Some people will need to get it checked more or less often. If your cholesterol is high, talk with your doctor about steps you can take to lower it. Learn more about getting your cholesterol checked.

Quit Smoking

If you smoke, take steps to quit.

Quitting smoking is hard, but millions of people have done it successfully. In fact, more than half of Americans who ever smoked have quit. You could be one of them!

Take these steps to help you quit:

• Make a list of the reasons you want to quit

• Set a quit date and make a plan to deal with cravings (urges to smoke)

• Talk to your doctor about counseling and medicines that can help you quit

• Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) or visit Smokefree.gov for free help

• Download these free apps for 24/7 support and encouragement

Get more tips to help you quit smoking.

The Basics

Get Your Cholesterol Checked

• The Basics

• Take Action

The Basics

Overview

It's important to get your cholesterol checked regularly. Too much cholesterol in your blood can cause a heart attack or a stroke.

The good news is that it’s easy to get your cholesterol checked. If your cholesterol is high, you can take steps to lower it — like eating healthy, getting more physical activity, and taking medicine if your doctor recommends it.

How often do I need to get my cholesterol checked?

The general recommendation is to get your cholesterol checked every 4 to 6 years. Some people may need to get their cholesterol checked more often depending on their risk of heart disease.

For example, high cholesterol can run in families. If someone in your family has high cholesterol or takes medicine to control cholesterol, you might need to get tested more often. Talk to your doctor about what’s best for you.

What is cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a waxy material that’s found naturally in your blood. Your body makes cholesterol and uses it to do important things, like making hormones and digesting fatty foods.

If you have too much cholesterol in your body, it can build up inside your blood vessels and make it hard for blood to flow through them. Over time, this can lead to heart disease.

Cholesterol Test

How can I tell if I have high cholesterol?

Most people who have high cholesterol don't have any signs or symptoms. That's why it's so important to get your cholesterol checked.

How can I get my cholesterol checked?

Your doctor will check your cholesterol levels with a blood test called a lipid profile. A nurse will take a small sample of blood from your finger or arm for this test.

There are other blood tests your doctor can do to check cholesterol, but a lipid profile gives the most information.

Types of Cholesterol

What do the test results mean?

If you get a lipid profile test, the results will show a few numbers. A lipid profile measures:

• Total cholesterol

• LDL (bad) cholesterol

• HDL (good) cholesterol

• Triglycerides

Total cholesterol is a measure of all the cholesterol in your blood. It's based on the LDL, HDL, and triglycerides numbers. 

LDL cholesterol is a “bad” (unhealthy) type of cholesterol that can block your arteries —  so a lower level is better for you. Having a high LDL level can increase your risk for heart disease.

HDL cholesterol is the “good” type of cholesterol that helps take LDL cholesterol out of your arteries — so a higher level is better for you. Having a low HDL cholesterol level can increase your risk for heart disease.

Triglycerides are a type of fat in your blood that can increase your risk for heart attack and stroke. 

The results of your lipid profile test may also show your non-HDL cholesterol number. Non-HDL cholesterol is LDL cholesterol and the other “bad” types of cholesterol. In other words, it’s your total cholesterol minus your HDL cholesterol. Having a high non-HDL level can increase your risk for heart disease.

Am I at Risk for Unhealthy Cholesterol Levels?

What can cause unhealthy cholesterol levels?

Causes of high LDL (bad) cholesterol or low HDL (good) cholesterol levels include:

• Age — your risk increases as you get older

• Smoking, using other tobacco products, or drinking too much alcohol

• Not getting enough physical activity

• Eating too much saturated fat or not enough fruits and vegetables

• Taking certain medicines, like medicines to lower blood pressure

• Family history of high cholesterol

• Familial hypercholesterolemia (a condition passed down through families that causes very high LDL cholesterol levels)

• Some other health problems, like type 2 diabetes or obesity

How can I lower my risk of heart disease if my cholesterol levels aren't healthy?

As your LDL cholesterol gets higher, so does your risk of heart disease. Take these steps to lower your cholesterol and reduce your risk of heart disease:

• Eat heart-healthy foods

• Get active

• Stay at a healthy weight

• If you smoke, quit

• Drink only a moderate (limited) amount of alcohol

• If you have other chronic conditions — like type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure — take steps to manage them

• Ask your doctor about taking medicine to lower your risk of heart attack and stroke

Take Action

Take Action

Get Tested

Find out what your cholesterol levels are. If your cholesterol levels are unhealthy or you're at risk for heart disease, take steps to control your cholesterol levels.

Make an appointment to get your cholesterol checked.

Call your doctor’s office or health center to schedule the test. Be sure to ask for a complete lipid profile — and find out what instructions you’ll need to follow before the test. For example, you may need to fast (not eat or drink anything except water) for 9 to 12 hours before the test.

Use these questions to ask your doctor about cholesterol . Take them to your next checkup — you can print them out or pull them up on a smartphone or tablet.

What about cost?

Under the Affordable Care Act, insurance plans must cover cholesterol testing. Depending on your insurance plan, you may be able to get your cholesterol checked at no cost to you. Check with your insurance company to find out more.

Medicare may also cover cholesterol testing at no cost. If you have Medicare, learn about Medicare coverage for cholesterol testing.

If you don't have insurance, you may still be able to get free or low-cost cholesterol testing. Find a health center near you and ask about cholesterol testing.

To learn more, check out these resources about:

• Free preventive care for adults covered by the Affordable Care Act

• How the Affordable Care Act protects you

• Understanding your health insurance and how to use it [PDF - 698 KB]

Keep track of your cholesterol levels.

Remember to ask the doctor or nurse for your cholesterol levels each time you get your cholesterol checked. Write the levels in a notepad — or record them in your smartphone — to keep track of your progress.

Eat Healthy

Eat heart-healthy foods.

Making healthy food choices to your diet can help lower your cholesterol. Try to:

• Cut down on saturated fat, which comes from animal products (like fatty meats and full-fat dairy) and tropical oils (like palm and coconut oil)

• Choose foods with healthy unsaturated fats, like avocados, nuts, and fish — and choose healthier oils (like olive, peanut, or canola oil)

• Limit foods that are high in sodium (salt) or added sugars

• Choose low-fat (1%) or fat-free (skim) milk, cheese, and yogurt

• Eat more foods that are high in fiber, like oatmeal, oat bran, beans, and lentils

• Eat more fruits and vegetables

You can also:

• Check out these tips for eating healthy

• Use this shopping list to find heart-healthy foods

• Find healthy recipes in the MyPlate kitchen

Healthy Habits

Get active.

Getting active can help you lose weight, lower your LDL (bad) cholesterol, and raise your HDL (good) cholesterol. 

• Aim for at least 150 minutes of aerobic activity a week — try starting with a brisk walk

• Break up your 150 minutes however you want — try doing aerobic activity for 30 minutes 5 times a week

• Do muscle-strengthening activities 2 days a week — try lifting weights or doing push-ups

Remember, any amount of physical activity is better than none. If you haven’t been active before, start with just 5 minutes and build up from there.

To help you get more active: 

• Check out our guide to physical activity

• Use this tool to build a personalized weekly activity plan

Quit smoking.

Quitting smoking can help lower your cholesterol. If you smoke, make a plan to quit today. Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) for free support and to set up your quit plan.

Check out our tips for quitting smoking.

Drink alcohol only in moderation.

Drinking too much alcohol can increase your risk of high cholesterol. So if you choose to drink alcohol, drink only in moderation. That means 1 drink or less in a day for women and 2 drinks or less in a day for men.

Learn more about drinking alcohol only in moderation.

The Basics

Get Screened for Breast Cancer

The Basics

Overview

Breast cancer is one of the most common kinds of cancer in women. About 1 in 8 women in the United States will get breast cancer during her lifetime. 

Anyone who has breasts can get breast cancer — whether you’re a cisgender woman (a woman assigned female at birth), a transgender man, or a nonbinary person assigned female at birth. (Cisgender men and other people assigned male at birth can also get breast cancer, but it's rare.) 

The good news is that mammograms can help find breast cancer early — before it spreads to other parts of the body. Most people can survive breast cancer if it’s found and treated early.

How often should I get a mammogram?

If you’re age 40 to 74 years and you have breasts, get a mammogram every 2 years.

If you have a higher risk of getting breast cancer, your doctor may recommend that you start getting mammograms at a younger age or that you get them more often. The best way to find out what’s right for you is to talk to your doctor. 

What is a mammogram?

A mammogram is an x-ray picture of the breast. Mammograms use a very low level of x-rays, which are a type of radiation. The risk of harm from this radiation is very low.

Mammograms can be used to screen (test) for breast cancer in people with no signs or symptoms. They can also help doctors figure out if cancer is causing a particular symptom — like a lump or another change in the breast.

