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Families Improve Nutrition and Budget Practices

Specific improvements include:
• 54% stopped adding salt to their foods, a step highly encouraged by the American Heart Association as sodium has been linked to health issues including high blood pressure, stroke, heart attacks and kidney disease.
• 38% improved portion control when eating out; 51% reduced fat intake by consuming reduced fat milk and leaner meats; and 52% increased physical activity, all factors linked to obesity, heart disease, type II diabetes, and many cancers.
• 55% increased vegetable variety and 51% increased fruit variety intake, key nutrition impact indicators in disease prevention due to being high in fiber and nutrients while low in calories. 
• 70% read food labels to make purchasing decisions, a key skill for selecting healthier food options.
• A $13 food expenditure improvement (average per person per month), freed up funds for other family necessities and families still made a positive change by consuming healthy options from the basic food groups (81%). Many people thought it was too expensive to eat healthy.