Live Healthy Newsletter September 2014
Know Your Numbers
As your trusted health partner, Capital BlueCross provides
a variety of programs to help you understand numbers —
not your everyday addition and subtraction type of
numbers, but the ones that are important to your health.
Capital BlueCross
offers Condition
Management programs
to help you manage
and improve your
We call these numbers your biometrics.
numbers. For
information, register or
Here are a few of our bodies’ biometric numbers, what
they mean, and why they are important:
log into your secure
member page at
capbluecross.com.
Blood Pressure
Your blood pressure reading includes two numbers: the systolic number (pressure level
when your heart beats) and diastolic number (pressure when your heart is at rest).
Prehypertension — when your blood pressure levels are higher than desirable — is an
indicator that you are at risk for high blood pressure if you don’t take preventive
measures.
High blood pressure — or hypertension — usually has no symptoms, but it can cause
serious problems over time such as stroke, heart failure, heart attack and kidney failure.

Normal blood pressure: 119/79 or lower

Prehypertension: 120-139/80-89

High blood pressure: 140/90 or higher
Cholesterol
Your body needs cholesterol, a fat-like substance in your blood, to make hormones,
process vitamin D, and digest food among other functions. Your body makes all the
Health care benefit programs issued or administered by Capital BlueCross and/or its subsidiaries Capital Advantage Insurance
Company®, Capital Advantage Assurance Company® and Keystone Health Plan® Central. Independent licensees of the BlueCross
BlueShield Association serving 21 counties in Central Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley. Communications issued by Capital
BlueCross in its capacity as administrator of programs and provider relations for all companies.
Live Healthy Newsletter September 2014
cholesterol it needs. However, cholesterol also is found in high numbers in some of the
foods you eat, such as red meats and dairy products.
If you have too much cholesterol in your body, it can build up in the walls of your
arteries and increase your risk of developing heart disease and other blood vessel
problems.

Desirable total cholesterol level = less than 200 mg/dL

Desirable LDL (bad cholesterol) level = Less than 100 mg/dL

Desirable HDL (good cholesterol) level = 60 mg/dL and above
Blood Glucose
Diabetes is a disease in which your blood glucose levels, or sugar levels, are too high.
Prediabetes is a condition in which your blood sugar level is higher than normal, but not
high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes.
Over time, having too much glucose in your blood can cause serious problems. Even if
you don't have diabetes, you may still have problems with too high or too low blood
sugar. Keeping a regular schedule of eating, activity, and taking any medicines you
need can help.

Normal blood glucose level = 70 to 99 mg/dL

Prediabetes = 100 to 125 mg/dL

Diabetes = 126 mg/dL and above
Note: Tests should be performed 8-12 hours after fasting, and repeated on another day to confirm results.
Body Mass Index (BMI)
Health care benefit programs issued or administered by Capital BlueCross and/or its subsidiaries Capital Advantage Insurance
Company®, Capital Advantage Assurance Company® and Keystone Health Plan® Central. Independent licensees of the BlueCross
BlueShield Association serving 21 counties in Central Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley. Communications issued by Capital
BlueCross in its capacity as administrator of programs and provider relations for all companies.
Live Healthy Newsletter September 2014
BMI, which accounts for your height and weight, can estimate body fat and gauge risk
for diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, gallstones,
respiratory problems, and certain cancers.
Although BMI can be used for most men and women, it may overestimate body fat in
athletes and others who have a muscular build, or underestimate body fat in older
persons and others who have lost muscle.

Underweight = BMI below 18.5

Healthy weight = BMI 18.5-24.9

Overweight = BMI 25.0-29.9

Obesity = BMI above 29.9
- Source: NIH.gov
Capbluecross.com now available in Spanish
To access capbluecross.com in Spanish, simply visit the site and click “Español” in the
top left corner.
Cucumber Tea Sandwiches
INGREDIENTS (Serves 10)
1 loaf pumpernickel bread (thin sandwich bread)
6 teaspoons fresh goat cheese
1/2 English cucumber, thinly sliced lengthwise
2 tablespoons red onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon fresh dill sprigs
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes (optional)
2 radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons black sesame seeds
DIRECTIONS
Spread bread with goat cheese and layer with cucumber slices. Top with red onion, radish, and
dill. Season with salt.
Health care benefit programs issued or administered by Capital BlueCross and/or its subsidiaries Capital Advantage Insurance
Company®, Capital Advantage Assurance Company® and Keystone Health Plan® Central. Independent licensees of the BlueCross
BlueShield Association serving 21 counties in Central Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley. Communications issued by Capital
BlueCross in its capacity as administrator of programs and provider relations for all companies.
Live Healthy Newsletter September 2014
NUTRITION
Calories 62 | Fat 2 g | Carbohydrates 8 g | Protein 2 g
Health care benefit programs issued or administered by Capital BlueCross and/or its subsidiaries Capital Advantage Insurance
Company®, Capital Advantage Assurance Company® and Keystone Health Plan® Central. Independent licensees of the BlueCross
BlueShield Association serving 21 counties in Central Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley. Communications issued by Capital
BlueCross in its capacity as administrator of programs and provider relations for all companies.