When you get a mammogram, a technician will place your breast on a platform and a plastic plate will press it flat to get a clear picture. Usually, the technician will take 2 pictures of each breast — 1 from above and 1 from the side. This part of a mammogram can be uncomfortable, but it usually only lasts 10 to 20 seconds.

It takes about 20 minutes total to get a mammogram. Learn more about mammograms.

Make sure to ask when you’ll get your mammogram results. When you get the results, ask the doctor or nurse to explain what the results mean. Learn more about mammogram results.

Breast Cancer

What is breast cancer?

Breast cancer is cancer that forms in breast tissue. Like all cancers, breast cancer can spread to other parts of the body.

Talk with your doctor or nurse if you notice any of these changes:

• A lump or an area that feels very firm in the breast or armpit

• A change in the size, shape, or feel of the breast

• Fluid (called discharge) coming out of a nipple

• Skin on the breast that is itchy, red or purple, flaky, or dimpled

Learn more about breast cancer.

What if the doctor finds something in my breast?

Mammograms let your doctor or nurse look for lumps or other changes inside your breasts that you can’t feel from the outside. If they find a lump or another change in your breast tissue, you may need other tests to find out if it’s cancer.

For example, your doctor may take a small bit of tissue from the breast for testing. This procedure is called a biopsy.

Take Action

Take Action

See Your Doctor

Talk with your doctor about when and how often to get a mammogram.

Ask the doctor about your risk for breast cancer. 

Use these questions to start a conversation with your doctor about mammograms. You can also ask about ways you may be able to lower your risk for breast cancer.

Tell your doctor if breast or ovarian cancer runs in your family — that may raise your risk for developing these and other types of cancer. You can use these questions to talk with your doctor about genetic testing for breast or ovarian cancer. 

Together, you and your doctor can decide what’s best for you.

Cost and Insurance

What about cost?

Under the Affordable Care Act, insurance plans must cover screening mammograms for women age 40 years and older. Depending on your insurance plan, you may be able to get mammograms at no cost to you. Check with your insurance company to find out more.

If you have Medicare, screening mammograms are also covered for women age 40 years and older at no cost. Find out about Medicare coverage for mammograms.

If you don’t have insurance, you can still get screening mammograms. Find a program near you that offers free or low-cost mammograms.

To learn more, check out these resources:

• Free preventive care for women covered by the Affordable Care Act

• How the Affordable Care Act protects you  

• Understanding your health insurance and how to use it [PDF - 698 KB]

Healthy Habits

Get active.

Getting regular physical activity helps lower your risk for several types of cancer, including breast cancer. Learn more about how to get active. 

Get your well-woman visit.

Get a well-woman visit every year. Use this visit to talk with your doctor or nurse about important screenings and services (like vaccines) to help you stay healthy. Learn more about well-woman visits.

The Basics

Get Screened for Colorectal Cancer

• The Basics

• Take Action

The Basics

Overview

If you're between ages 45 and 75 years, get screened (tested) regularly for colorectal cancer. Screening tests can help prevent colorectal cancer or find it early, when it may be easier to treat.

You may need to start getting screened before age 45 years if colorectal cancer runs in your family. Your doctor may also recommend that you continue to get screened if you’re between ages 76 and 85 years, depending on things like your overall health and your preferences.

Talk with your doctor about your risk for colorectal cancer.

How often should I get screened for colorectal cancer?

How often you need to get screened will depend on:

• Your risk for colorectal cancer

• Which screening test you choose

How do I decide which type of screening test to get?

There are different ways to screen for colorectal cancer. Your doctor can help you decide which type of screening test is right for you.

Before you talk with your doctor about which screening to get, it can be helpful to think about your preferences. Answer these questions to find out which screening test you would prefer — then share the results with your doctor.

What to Expect

What are the different kinds of screening tests?

There are several different kinds of screening tests for colorectal cancer. The main types are:

• Stool-based tests

• Tests that look inside the colon and rectum

Stool-based tests are done at home. You collect a stool (poop) sample and send it to your doctor's office or a lab for testing.

Tests that look inside your colon and rectum — like a colonoscopy — happen in a doctor's office or hospital. For these tests, you’ll need to take a laxative to clean out your bowels before the appointment. For a colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy, your doctor will use a thin, flexible tool with a camera on the end to look inside your rectum and colon.  And for a colonoscopy, you'll get anesthesia (medicines that make you relaxed or put you to sleep) before the test, and you'll need someone to drive you home after the test.

In general, if you choose a stool-based test, you’ll need to get tested more often. If you choose tests that look inside your colon and rectum, you’ll need to get tested less often.

Your doctor will tell you how to get ready for your test, including if you need to avoid certain foods or medicines beforehand. Learn more about colorectal cancer screening tests.

Does it hurt to get a colonoscopy?

Preparing for a colonoscopy can be unpleasant, but most people agree that the benefits to their health outweigh any discomfort. And getting anesthesia means you won’t have any pain or feel uncomfortable during the test.

To learn more, check out these colorectal cancer screening stories from real people.

Colorectal Cancer

What is colorectal cancer?

Colorectal cancer is a cancer that develops in the colon or the rectum. The colon is the longest part of the large intestine. The rectum is the bottom part of the large intestine.

Like all cancers, colorectal cancer can spread to other parts of your body. Find out more about colorectal cancer.

Am I at Risk?

Am I at risk for colorectal cancer?

The risk of developing colorectal cancer goes up as you get older. That’s why screening is recommended for everyone ages 45 to 75 years.

Other risk factors are:

• Having certain types of polyps (growths) inside the colon

• Having a personal or family history of colorectal cancer

• Smoking cigarettes or drinking too much alcohol

• Having overweight or obesity

• Not getting enough physical activity

• Having certain inherited conditions, like familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) or Lynch syndrome

• Having inflammatory bowel disease, like Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, or other health conditions that cause chronic (long-term) problems with the small intestine and large intestine 

Read more about risk factors for colorectal cancer. And use this calculator with your doctor to find out your risk of colorectal cancer.

Take control — get screened regularly.

If you get screened regularly, you have a good chance of preventing colorectal cancer or finding it when it can be treated more easily.

During a colonoscopy:

• If your doctor finds polyps inside your colon, they can remove the polyps during your test — before they turn into cancer 

• If your doctor finds cancer during the test, you can take steps to get treatment right away

If you get an unusual result on a stool test, your doctor will do a follow-up colonoscopy to look for cancer.

Take Action 

Take Action

Get Screened

The best way to prevent colorectal cancer — or find it early — is to get screened starting at age 45 years.

Talk with your doctor about getting screened.

Use these questions to ask your doctor about colorectal cancer screening. Take them to your next checkup — you can print them out or pull them up on a smartphone or tablet.

What about cost?

Under the Affordable Care Act, health insurance plans must cover screening for colorectal cancer. Depending on your plan, you may be able to get screened at no cost to you. Check with your insurance company to find out more.

Medicare may also cover colorectal cancer screening at no cost. If you have Medicare, find out about Medicare coverage for different colorectal cancer screening tests.

If you don’t have insurance, you may still be able to get free or low-cost colorectal cancer screening. Find a health center near you and ask about colorectal cancer screening.

To learn more, check out these resources:

• Free preventive care covered by the Affordable Care Act

• How the Affordable Care Act protects you

• Understanding your health insurance and how to use it [PDF - 698 KB]

Get support.

If you're nervous about getting a colorectal cancer screening, you can:

• Ask a family member or friend to go with you when you talk to the doctor

• Talk with people you know who have been screened to learn what to expect

Give support.

Do you know someone age 45 years or older who hasn’t been screened for colorectal cancer yet? Use these tips to start a conversation about the importance of screening.

Healthy Habits

Quit smoking.

People who smoke are more likely to get colorectal cancer. If you smoke, make a plan to quit today. 

Aim for a healthy weight.

Having overweight raises your chance of developing colon cancer. Get tips to manage your weight. 

Get active.

Regular exercise helps lower your risk of colorectal cancer. Take steps to get moving today.

Drink alcohol only in moderation.

Drinking too much alcohol raises your risk of colorectal cancer. If you choose to drink, have only a moderate (limited) amount. This means:

• 1 drink or less in a day for women

• 2 drinks or less in a day for men

Eat healthy foods.   

What you eat may affect your risk for colorectal cancer.

Eating these foods may help lower your risk:

• Fruits

• Vegetables

• Other foods high in fiber (like whole grains, nuts, and seeds)

Eating processed meat (like deli meats, sausage, or bacon) or red meat may raise your risk.

The Basics

Quit Smoking

• The Basics

• Take Action

The Basics

Overview

Quitting smoking is one of the most important things you can do for your health. The sooner you quit, the sooner your body can start to heal. You'll feel better and have more energy to be active with your family and friends.

