Several key lifestyle choices can affect your risk for developing disease. The leading preventable cause of death in the United States is smoking, closely followed by obesity. Choosing to avoid tobacco and maintain a healthy body weight will greatly reduce your risk of developing diseases such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes.

What is your BMI? Use the calculation above to find out!

Body mass index (BMI) is a calculation used to estimate body fat based on a person's height and weight.

A healthy BMI is between 18.5-24.9. Obesity is defined as having a BMI over 30.

Eating just the right amount of calories your body needs for energy is important. If a person eats more calories than he can use, the body will store the extra calories in the form of fat to use later. But if a person accumulates too much stored body fat, obesity can result. You can maintain a healthy weight by choosing nutritious foods and participating in physical activity.

The body uses three dietary fuels: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Each provides energy (calories) the body needs to keep it running smoothly. Most foods contain a combination of carbs, proteins, and fats. But compared to carbs and proteins, dietary fats provide double the amount of energy.

Salad with Fat-free Dressing - 15 Calories

Water - 0 Calories

Cajun Halibut - 130 Calories

Asparagus with Mushrooms - 55 Calories

Two Oatmeal Spice Cookies - 120 Calories

Salad with Ranch Dressing - 170 Calories

Orange Soda - 80 Calories

Deluxe Pizza-270 Calories

Buffalo Wings (3) - 140 Calories

Half Cup Ice Cream - 132 Calories

To burn the calories from the unhealthy meal requires more than double the amount of exercise!

Tobacco contains a chemical called nicotine that is very addicting. Once you start smoking or chewing tobacco, it's very difficult to stop.

Tobacco also contains chemicals that mutate the DNA in your lung cells, causing cancer. In fact, smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer, and increases your risk of developing other cancers as well.

But smoking doesn't just affect your lungs. Your heart suffers too. Nicotine narrows blood vessels and decreases the amount of good cholesterol in the blood, leading to high blood pressure and heart disease.

On average, adults who smoke cigarettes die 13-14 years earlier than nonsmokers. Approximately 440,000 Americans die each year from diseases directly related to tobacco use.

Researchers have identified more than 4,800 chemical compounds in tobacco smoke; of these, at least 40 cause cancer in humans.

Preventing Obesity and Chronic Diseases thru Good Nutrition and Physical Activity

Physical Activity and Weight Control

Tobacco Information and Prevention Source (TIPS)

Utah Department of Health Tobacco Free Program

Supported by the Utah Department of Health Chronic Disease Genomics Program through Cooperative Agreement Number U58/CCU822802 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.