Bri
I Love You to Pieces!
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Re: lowering cholesterol
A FEW TIPS FOR LOWERING CHOLESTEROL
Vicki Martin - Dietitian
What is cholesterol?
A white waxy substance normally found in all healthy cell membranes and necessary for the production of a variety of hormones. Most of the cholesterol in our body is produced by the liver, and the level in the blood is affected by certain types of food we eat.
What causes high blood cholesterol?
A diet too high in saturated fats found mostly in animal products e.g. meat, chicken, eggs, dairy
A genetic tendency to high blood cholesterol (runs in families)
Inefficient liver function due to a variety of reasons - stress, caffeine, lack of exercise, smoking, alcohol, overweight
Hormonal problems e.g. underactive thyroid gland
What problems can cholesterol cause?
Excessive amounts of cholesterol in the body may build up in the artery walls over time, narrowing and hardening them until the blood flow is reduced. This increases the risk of heart disease (angina and heart attacks), and stroke.
What are the different types of cholesterol?
There are two main types of cholesterol; one of which can protect against heart disease, the other can cause it. All cholesterol is carried in the blood by proteins - together they are called lipoproteins.
High density lipoproteins (HDL) are termed 'good' because they remove cholesterol from artery walls. A higher level of HDL is actually protective against heart disease.
Low density lipoproteins (LDL) are termed 'bad' because they deposit on the artery walls. It is very important to try lower the level of LDL to reduce the risk of heart problems.
Which foods contain cholesterol?
Most cholesterol in the body is made in the liver from saturated fat in the diet, thus the important thing is to reduce your saturated fat intake as much as possible.
Fatty meats and full-fat dairy products are particularly high in saturated fat.
Some foods e.g. prawns are high in cholesterol, but low in saturated fat. Cholesterol intake per se should not be excessive, but it plays a much lesser role than saturated fat in determining your blood cholesterol level.
Most plant foods such as fruits, vegetables and cereal grains contain no fat or cholesterol.
What foods should you avoid?
Cream, butter, cheeses, icecream, milk
Vegetable fats such as palm oil or vegetable shortenings, some margarines
Takeaways and fried or roasted foods that have had fat or oils added to them
Meat pies, pastry, croissants, cheese-coated bread
Sausage, luncheon sausage, salami
Cakes, biscuits, puddings
Chocolate and snack bars high in fat
Roasted, salted nuts, crisps, crackers
Alcohol - reduce to two evenings per week or drink low alcohol versions of wine and beer
Eggs - no more than three per week
Foods to enjoy
High fibre foods help to produce HDL cholesterol. Include daily:
Wholegrain breads, cereals, brown rice, wholegrain pasta
Leave skins on vegetables and eat them e.g. potatoes, kumara, taro
Use wholegrain rolled oats for porridge or muesli, or add oat bran to breakfast cereals
Avoid sugar and white flour in cooking and baked goods
Fresh fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants and vitamin C which protect the artery walls. Include daily:
Three servings of fruit - raw, cooked, or tinned without sugar
Two to five servings of vegetables - either raw as salads or lightly cooked.
Include both green and red/yellow/orange vegetables
Choose lean meats, skinned poultry, or fish to reduce LDL cholesterol
Use lean meats, cut all visible fat off, buy low-fat mince
Do not eat the skin on poultry
Eat up to three fish meals a week. Fish helps to reduce LDL levels
Do not roast or fry foods. Instead, grill, bake, boil, or steam
Take care with dairy foods
Use low-fat yoghurts, cottage cheeses, ricotta, quark and reduced-fat yellow cheeses
Keep milk intake down and low in fat
Keep cheeses such as cheddar, fancy cheeses, and fetta cheeses to a minimum
Try soy milk for a change and use soy beans, tofu, and soy icecream
Avoid icecream - use low fat and low sugar versions or fruit-based jellies and sorbets
Coconut cream and milk are high in saturated fat which produces LDL cholesterol
Go vegetarian
Eat dishes containing beans, lentils, chickpeas, soybeans, tofu and tempeh - these do not contain cholesterol and they are high in fibre
Eat pastry-less quiches, and lasagne dishes made with ricotta, cottage, or quark cheeses
Use the good oils
Use monounsaturated oils and margarines e.g. olive and canola, these raise HDL cholesterol levels
Avoid using butter, a saturated fat, or only use small amounts of unsalted butter
Polyunsaturated oils such as sunflower, safflower, corn, soy, and nut oils will lower LDL cholesterol, but may also reduce the level of HDL cholesterol
Choose takeaway foods that have minimal frying such as stir-fried Asian dishes
Choose low-fat mayonnaises, soups, sauces, and salad dressings
Further tips for lowering cholesterol
Exercise daily for a minimum of half an hour
Reduce stress where possible
Drink less tea, coffee, chocolate drinks and colas
Stop smoking (smoking reduces the good HDL cholesterol)
Aim for a healthy body weight
Message edited 8/28/2006 11:04:20 AM.