Smoking hurts almost every part of the body.

Smoking tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States.

For example, smoking cigarettes (which have tobacco in them) causes:

• Lung cancer, colorectal cancer, and many other types of cancer

• Heart disease and stroke

• COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)

• Pregnancy problems

• Gum disease

• Type 2 diabetes 

• Vision loss

• Rheumatoid arthritis

Learn more about how smoking affects different parts of the body.

Secondhand Smoke

Smoking hurts other people, too.

Secondhand smoke is a mix of the smoke that you breathe out and the smoke that comes from your cigarette. Secondhand smoke is dangerous and can cause health problems for the people around you.

In babies and children, breathing in secondhand smoke can cause:

• Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

• Pneumonia

• Bronchitis

• Severe asthma attacks

• Ear infections

In adults, breathing in secondhand smoke can cause:

• Heart disease

• Stroke

• Lung cancer

E-cigarettes

E-cigarettes (sometimes called “vapes”) work by heating a liquid to make an aerosol that people breathe in. E-cigarette aerosol is not harmless. It can have harmful — and possibly harmful — substances, like heavy metals and chemicals that can cause cancer. Most e-cigarettes also have nicotine (the addictive drug found in tobacco products).

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved e-cigarettes as a quit-smoking aid.

Learn about e-cigarettes and how they affect your health.

How Can I Quit?

You can quit smoking.

Quitting smoking is hard, but millions of people have done it successfully. In fact, more than half of Americans who ever smoked have quit. You could be one of them! It often takes people several tries to quit smoking, but don't get discouraged — every attempt to quit means you're one step closer to quitting for good.

Nicotine — the drug found in all tobacco products — is as addictive as heroin or cocaine. It’s the nicotine in cigarettes that causes cravings, or the strong feeling that you want to smoke. Remember — quitting isn’t easy, but it is possible!

Take these steps to help you quit:

• Make a list of the reasons you want to quit

• Set a quit date and make a plan to deal with cravings

• Ask your family, friends, and co-workers for support

• Talk to your doctor about counseling and medicines that can help you quit

• Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) or visit Smokefree.gov for free help

• Text QUITNOW to 333888 or visit SmokefreeTXT to enroll in a texting program for support with quitting

• Download a free app for 24/7 support and encouragement

Find out more about steps you can take as you get ready to quit smoking.

Health Benefits

You'll feel better after you quit.

Your body begins to heal as soon as you quit smoking. Here are some ways you'll feel better:

• You’ll breathe more easily

• You’ll cough and wheeze less

• Your senses of taste and smell will improve

• You’ll have more energy

• Your lungs will become stronger, making it easier for you to be active

Find out more about how quitting smoking will help your health.

Quitting smoking will help you live a longer, healthier life.

After you quit smoking:

• Your risk of having a heart attack or stroke goes down

• Your risk of getting cancer goes down

• The levels of oxygen and carbon monoxide in your blood return to normal

If you have children, you can also help them be healthier if you quit smoking. Children whose parents smoke around them are at higher risk for lung problems, ear infections, and other health problems. 

Check out these real stories of people living with serious health effects from smoking.

Weight Control

Will quitting make me gain weight?

Some people worry about gaining weight when they quit smoking. It's true that some people gain weight after quitting — but remember that not smoking is one of the best things you can do for your health.

You can help prevent weight gain by making healthy choices. For example:

• Get active — aim for 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, like walking fast or dancing. Use this tool to get ideas for moving more.

• Eat healthy snacks, like vegetables or fruit. Get more tips for eating healthy. 

• Talk with your doctor about ways to control your weight. Learn how to stay at a healthy weight.

To learn more ways to watch your weight after quitting, check out these tips.

Take Action

Take Action

Make a Plan

Take these steps to create your plan to quit smoking.

Write down your reasons to quit.

Make a list of all the reasons you want to quit. For example, maybe you want to set a healthy example for your children and save money. Keep the list with you to remind yourself why quitting is worth it.

Set a quit date.

• Pick a date that gives you enough time to get ready to quit — but make sure it’s soon enough that you don’t lose your motivation

• Tell your family, friends, and coworkers about your quit date so they can support you

Make a quit plan.

• Think about situations that might trigger you to smoke and plan how you’ll handle them without smoking

• Right before your quit date, go through your house, car, and workplace to get rid of anything that has to do with smoking — throw away all your cigarettes, ashtrays, lighters, and matches

• Clean your clothes so they don’t smell like smoke

Check out this online quit plan tool or call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) for free support and help setting up your quit plan.

Change Routines

Switch up your daily routine.

Changing your routine on your quit date and afterward can help you avoid smoking triggers. For example, you can:

• Take a different route to work

• Avoid activities and places you connect with smoking — at least for the first few weeks

• Spend time in places where smoking isn't allowed

• Make getting active and eating healthy part of your quit plan — eat healthy snacks, go for walks, and drink lots of water

Break the connection between eating and smoking. 

Many people like to smoke when they finish a meal. Here are some ways to break the connection:

• Get up from the table as soon as you're done eating

• Brush your teeth and think about the fresh, clean feeling in your mouth

• Go for a walk after meals

Stress, Cravings, and Withdrawal

Deal with stress.

Some people smoke to deal with stress. But there are ways to deal with stress without smoking. 

Manage stress by creating peaceful times in your daily schedule. Try relaxation methods like deep breathing, short walks, and meditation. Learn more about managing stress. 

You can also check out these tips for dealing with stress as you quit.

Manage cravings and withdrawal.

When you quit smoking, your body and brain have to get used to not having nicotine. This can cause cravings — or urges — to smoke. You may also have symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. For example, you may:

• Feel irritable or restless

• Have trouble sleeping

• Be hungrier than usual

The good news is that, over time, cravings and withdrawal symptoms will fade as long as you do not smoke again. 

Here are some ways to manage cravings and withdrawal:

• Keep your hands busy — try brushing your teeth, washing your hands, sorting the mail, or doing the dishes

• Have healthy snacks ready — like baby carrots, apples, or whole-grain crackers

• Distract yourself with a new activity — try playing a game on your phone, reading a book, or doing crosswords or other puzzles

• Get active — go for a walk, do some yard work, or try a workout class

• Take several deep breaths to help you relax

• Write down or read your list of reasons for quitting

• Connect with others — reach out to friends and loved ones who support your efforts to quit

Want to learn more about managing cravings and withdrawal? Check out these tips. 

Get Help

Talk with a doctor, nurse, or pharmacist.

Ask about:

• Strategies for quitting smoking that are likely to work best for you

• Medicines that can improve your chances of quitting — and how to use these medicines the right way

When you stop smoking, your body goes through withdrawal from nicotine. This means you may feel irritable, anxious, restless, or hungry. You may even have trouble concentrating or sleeping. Find out about medicines that can help with withdrawal.

What about cost?

Under the Affordable Care Act, most insurance plans must cover services to help people quit smoking. Depending on your insurance, you may be able to get these services at no cost to you. Check with your insurance company to find out more. 

Medicare may also cover services to help people quit smoking at no cost. If you have Medicare, learn about Medicare coverage for services to quit smoking. 

If you don’t have insurance, you may still be able to get free or low-cost services to quit smoking. Find a health center near you and ask about help to quit smoking. 

To learn more, check out these resources:

• Free preventive care for adults covered by the Affordable Care Act

• Health coverage rights and protections

• Understanding your health insurance and how to use it [PDF - 698 KB]

You can also get free help with quitting by calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) and by visiting Smokefree.gov. 

Stick with It

Don’t give up!

It takes time to overcome addiction. Many people try to quit several times before they succeed. And it's normal to have setbacks — especially in the first 3 months after quitting.

If you slip up and have a cigarette, don't be hard on yourself — instead, get right back to trying to quit for good. Remember, quitting is one of the most important things you can do to protect your health.

Check out these tips for staying smoke-free.

Learn from the past.

If you’ve tried to quit before, think about what worked for you and what didn’t. For example, being around other people who smoke can make it harder to quit. So can drinking alcohol.

If you’re having a hard time staying smoke-free, talk with your doctor about what types of counseling or medicines might help you. 

The Basics

Aim for a Healthy Weight

The Basics

Overview

Being at a healthy weight can help lower your risk for serious health conditions like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure. 

Eating a mix of healthy foods and getting physical activity can help you control your weight — and has many other health benefits as well!

How do I know if I’m at a healthy weight?

Finding out your body mass index (BMI) is one way to learn if you’re at a healthy weight. You can use this BMI calculator to find out your BMI.

You can also talk to your doctor or nurse or a registered dietitian about what’s a healthy weight for you. They can help you make a plan for getting to and staying at a healthy weight. 

