We all need some cholesterol but there is good and bad. We need some of the good, and very little of the bad. Too much cholesterol can be a serious problem for your health and can put you at risk of a heart attack and also for long term heart disease. Approximately 1 in 3 Americans (over 100 million) have high cholesterol. The same proportion (around 30%) of all people in the developed word have this problem. This article includes info on the good and bad kinds of cholesterol and what to do about both.
1. HDL
HDL’s, or High Density Lipoproteins, are the “good guys.” The HDL attach themselves to “bad guy” cholesterol and conduct them through your liver and out your body.
2. LDL
LDL’s, or Low Density Lipoproteins, are the “bad guys” that we don’t want in our bodies. It’s the LDL’s that clog our arteries and can cause heart disease.
Creating a good balance between HDL’s and LDL’s is the key to keeping cholesterol firmly under control.
These are the desirable levels: HDL’s - above 45; LDL’s below 130.
These are borderline levels: HDL’s – 35-45; LDL’s – 130-160
Undesirable (see your MD): HDL’s below 35; LDL’s above 160
Eating the right foods can greatly reduce your cholesterol. Below is a list of the kinds of foods that have been shown to reduce cholesterol.
Cooking with Oils
There are so many cooking oils out there. Depending on your cooking habits, cooking with the healthy ones can make a big difference in your cholesterol levels.
Here are some good oils:
· Canola oil
· Olive oil
· Grapeseed oil
· Flax seed oil
· Soy bean oil
Chocolate is good for you
This may have surprised you but, yes, dark (not milk) chocolate can actually help reduce your cholesterol. People who eat cocoa powder and dark chocolate have lower levels
of bad LDL cholesterol and 4% higher levels of good HDL cholesterol! But that’s no reason to go overboard; moderation is the key.
Nuts are good for you too
Nuts (especially almonds and walnuts) are on this list because they have been shown that if you eat 25 almonds a day for 1 month you can cut bad LDL cholesterol by 4 percent and raise good HDL cholesterol by 5% ( extract from Circulation, Sept 10, 2002).
The Truth about Eggs
Throughout the last 60-80 years, a lot of people have had a lot to say about eggs, much of it untrue. Are they good? Are they bad? While eggs are good for you, they do have a lot of cholesterol. Holly McCord, RD (www.prevention.com) says, “Since one large egg has about 210 mg of cholesterol--almost three-quarters of the 300-mg daily limit set by the American Heart Association (AHA)--you can eat the occasional one if you pair it with low cholesterol
foods the rest of the day.”
Poultry
In general, chicken and turkey are low in saturated fat, especially when the skin is removed. This can really reduce your cholesterol, specifically when you’re substituting poultry for red meat.
Be Menu Smart
These days most restaurants have low cholesterol sections on their menus. If you don’t see one, ask your waitress; it may be on a separate menu. You can also ask for smaller, or appetizer-sizes portions of your order.
Be Smart with your Snacking
Yes, you can snack. There are lots of cholesterol friendly snacks you can eat. Just be smart about it, you can eat too much, even of the good things. Among the cholesterol friendly snack foods are:
Graham crackers, Rye crisps, Soda crackers, Melba toast, Bagels, Fruit, English Muffins, Cereals, Popcorn (no butter) and Pretzels
Friendly Desserts
There are a lot of cholesterol friendly desserts to tempt your taste buds. So, before you say “no” to temptation, consider these:
Fruit ices, Sherbet, Angel food cake, Gelatin. Frozen yogurt
Soluble Fiber
Adding soluble fiber to your diet can help you get your cholesterol down. The soluble kind of fiber, such as that found in oat bran, is the type of fiber that actually washes away the bad cholesterol that clings to the inner walls of the arteries. Most heart replacement patients are advised by their surgeons to include a daily portion of oat bran in their food regime. Consuming an adequate amount of water-soluble fiber each day may reduce cholesterol levels by up to 20%.
According to Jennifer Moll of about.com, oatmeal also lowers cholesterol. The oat fibers mix with cholesterol in the small intestine and carry the cholesterol out of the body instead of it being absorbed into the blood. The Food and Drug Administration is also convinced of this, as oatmeal was the first food to carry the distinction on its label to lower cholesterol levels.
Other Cholesterol smart foods include, breads and cereals, beans (lima, kidney, soy etc), fish, fruit (including some juices like cranberry, orange and tomato), vegetables, black tea, honey, cottage and other low-fat cheese.
Foods to avoid:
Trans-fat foods are foods with the wrong types of fat in them – the fats
that can send your cholesterol levels soaring. Here’s a list of ten bad ones:
Cake mixes, Cereal bars and energy bars, Chips and crackers, Dried soups, Fast food,
Frozen entrées, Margarine, Nondairy creamers and whipped topping, Packaged cookies and candy, Packaged doughnuts, pies, and cakes.
What else can you do?
Get A Move On
Eating the right foods goes hand in hand with exercise. Getting your heart pumping is a great
way to get healthy. Here are some good things to do to get that cholesterol where it needs to
be:
Golf - According to Michele Stanten, Prevention.com's Fitness Director, when 55 sedentary, middle-age men started playing golf two or three times a week, over a five month period they Increased "good" HDL cholesterol by 5%, and lowered "bad" LDL cholesterol and triglycerides by 4%.
Walking - Walking is a very effective exercise for getting healthy. In fact, taking a 15-20 minute walk every day can reduce your bad cholesterol by up to 8%.
Lose Weight - If your weight is higher than it should be, slimming down may significantly lower your cholesterol level. Even shedding just five to ten pounds may be enough to improve your cholesterol level. Be careful not to crash diet though. A mere half pound per week is steady and healthy.
Cut Stress - Stress can have a powerful, indirect effect on your cholesterol levels. If
you have too much extra anxiety, your body gets out of whack, and your LDL’s can sky-rocket. Here are some good ways to cut that stress:
• Take ten minute breaks during the day to relax and/or meditate
• Laugh often
• Pamper yourself
• Socialize
Quit Smoking - There are thousands of reasons to stop smoking. One of these reasons is to
lower your cholesterol. Smoking is a cause of high cholesterol levels and heart disease. It also raises the amount of LDL cholesterol ("bad" cholesterol), and lowers the amount of HDL cholesterol ("good" cholesterol). The good news is, if you stop smoking now, you can reverse
this damage.
Make a Commitment - All lifestyle changes take commitment. If your goal is to lower your
cholesterol, make it a real commitment. Make menus. Find an exercise buddy. Schedule your days. As you work at it, those numbers will come down and you’ll feel great!
|
Contributor's Note
If you need more info on this subject, please contact the author at info @ monetarylogistics.com
|