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Bri
I Love You to Pieces!
Member since 5/05 9919 total posts
Name:
Brianne
|
Re: lowering cholesterol
10 Tips On How To Lower Cholesterol
By Ispas Marin
Article Word Count: 674 [View Summary] Comments (0)
Seriously high levels of ‘bad’ cholesterol (LDL) represent a menacing cause of heart disease. By lowering the LDL level in your blood, you will automatically lower the total level of the cholesterol in your body (the HDL also known as the ‘good’ cholesterol and the LDL – the ‘bad’ cholesterol) and it will prevent the occurrence of heart disease. You can use a drug treatment to lower the cholesterol level, but you can also use a more healthy method – the dietary agents and food supplements that will lower your cholesterol in a natural way. In other words, a diet low in saturated fats and rich in fibres may help you lower cholesterol levels downwards to a normal limit.
We will offer you some piece of advice on what exactly to eat and what not to eat during a diet in order to lower cholesterol level. Keep in mind that this diet it is not very difficult to respect, it requires strength of will and determination to retain yourself from eating the ‘bad’ foods. The tips below should be followed for a period of one month, and then you should get your cholesterol level checked again to see the results of the diet.
1. The first thing you have to do is to reduce the amount of red meat in your daily alimentation. You will replace it with white meat (poultry) and fish which have a low fat level.
2. It is absolutely necessary for you to eliminate or at least to eat less saturated fats. This means that you should start having skimmed milk, low cholesterol spread or light cheese, instead of your normal foods. These light products may not be as tasty as the fat ones, but they care save your life.
3. A healthy diet means a healthy digestion. Foods that are high in fibre (like whole grain cereals or muesli) will eventually help you lower cholesterol by eliminating the dietary fats.
4. Stop frying your food and start grilling them. It prevents the loss of vitamins from the vegetables; therefore you will eat healthier.
5. Eating out can be a test for your determination to lower cholesterol. The best method to pass this test is to eat mainly in restaurants that are serving low cholesterol dishes. In order to avoid ruining your diet, you should ask for the dressings and gravies to be served separately so that you will control the quantity you are eating. Don’t eat them in excess. Try to eat a healthy salad instead of French fries. We know, it is not as tasty but it will lower the ‘evil’ cholesterol.
5. Stop being a ‘couch potato’, start exercising every day. You can do aerobics, you can walk or jog, you can even play basketball, but it is absolutely necessary for you to do it every day.
6. Tropical oils don’t do you good. If you want to get a lower cholesterol level you must start using vegetable oils (olive oil is the best choice) or canola oils.
7. Always read the label on the food products you are buying to be sure of what you are buying in terms of fats level.
8. Now let’s talk about alcohol. Drinking is not exactly your best activity during a diet, as it can ruin your efforts, but latest research has shown that a glass of red wine per day can lower cholesterol in some cases.
9. A cholesterol lowering medication if it is prescribed or recommended by a physician will have maximum effectiveness for your diet if you will respect it entirely.
10. And we saved the best for last. Always remember that a diet for reducing cholesterol level will definitely help you lose weight. Happy eating!
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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ispas_Marin
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