• If you have overweight and have risk factors for heart disease (like high blood pressure or high cholesterol), or if you have obesity, losing weight may improve your health. You can lose weight by getting more physical activity and eating fewer calories. Calories are a measure of the energy in the foods you eat.

• If you are at a healthy weight, take steps to stay at the same weight. You can stay at the same weight by getting regular physical activity and eating the right number of calories.

• If you think you might be underweight, talk to your doctor or nurse about how to gain weight in a healthy way.  

How do I know if I’m eating the right number of calories?

Balancing the calories you eat and drink with the calories you use for energy helps you stay at a healthy weight. 

Use the MyPlate Plan to get an idea of how many calories you need to maintain your current weight. 

• If your weight stays the same for several months, you’re eating the right number of calories to maintain your weight.

• To lose weight, try eating 500 to 750 fewer calories each day. 

Health Benefits

What can losing weight do for me?

Getting to a weight that’s healthy for you can:

• Lower your blood pressure

• Lower your blood sugar

• Raise your HDL ("good") cholesterol

• Lower your LDL ("bad") cholesterol

And if you have overweight or obesity, getting to a weight that’s healthy for you can help lower your risk of serious health conditions like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers.

You may get these health benefits by losing just 5 to 10 percent of your body weight. For example, if you weigh 200 pounds, this would mean losing 10 to 20 pounds.

Take Action 

Take Action

Set Goals

Losing weight can be challenging — but with time, commitment, and the right support, it’s possible! Start by making a promise to eat well, move more, and get support from family and friends.

Set realistic goals.

If you need to lose weight, do it slowly over time. Start by setting small, manageable goals like:

• I’ll try to lose 1 to 2 pounds a week.

• I’ll start by adding 10 minutes of physical activity to my daily routine.

• I’ll aim to eat 3 servings of veggies and fruit a day.

Remember that changing habits takes time, and don’t beat yourself up if you don’t meet all your goals right away. What matters is that you continue to work toward healthy habits.

Keep a food and activity diary.

When you know your habits, it's easier to make changes. Write down:

• What foods you eat (but you don’t need to track calories)

• When you eat

• Where you eat

• How much you eat

• Your physical activity

• How you're feeling

Print this food and activity diary or make your own. 

Get Active

Get more physical activity.

Getting active helps you balance the calories you take in with the calories you use — and has many other health benefits as well!

• Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity a week. For example, try going for a brisk walk several days a week.

• To get the most benefits, try to also do muscle-strengthening activities at least twice a week. You can lift weights, climb stairs, or work in the garden—anything that makes your muscles work harder than usual counts.

How much activity you need will depend on your weight goals. If you’re working toward losing a large amount of weight, you may need to do more than 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week to meet your goals. Talk to your doctor or nurse to make an activity plan that’s right for you.

But remember that even some physical activity is better than none. If the idea of long physical activity sessions seems overwhelming, try to get moving for shorter 10-minute periods throughout the day.

Check out these resources for more information:

• Staying Active at Any Size

• Physical Activity for a Healthy Weight

Eat Healthy

Eat healthy.

Eating healthy is good for your overall health. Making healthy food choices that are lower in calories can also help you manage your weight.

Here are a few healthy eating tips:

• Fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables.

• Choose whole grains, fat-free or low-fat dairy products, and a variety of foods with protein, like eggs and beans.

• Drink water or fat-free milk instead of soda or other drinks with added sugars.

• Read the Nutrition Facts label and choose healthier versions of your favorite foods that have fewer calories and less added sugar, saturated fat, and sodium.

• Bring this shopping list of heart-healthy foods the next time you go food shopping.

Check out these links to learn more:

• Try these menu planners for healthy meal ideas.

• Browse these recipes for new options.

• Download this fact sheet to help you build a healthy eating routine [PDF - 1.52 MB]

• Use this interactive tool to practice using the Nutrition Facts label to make smart food choices.

• Check out this info about healthy eating — including tips for cutting down on sodium (salt), added sugars, and saturated fat.

Portion Sizes

Eat smaller portions.

Eating a healthy diet is important, but you also need to pay attention to how much food you eat and limit portions of high-calorie foods. Take the Portion Distortion Quiz to test your knowledge.

Here are some ideas for eating smaller portions:

• Plan your meals and snacks ahead of time. Stick to an eating schedule that works for you.  

• Read the label to find out how many servings are in a package. There may be more than 1!

• Put a serving of food in a bowl instead of eating out of the package or container.

• Serve yourself a portion that’s the right amount of calories for you. Leave serving dishes on the stove or countertop rather than bringing them to the table so you'll be less tempted to keep eating even after you’re full.

• Eat slowly — this will give you time to feel full.

• Don’t eat in front of the TV or computer. That makes it harder to keep track of how much you’re eating.

Try these tips when you eat out:

• Share a meal with a friend, or take half your meal home as leftovers.

• Ask for sauces or dressings “on the side” so you can control how much you use.

You don’t have to feel hungry or give up all of your favorite foods to lose weight! Learn about switching to healthier, filling alternatives.

Get Help

Ask your doctor for help.

You may also want to talk to a doctor, nurse, or registered dietitian about different ways to lose weight. Your doctor can tell you about your options. Check out these questions to ask your doctor about losing weight.

Find out if you need to get tested for diabetes.

If you're age 35 to 70 years and you have overweight or obesity, ask your doctor to test you for diabetes. You may also need to get tested if you have other risk factors — like if you have family members with type 2 diabetes or if you had gestational diabetes in the past. Learn more about type 2 diabetes.

What about cost?

Under the Affordable Care Act, insurance plans must cover screening and counseling for obesity. Depending on your insurance, you may be able to get these services at no cost to you. Talk to your insurance company to find out more.

If you don't have insurance, you may still be able to get free or low-cost health services. To learn more, find a health center near you.

You can also check out these resources about:

• Free preventive care covered by the Affordable Care Act

• How the Affordable Care Act protects you

• Understanding your health insurance and how to use it [PDF - 698 KB]

The Basics

Eat Healthy

The Basics

Overview

Eating healthy means following a healthy eating pattern that includes a variety of nutritious foods and drinks. It also means getting the number of calories that’s right for you (not eating too much or too little).

Choose a mix of healthy foods.

There are lots of healthy choices in each food group! Choose a variety of foods you enjoy, including:

• Whole fruits — like apples, berries, oranges, mango, and bananas

• Veggies — like broccoli, sweet potatoes, beets, okra, spinach, peppers, and jicama

• Whole grains — like brown rice, millet, oatmeal, bulgur, and whole-wheat bread

• Proteins — like lean meats and chicken, eggs, seafood, beans and lentils, nuts and seeds, and tofu

• Low-fat or fat-free dairy — like milk, yogurt, cheese, lactose-free dairy, and fortified soy beverages (soy milk) or soy yogurt

• Oils — like vegetable oil, olive oil, and oils in foods like seafood, avocado, and nuts

Limit certain nutrients and ingredients.

Sodium (salt)

Sodium is found in table salt — but most of the sodium we eat comes from packaged food or food that's prepared in restaurants. Learn how to cut down on sodium [PDF - 881 KB].

Added sugars

Added sugars include syrups and sweeteners that manufacturers add to products like sodas, yogurt, and cereals — as well as things you add, like sugar in your coffee. Learn how to cut down on added sugars [PDF - 898 KB].

Saturated fat

Saturated fat comes from animal products like cheese, fatty meats and poultry, whole milk, butter, and many sweets and snack foods. Some plant products like palm and coconut oils also have saturated fat. Learn how to cut down on saturated fat [PDF - 1.1 MB].

Get a personalized MyPlate Plan to help you choose healthy foods.

What about alcohol?

Alcohol includes beer, wine, and liquor. If you choose to drink, drink in moderation — 1 drink or less in a day for women and 2 drinks or less in a day for men. And remember that drinking less is always better for your health than drinking more.

Health Benefits

A healthy eating routine can help keep you healthy.

Eating healthy is good for your overall health — and there are many ways to do it. Learn how to build a healthy eating routine [PDF – 1.6 MB].

Making smart food choices can also help you manage your weight and lower your risk for certain chronic (long-term) diseases.

When you eat healthy, you can reduce your risk for:

• Overweight and obesity

• Heart disease

• Type 2 diabetes

• High blood pressure

• Some types of cancer

Learn more about why eating healthy is important.

Take Action

Take Action

Make Small Changes

Making small changes to your eating habits can make a big difference for your health over time. 

Make healthy swaps.

Try making 1 or 2 small changes this week. For example:

• Drink sparkling water instead of regular soda

• Try plain, low-fat yogurt with fruit instead of full-fat yogurt with added sugars

• Choose low-sodium black beans instead of regular canned black beans

• Cook with olive oil instead of butter

Shop Smart

Shop smart at the grocery store.

The next time you go food shopping:

• Make a shopping list ahead of time — only buy what's on your list

• Don't shop while you're hungry — eat something before you go to the store

Use these tips to make healthy choices:

• Try a variety of vegetables and fruits in different colors

• Choose fat-free or low-fat dairy — or soy milk and soy yogurt with added calcium, vitamin A, and vitamin D

• Replace old favorites with options that are lower in calories, sodium, added sugars, and saturated fat

• Choose foods with whole grains — like 100% whole-wheat or whole-grain bread, cereal, and pasta

• Buy lean cuts of meat and poultry and eat a variety of foods with protein — like fish, shellfish, beans, and nuts

• Save money by getting fruits and vegetables in season or on sale

Get more tips for finding healthy, budget-friendly options at the store.

Check the Label

Read the Nutrition Facts label.

Understanding the Nutrition Facts label on food packages can help you make healthy choices.

First, look at the serving size and the number of servings per package — there may be more than 1 serving!

Then check out the calories. Calories tell you how much energy is in 1 serving of a food.

To stay at a healthy weight, you need to balance the calories you eat and drink with the calories you use. Use this tool to find out how many calories you need each day.

Next, look at the percent Daily Value (% DV) column. The DV shows you if a food is higher or lower in certain nutrients. Look for foods that are:

• Low in added sugars, sodium, and saturated fat (5% DV or less)

• High in fiber, calcium, potassium, iron, and vitamin D (20% DV or more)

You can also use the DV to compare the amount of calories and nutrients in different foods. Just be sure to check and see if the serving size is the same.

The picture below shows an example of a Nutrition Facts label.

To learn more about the Nutrition Facts label, check out:

• How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Label

• Interactive Nutrition Facts Label

Healthy Families

Be a healthy family.

Parents and caregivers are important role models for healthy eating. You can teach kids how to choose and prepare healthy snacks and meals.

• Use this list to make healthy choices at the grocery store — take your child with you to the store and explain the choices you make

• Turn cooking into a fun activity for the whole family — try out these kid-friendly recipes together

• Check out these quick tips for making healthy snacks

• Get more healthy eating tips for your family

If you have a family member who has a hard time eating healthy, use these tips to start a conversation about how you can help.

Eating Out

Eat healthy away from home.

You can make smart food choices wherever you are — at work, in your favorite restaurant, or out running errands. Try these tips for eating healthy even when you're away from home:

• Pack healthy snacks like fruit, unsalted nuts, or low-fat string cheese sticks 

• Look for calorie information on restaurant menus

• Choose dishes that are steamed, baked, or grilled instead of fried

• Ask to have no salt added to your meal

Get more tips for eating healthy when dining out and getting takeout.

See Your Doctor

If you're worried about your eating habits, talk to a doctor.

If you need help making healthier food choices, ask your doctor for help. Your doctor may refer you to a registered dietitian. A registered dietitian is a health professional who helps people with healthy eating.

What about cost?

Under the Affordable Care Act, insurance plans must cover diet counseling for people with risk factors for heart disease, like high blood pressure. Depending on your insurance plan, you may be able to get diet counseling at no cost to you. Check with your insurance company to find out more.

Medicare may also cover diet counseling at no cost. Use this tool to see what Medicare covers.

If you don't have insurance, you may still be able to get free or low-cost help. Find a health center near you and ask about diet counseling. 

To learn more, check out these resources:

• Free preventive care for adults covered by the Affordable Care Act

• How the Affordable Care Act protects you

• Understanding your health insurance and how to use it [PDF - 698 KB]

Manage your high blood pressure or diabetes.

If you or a loved one has high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, or heart disease, talk with your doctor or a registered dietitian about how to stay healthy. If you need to follow a special diet, check out these websites:

• DASH Eating Plan

• Living with Diabetes: Eat Well!

• MyPlate Kitchen

The Basics

Talk with Your Doctor About Depression

The Basics

Overview

If you’ve been feeling sad or down and can’t seem to shake it, talk with a doctor or nurse about depression.

What is depression? 

Depression is an illness that involves the brain. It can affect your thoughts, mood, and daily activities — and make you feel sad or down. But depression is more than feeling sad for a few days.

Depression can be mild, moderate, or severe. Even mild depression can become more serious if it’s not treated.

If you're diagnosed with depression, you aren’t alone. Depression is a common illness that affects millions of people in the United States every year.

The good news is that you can get treatment for depression. Getting help is the best thing you can do for yourself and your loved ones. You can feel better.

Check out these resources to learn more about depression:

• General information about depression

• Depression and older adults

• Depression and women

• Depression during and after pregnancy

• Depression and veterans

• Depression and teens

Signs of Depression

What are the signs of depression?

It’s normal to feel sad sometimes, but if you feel sad or down on most days for more than 2 weeks at a time, you may be depressed.

Depression affects people differently. Some signs of depression are:

• Losing interest in activities you used to enjoy

• Feeling hopeless or empty

• Forgetting things or having trouble making decisions

• Sleeping too much or too little

• Gaining or losing weight without meaning to

• Thinking about suicide or death

Take this quiz to see if you might be depressed.

Treatment

How is depression treated?

Depression can be treated with talk therapy, medicines (called antidepressants), or both. Your doctor may refer you to a mental health professional for talk therapy or medicine.

If you start taking medicine and it’s not working well enough, your doctor may have you try a different type of antidepressant. And if talk therapy and medicines aren’t helping you feel better, your doctor may suggest a type of treatment called brain stimulation therapy. These therapies use magnetic waves or electricity to stimulate the brain and treat depression.

Learn more about treatments for depression.

Take Action

Take Action

See a Doctor

Depression is a real illness. People with depression need treatment like people with any other illness. If you think you might be depressed, see your doctor or nurse.

Talk to a doctor about how you're feeling.

Get a medical checkup. Ask to see a doctor or nurse who can screen you for depression.

The doctor or nurse may also check to see if you have another health condition (like thyroid disease) or are taking a medicine that can cause depression or make it worse. If you have one of these health conditions, it’s important to get treatment right away.

What about cost?

Under the Affordable Care Act, insurance plans must cover screening for depression. Depending on your insurance plan, you may be able to get screened at no cost to you. Check with your insurance company to find out more.

Medicare may also cover depression screening at no cost. If you have Medicare, learn about Medicare coverage for depression screening.

If you don’t have insurance, you may still be able to get free or low-cost depression screening. Find a health center near you and ask about screening for depression.

To learn more, check out these resources:

• Free preventive care for adults covered by the Affordable Care Act

• How the Affordable Care Act protects you

• Understanding your health insurance and how to use it [PDF - 698 KB]

Get Treatment

Get treatment for depression.

When you have depression, getting help is the best thing you can do. 

Ask your doctor for a referral to a mental health professional or use this treatment locator to find mental health services near you. Some programs offer free or low-cost treatment even if you don't have insurance. 

Here are some places or professionals you can go to for help with depression:

• Doctor’s office or health clinic

• Family service or social service agency

• Psychologist, psychiatrist, or psychotherapist

• Counselor or social worker

Remember, even if asking for help seems scary, it's an important step toward feeling better. 

Learn more about finding mental health services that work for you.

Get Support for Depression

Get support.

If you have depression, it can also help to get support from people around you. You don't have to face depression alone. A trusted family member, friend, or faith leader can help support you as you seek medical treatment. 

Get ideas to build your support system.

Get active.

Getting active can lower your stress level and boost your mood, which can help treatments for depression work better. Keep in mind getting active doesn’t have to mean going to the gym — try taking a few short walks each week instead. Learn more about getting active.

If someone you care about is depressed, get help.

If you think a friend or family member may be depressed, check out these tips on how to talk to a loved one about depression. 

Keep in mind that many people with depression have low energy and a hard time concentrating. This can make it difficult to do things like schedule appointments or remember to take medicines. Some things you can do to help include:

• Make calls or schedule appointments for your loved one

• Offer to accompany your loved one to their appointments

• Remind them to take their medicines

Get help right away if you or someone you know is thinking about suicide.

To get help for yourself or someone else, call or text 988 or check out the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. And if someone’s in immediate danger, call 911.

The Basics

Drink Alcohol Only in Moderation

• The Basics

• Take Action

The Basics

Overview

If you don’t drink alcohol, there’s no reason to start. If you choose to drink, having only a moderate (limited) amount can lower your risk for health problems caused by drinking. Some people shouldn’t drink at all, like people younger than 21 years, people who are pregnant or might be pregnant, and people with certain health conditions.

What is a moderate amount of alcohol?

A moderate amount of alcohol means:

• 1 drink or less in a day for women

• 2 drinks or less in a day for men

Remember that drinking less is always better for your health than drinking more. Even moderate drinking can have health risks.

What is 1 drink equal to?

Different types of beer, wine, and liquor have different amounts of alcohol. In general, 1 standard drink is equal to a:

• Bottle or can of regular beer (12 ounces)

• Glass of wine (5 ounces)

• Shot of distilled spirits, such as gin, rum, or vodka (1.5 ounces)

Keep in mind that the size of the drink and the percent of alcohol makes a difference. For example, many beers are about 5% alcohol, but some have higher percentages of alcohol. And some beers are sold in bigger sizes than the standard 12 ounces. 

Different drinks have different amounts of calories, too. These calories add up — and getting more calories than you need can make it harder to stay at a healthy weight. For example, a 12-ounce bottle of beer has about 150 calories. 

• Learn more about the amount of alcohol in different drinks

• Calculate how many standard drinks are in different alcoholic beverages

• Find out how many calories are in a drink

Health Risks

Drinking more than a moderate amount of alcohol can put you at risk for personal and health problems, including alcohol use disorder. 

What are the risks of drinking too much?

Drinking too much raises your risk for many health problems, including serious conditions that can lead to death. Some examples of alcohol-related health problems include:

• Alcohol use disorder

• Liver disease

• Heart disease

• High blood pressure

• 7 types of cancer

• Depression and anxiety

• Stroke

Even moderate drinking may raise your risk for some types of heart disease and cancer. For example, the risk of breast cancer increases even at low levels of drinking (for example, less than 1 drink in a day). 

Alcohol can also change your behavior. Drinking too much can put you and others at risk for:

• Accidents, violence, and injuries

• Unplanned pregnancy or STIs (sexually transmitted infections) from unprotected sex

Learn more about the risks of drinking too much. 

What is alcohol use disorder?

If drinking causes problems in your life, you may have alcohol use disorder (also called alcoholism). 

You may have alcohol use disorder if any of these things are true:

• You can’t control how much or how often you drink

• You need to drink more and more to feel the effects

• You feel anxious, irritable, or stressed when you aren’t drinking

• You find yourself thinking a lot about when you can drink next 

• Alcohol is causing problems with your work, relationships, or health

Certain health problems — like depression or anxiety, sleep problems, and chronic pain — can put you at a higher risk for alcohol use disorder.

Talk with your doctor right away if you have signs of alcohol use disorder — even if you don’t think they’re causing any problems in your life. There are treatments that can help. See more signs of alcohol use disorder. 

Don't Drink If...

Who shouldn't drink at all?

Don’t drink at all if you:

• Are pregnant or might be pregnant — alcohol can harm a developing baby

• Are younger than 21 years

• Take certain over-the-counter or prescription medicines — check medicine labels or ask your doctor or pharmacist if it’s safe to drink while taking your medicines 

• Are recovering from alcohol use disorder or can’t control how much you drink

• Have a health condition that can be made worse by drinking (such as liver disease or HIV)

• Plan to drive or do other activities that require skill, coordination, and alertness (like using sharp tools or cooking on a stove)

Take Action

Take Action

Set Limits

Here are some strategies to help you cut back or stop drinking.

Keep track of your drinking.

Keeping track of each drink may help you drink less overall. These drinking tracker cards can help. You can also make notes in your smartphone to keep track of your drinks.

Set goals.

Decide how many days a week you'll drink and how much you'll drink on those days. For men,  try not to have more than 2 drinks a day. For women, try not to have more than 1 drink a day. It’s also a good idea to have some days when you don’t drink at all.

Remember, drinking less is better for your health than drinking more.

Make a Plan

Learn new skills to help you change your drinking habits.

Planning ahead can help you manage situations when you might be tempted to drink too much. Think ahead about how to say “no” if someone offers you a drink.

Read about skills that can help you limit or avoid drinking:

• Learn how to resist social pressure to drink

• Practice these strategies to handle an urge to drink

Find healthy ways to manage stress.

If you have a bad day or are feeling angry, don’t reach for a drink. Try taking a walk, calling a friend, or seeing a movie. Get tips to help you manage stress.

Avoid places where people drink a lot.

Stay away from bars and other places that may make you want to drink.

Limit the amount of alcohol you keep at home.

If you keep a lot of alcohol around, you may be tempted to go over the drinking limit you set for yourself when you’re at home.

Make a list of reasons not to drink.

Make a list of reasons to drink less or quit. Keep this list in your wallet, on your fridge, or in an app on your phone. Look at it when you have an urge to drink.

If you want to lose weight or save money, use these calculators to:

• See how many calories are in your drinks

• Find out how much money you are spending on alcohol

Get Help

If you think you might be drinking too much, ask for help.

Ask your friends and loved ones to support you. Talk with a doctor or nurse if you’re having a hard time cutting back on your drinking.

Get treatment.

There are effective treatments for alcohol use disorder. Doctors can treat it with talk therapy, medicine, or both. Learn about different treatments for alcohol use disorder.

If one type of treatment doesn’t work for you, you can try another. Don’t give up!

To get help with alcohol use disorder:

• Find a doctor or treatment program near you

• Call 1-800-662-HELP (1-800-662-4357) for information about treatment

• Use this tool to explore treatment options

What about cost?

Under the Affordable Care Act, insurance plans must cover alcohol misuse screening and counseling. Depending on your insurance plan, you may be able to get these services at no cost to you. Check with your insurance company to find out more.  

Medicare may also cover alcohol-related services at no cost. If you have Medicare, learn about Medicare coverage for alcohol misuse screening and counseling. 

If you don't have insurance, you may still be able to get free or low-cost help for alcohol misuse. Find a health center near you and ask about alcohol misuse screening and counseling.

To learn more, check out these resources:

• Free preventive care for adults covered by the Affordable Care Act

• How the Affordable Care Act protects you

• Understanding your health insurance and how to use it [PDF - 698 KB]

• Costs and insurance for alcohol misuse treatment

Are you worried about a loved one’s drinking?

Use these tips to talk with someone about cutting back or quitting drinking.

The Basics

Get Vaccines to Protect Your Health (Adults Ages 19 to 49 Years)

• The Basics

• Take Action

The Basics

Overview

Adults need to get vaccines (shots) just like kids do. Make sure you're up to date on your vaccines to help protect your health.

• Get a flu vaccine every year. The seasonal flu vaccine is the best way to protect yourself and others from the flu. Learn more about the flu vaccine.

• Get the Tdap vaccine to protect against tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough (pertussis). Everyone needs to get the Tdap vaccine at least once — and some people might need more doses. For example, pregnant people need a dose during every pregnancy. Learn about the Tdap vaccine.

• After you get a Tdap vaccine, get a Td vaccine every 10 years to keep you protected from tetanus and diphtheria. Learn about the Td vaccine.

• Get the HPV vaccine to protect against HPV (human papillomavirus). HPV is a very common infection that can cause cancer. Everyone needs the HPV vaccine by age 26 years. If you’re ages 27 to 45 years and you haven’t gotten the HPV vaccine, talk to your doctor. Learn more about the HPV vaccine.

• Get a COVID-19 vaccine to protect yourself and others from COVID-19. Find a COVID-19 vaccine near you.

Ask your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist about other vaccines you may need to stay healthy.

Health Benefits

Why do I need to get vaccines?

Vaccines help protect you against diseases that can be serious — and sometimes deadly. Many of these diseases are common, but vaccines can prevent them. 

Even if you got all your vaccines as a child, you still need vaccines as an adult. The protection from some vaccines can wear off over time, like the Td vaccine for tetanus and diphtheria. And as you get older, you may be at risk for other diseases.

Getting vaccinated also protects other people. 

Getting your vaccines doesn't just protect you — it also protects the people around you. Some people in your family or community may not be able to get certain vaccines because of their age or a health condition. 

Protect yourself and the people around you by staying up to date on your vaccines. Find out how getting vaccinated helps protect people in your community. 

Other Vaccines

Do I need any other vaccines to help me stay healthy?

You may need other vaccines if you:

• Have a long-term health condition like diabetes or heart, lung, or liver disease 

• Didn’t get all your vaccines when you were a child

• Have a health condition that makes it harder for your body to fight off infections — like HIV or problems with your spleen

• Are pregnant

• Are a man who has sex with men

• Smoke

• Drink heavily or have alcohol use disorder

• Spend time with infants or young children

• Travel outside the United States

And you may need other vaccines if you work in certain places, like a hospital or nursing home.

Ask your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist if you need any other vaccines. Find out what vaccines are recommended for you.

Take Action

Take Action

Make a Plan

Talk with a doctor, nurse, or pharmacist about getting up to date on your vaccines.

Make a plan to get your vaccines.

Schedule an appointment with your doctor or nurse to get the vaccines you need. You may also be able to get vaccines at your local pharmacy. 

If you’re not sure where to start, call your doctor’s office or local health department. 

Get a seasonal flu vaccine every year.

Remember, everyone age 6 months and older needs to get the seasonal flu vaccine every year. You can use this tool to find flu vaccines near you.

What about cost?

Under the Affordable Care Act, insurance plans must cover vaccines. Depending on your insurance plan, you may be able to get vaccines at no cost to you. Check with your insurance company to find out more. 

If you don't have insurance, you may still be able to get free or low-cost vaccines:  

• Find a health center near you and ask about vaccines 

• Find a free or low-cost vaccine program in your state 

To learn more, check out these resources: 

• Free preventive care for adults covered by the Affordable Care Act  

• How the Affordable Care Act protects you 

• Understanding your health insurance and how to use it [PDF - 698 KB]

Keep a Record

Keep a copy of your vaccination record.

Ask your doctor to print out a record of all the vaccines you've had. Keep this record in a safe place. You may need it for certain jobs or if you travel outside the United States. 

If you're not sure which vaccines you’ve had, try these tips for finding old vaccination records. If you still can’t find a record of your vaccines, talk with your doctor — you may need to get some vaccines again. 

If you got vaccinated for COVID-19, you might have a paper card that lists when and where you got your vaccine doses. Keep the card in a safe place with the rest of your vaccine records. If you lost the card or don’t have one, you can contact the pharmacy or doctor’s office where you got vaccinated for COVID — or your state’s health department — to get a copy of your vaccination records. 

The Basics

Have a Healthy Pregnancy

The Basics

Overview

Health care during pregnancy is called prenatal care. Getting prenatal care can help you have a healthy pregnancy and a healthier baby. It also lowers the risk of your baby being born too early, which can lead to health problems for your baby.

Doctors who specialize in women’s health, pregnancy, and childbirth are called obstetricians or gynecologists (often called Ob/Gyn). Some nurse practitioners and midwives can also provide prenatal care. A midwife is a health professional who helps people during pregnancy and childbirth.

Get regular prenatal checkups.

Schedule a visit with your doctor or midwife as soon as you know you're pregnant — or if you think you might be. You'll need many checkups with your doctor or midwife during your pregnancy. Don't miss any of these appointments — they're all important.

Be sure to get all the medical tests that your doctor or midwife recommends so you can find any health problems early. Early treatment can cure many problems and prevent others.

Take steps to have a healthy pregnancy.

To keep you and your baby healthy, it's important that you:

• Don’t smoke or drink alcohol

• Eat healthy and get enough folic acid

• Stay physically active

Get more tips for a healthy pregnancy:

• If you just learned that you're pregnant, find out what to do next

• Check out these tips for staying healthy and safe during pregnancy

Topics to Discuss

Make the most of each visit with the doctor or midwife.

Talk with your doctor or midwife about:

• Your personal and family health history, including any chronic (long-term) health problems or surgeries you've had

• When you need to get medical care for issues that can come up — like high blood pressure, dizziness, swelling, pain, bleeding, or contractions

• When and where to go for emergency care during your pregnancy

• Any prescription and over-the-counter medicines that you take — as well as vitamins, supplements, and herbs

• Healthy weight gain during pregnancy

These visits are also a great time to discuss:

• Questions you have about pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding

• How to get help buying food if you need it — including how to get help from a program called WIC (Women, Infants, and Children)

• Anything that’s bothering or worrying you

If you're worried about your health during pregnancy, don't wait to ask for help: 

• Learn more about pregnancy complications and when to call your doctor or midwife

• Find out about warning signs that mean you should seek help right away

Make a birth plan and share it with your doctor or midwife.

A birth plan describes what you want to happen during childbirth and after your baby's birth. It can include:

• Where you'd like to give birth — for example, at a hospital or birthing center

• Who you want with you for support (like your partner, family member, or close friend) before, during, and after childbirth

• How you want to manage pain during childbirth

• Who you want to help you make important medical decisions during childbirth

• Your plan to breastfeed after your baby is born

Learn more about your options for managing pain during childbirth.

Talk with your doctor about depression.

Many people experience depression during and after pregnancy. Talk with your doctor about your risk for depression and whether you need counseling to help prevent it or cope with it.

Medical Tests

Get important medical tests.

During your pregnancy, your doctor or midwife will recommend medical tests that all people need as part of routine prenatal care. You’ll need to get some tests more than once.

These tests give your doctor or midwife important information about you and your baby. The tests will check your blood, urine (pee), or a swab of your vagina and rectum for:

• Rh factor (a protein some people have in their blood)

• Hepatitis B

• Urinary tract infection (UTI)

• Syphilis

• HIV

• Signs of past rubella infections (German measles)

• Group B strep

If you're younger than age 25 years or have certain risk factors, your doctor or midwife may also check for other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), also called sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Learn more about STIs during pregnancy.

Your doctor or midwife will also check your blood pressure regularly during your pregnancy. They may recommend that you check your own blood pressure at home using a monitor you can buy at a drug store. High blood pressure during pregnancy can be a sign of preeclampsia, a health problem that some pregnant people develop. Learn more about preventing preeclampsia.

Talk about your family history.

Share your personal and family health history with your doctor or midwife. This will help you and your doctor or midwife decide whether you need any other tests, like genetic testing. Find out more about prenatal genetic testing.

Diabetes Testing

Get tested for gestational diabetes.

All pregnant people need to get tested for gestational diabetes between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy. Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that some people develop during pregnancy.

Pregnant people at high risk for type 2 diabetes may need to get tested earlier in their pregnancy. Find out about your risk for type 2 diabetes.

What do I need to know about gestational diabetes?

Gestational diabetes can lead to health problems for pregnant people and their babies — both during and after pregnancy. It’s important to get tested so that you and your doctor or midwife can take steps to protect you and your baby.

You're at higher risk for gestational diabetes if you:

• Are overweight or have obesity

• Have a family history of type 2 diabetes

• Are older than 25 years

• Are African American, Hispanic or Latino, American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander

• Had gestational diabetes during an earlier pregnancy

• Have given birth to a baby weighing over 9 pounds

• Have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

You can lower your risk for gestational diabetes by being at a healthy weight, eating a balanced diet, and staying active during pregnancy.

• Learn more about gestational diabetes

• Ask your doctor about getting tested for gestational diabetes

• Aim for a healthy weight

Cost and Insurance

What about cost?

Under the Affordable Care Act, insurance plans must cover routine prenatal tests. Depending on your insurance plan, you may be able to get these tests at no cost to you. Check with your insurance company to find out more.

Medicare may also cover routine prenatal tests at no cost. Use this tool to see what Medicare covers. 

If you don’t have health insurance, you may still be able to get free or low-cost prenatal care:

• Get connected with free or low-cost services in your state by calling 1-800-311-BABY (1-800-311-2229)

• Find a health center near you and ask about prenatal care

To learn more, check out these resources:

• Health insurance options for pregnant people

• Free preventive care for women covered by the Affordable Care Act

• How the Affordable Care Act protects you

• Understanding your health insurance and how to use it [PDF - 1.9 MB]

Take Action

Take Action

Get Prenatal Care

There are lots of things you can do today to help you have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby.

Get regular prenatal care.

Plan on getting a prenatal checkup at least once a month for the first 6 months (through week 28) — and more often during the last 3 months of your pregnancy (after week 28). Learn more about prenatal care.

Get important vaccines.

All pregnant people need whooping cough and flu vaccines (shots). Talk to your doctor or midwife about getting other vaccines to help protect you and your baby. Learn more about vaccines to get during pregnancy. 

Take charge of your health care.

Speak up and ask questions when you're with your doctor or midwife. When you play an active role in your health care, you help make sure that you and your growing family will get good care. Find out how to take charge of your health care.

Keep track of your baby’s movement.

Sometime between 16 and 28 weeks of pregnancy, you'll probably start to feel your baby move. Keep track of how often your baby moves. If you think your baby is moving less than usual, call your doctor or midwife.

Don't Smoke, Drink Alcohol, or Use Drugs

One of the best ways to protect you and your baby is to stop smoking, drinking alcohol, and using drugs before you become pregnant — or as soon as you know you’re pregnant.

There's no safe amount to drink or smoke while you're pregnant. Both can harm your baby’s health. Talk with your doctor or midwife about ways to help you quit.

It’s best for you and your baby if you quit all forms of tobacco products, including e-cigarettes (vapes). Secondhand smoke (smoke from other people’s cigarettes) can also put you and your baby at risk for health problems. Stay away from cigarette smoke during your pregnancy.

Using drugs during pregnancy — including opioid pain medicines and marijuana — can also put your baby’s health at risk. If you’re pregnant and using drugs, talk with your doctor right away.

Learn more:

• Smoking, Pregnancy, and Babies

• Quit Smoking

• Alcohol and Pregnancy

• Cannabis and Pregnancy

• Opioid Use During Pregnancy

Eat Healthy and Stay Active

Get the nutrients you need.

Making healthy food choices and taking supplements as needed can help you have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby.

• Check out these tips on healthy eating during pregnancy

• Ask your doctor or midwife if you need to take a daily prenatal supplement during pregnancy

• Take a daily supplement with 400 to 800 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid — folic acid is a vitamin that can prevent birth defects

• Follow food safety tips to keep you and your baby healthy 

And keep in mind that you need to eat more during your second and third trimester to help your baby grow. Use this tool to calculate how much food you need during each trimester. 

Gain weight in a healthy way.

Gaining a healthy amount of weight during pregnancy is important for both you and your baby. Learn how much weight is healthy for you to gain during pregnancy.

Ask your doctor or midwife about how you can keep your weight gain in a healthy range. 

Stay active. 

Being physically active can help you have a healthier pregnancy. Aim for at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity — like walking, dancing, or swimming. 

If you haven’t been active before, start slow and do what you can! Even a 5-minute walk has real health benefits, and you can add more activity over time.

Get more information about physical activity during pregnancy from these resources:

• Stay Active During Pregnancy: Quick Tips

• Move Your Way: Pregnancy

Prevent Infections

Take steps to prevent infections.

Follow these tips to prevent infections and help keep your baby safe:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water

• Make safe food choices and prepare food safely

• If you have a cat, learn how to protect yourself from toxoplasmosis (a disease spread by dirty cat litter)

• Get vaccines to protect you from whooping cough and the flu

• Avoid traveling to an area with Zika virus — and if you have to travel to an area with Zika, learn how to protect yourself from Zika virus

Learn more about preventing infections during pregnancy.

Get Support and Plan Ahead

Ask for help if you need it.

Being pregnant may be tiring or stressful at times. Extra support from loved ones can help. For example, family members or friends can:

• Provide emotional support so you feel less stressed

• Bring you healthy meals

• Visit the doctor or midwife with you

• Go with you to a breastfeeding or birthing class

• Change the litter box if you have a cat

• Help prepare for the baby’s arrival by setting up furniture

Think about what you need, and don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Plan ahead for the first year with your new baby.

Having a new baby is exciting, but it can be stressful. Take steps to help you prepare for your new baby:

• Create a safe sleeping area for your baby, on a firm, flat mattress without soft objects like blankets, pillows, or toys in the crib. Always put your baby to sleep on their back.

• Talk with your doctor or midwife about newborn screening tests.

• Learn how to breastfeed your baby.

• Know the signs and symptoms of postpartum depression. About 1 in 8 women experience depression after they have a baby. Talk to your doctor or midwife if you have any questions or concerns.

• Make sure to keep up with postpartum visits to your doctor or midwife.

• Talk to friends and family about helping out after the baby arrives. If you don't want visitors, people can support you in other ways, like dropping off food.

Read more about preparing for your baby.

Before You Get Pregnant

Not pregnant yet? Plan ahead.

Planning ahead can help you have a healthier pregnancy. For example: 

• Take a daily supplement with 400 to 800 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid. Taking folic acid before and during early pregnancy can help prevent certain birth defects. Most multivitamins have 400 mcg of folic acid — check the label to be sure.

• Stop drinking alcohol when you start trying to get pregnant.

• If you smoke, quit smoking when you start trying to get pregnant.

Read about more things you can do to plan ahead.

Schedule an appointment with a doctor or midwife.

• Get your blood pressure checked. If you have high blood pressure, ask your doctor how you can control it before and during your pregnancy.

• If you have a chronic (long-term) health condition, like diabetes, ask your doctor how you can control it before and during your pregnancy.

• Ask about getting vaccines before you get pregnant.

• Talk with your doctor about your family health history, including any medical conditions you have that could affect a pregnancy.

• Talk with your doctor about your risk for depression during pregnancy and whether you need counseling to help prevent it. Learn about depression during and after pregnancy.

• Talk with your doctor about the medicines you take — both prescription drugs and over-the-counter medicines. Some medicines may not be safe to take while you’re pregnant.

• If you take opioid pain medicine, talk with your doctor about how to protect yourself and your baby. Learn more about opioids and pregnancy.

The Basic 

Flu (Influenza)

Every year, millions of people get the flu. The good news is that the seasonal flu vaccine can lower the risk of getting the flu by about half. Getting the yearly flu vaccine is the best way to protect yourself from the flu.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the flu vaccine important?

Most people who get the flu have a mild illness. But for some, it can be serious — and even deadly. Serious complications from the flu are more likely in babies and young children, pregnant women, older adults, and people with certain long-term health conditions — like diabetes or asthma.

Getting vaccinated every year is the best way to lower your chances of getting the flu. Flu vaccines can’t cause the flu. Keep in mind that getting the flu vaccine also protects the people around you. So when you and your family get vaccinated, you help keep yourselves and your community healthy.

This is especially important if you spend time with people who are at risk for serious illness from the flu — like young children or older adults. Learn more about how vaccines help protect your whole community.

What is the flu?

The flu is caused by a virus. Common symptoms of the flu include:

• Fever and chills

• Cough

• Sore throat

• Runny or stuffy nose

• Muscle or body aches

• Headache

• Fatigue

Some people with the flu may throw up or have diarrhea (watery poop) — this is more common in children than adults. It’s also important to know that not everyone with the flu will have a fever.

The flu is worse than the common cold. It’s a common cause of problems like sinus or ear infections. It can also cause serious complications like:

• Pneumonia (lung infection)

• Worsening of long-term health problems, like asthma or heart failure

• Inflammation of the brain, heart, or muscles

• Sepsis, a life-threatening inflammatory condition

• Multi-organ failure

The flu is contagious, meaning it can spread from person to person. The flu can spread when:

• Someone with the flu coughs, sneezes, or talks — and droplets from their mouth or nose get into the mouths or noses of people nearby

• Someone touches a surface that has flu virus on it and then touches their mouth, nose, or eyes

People can spread the flu before they know they’re sick — and while they have the flu. Learn more about the flu .

Who needs to get the flu vaccine?

Everyone age 6 months and older needs to get the flu vaccine every year. It's part of the routine vaccine schedules for children, teens, and adults.

See the routine vaccination schedule for:

• Infants and children

• Preteens and teens

• Adults

It’s important to get the flu vaccine every year. That’s important for 2 reasons: first, immunity (protection) decreases with time. Additionally, the flu viruses are constantly changing — so the vaccine is often updated to give the best protection.

People at increased risk for complications from the flu

It’s especially important for people who are at high risk of developing complications from the flu to get the vaccine every year. People at high risk for complications from the flu include:

• Pregnant women — including women up to 2 weeks after the end of pregnancy

• Adults age 65 years and older

• Children younger than 5 years — and especially children younger than 2 years

• People with long-term health conditions like asthma, diabetes, or cancer

• People in long-term care or nursing homes

Aim to get your flu vaccine by the end of October

Try to get the flu vaccine by the end of October. It takes 2 weeks for your body to develop immunity. So it’s best to get the flu vaccine before the flu starts to spread in your community.

If you don’t get the vaccine by the end of October, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get it — getting vaccinated later can still help protect you from the flu. You can get vaccinated at any time throughout the flu season.

Health care professionals and caregivers

It’s also very important for people who spend a lot of time with people at high risk for complications from the flu to get the vaccine — for example, health care professionals and caregivers.

Talk with your doctor about how to protect your family from the flu.

Who should not get the flu vaccine?

Children younger than 6 months should not get the flu vaccine.

Be sure to tell your doctor before getting vaccinated if you:

• Have had a life-threatening allergic reaction to a dose of the flu vaccine or any ingredient in the vaccine (like eggs or gelatin)

• Have had Guillain-Barré Syndrome (an immune system disorder)

If you’re sick, you may need to wait until you’re feeling better to get the flu vaccine.

What are the side effects of the flu vaccine?

Side effects are usually mild and go away in a few days. These side effects aren’t the flu — the flu vaccine can’t cause the flu.

Side effects from the flu vaccine may include:

• Pain, swelling, or redness where the shot was given

• Headache

• Muscle aches

• Fever

• Upset stomach

Serious side effects from the flu vaccine are very rare.

Like any medicine, there's a very small chance that the flu vaccine could cause a serious reaction. Keep in mind that getting the flu vaccine is much safer than getting the flu. Learn more about vaccine side effects .

Where can I get more information about the flu vaccine?

Vaccine Information Statements (VISs) have detailed information about recommended vaccines.

• Read the VIS for the flu vaccine.

• Find the VIS for the flu vaccine in other languages. 

Get Immunized

Getting immunized is easy. Vaccines and preventive antibodies are available at the doctor’s office or pharmacies — and are usually covered by insurance.

Find out how to get protected.