TIP # 2: When we opt for convenience in eating over nutrition, we are setting ourselves up for problems. Eating fast foods and convenience foods results in eating too many fats and salts, which can raise our bad cholesterol levels.
If you are not active regularly, it gets worse. This build-up is inevitable. YOU CANNOT LIVE SUCCESSFULLY ON THIS TYPE OF FOOD! The recent movie “Super size Me.” Documents a failed fictional attempt at doing so and is quite an eyeopener.
It is how to go wrong with cholesterol in 30 days or less!
Getting good advice on nutrition and healthy eating, choices to lower your cholesterol is always time and effort well spent. THIS IS SOMETHING YOU CAN GET
STARTED ON RIGHT AWAY!
JUST 20 minutes of aerobic exercise (like walking) per day is all it will take MAKE THIS A PRIORITY, FUN and you will soon see the benefit and rewards as well.
YOU DO NOT EVEN HAVE TO GO TO A GYM TO DO IT! Activities with your family before/after dinner every day, should be a priority.
GET MOVING is the secret to your body, system and your health, heart and future will thank you! Do things that you really enjoy, do not make it a chore and it will become second nature before you know it. Also do enough or the right type and intensity to get the optimal result from it.
Nutrition, Diet and Food choices – WHAT IS ON THE MENU AND GROCERY LIST?
Here is a list of things you can start changing right away , if you have not been doing it…
START BY CHOOSING healthier and preferable LOW-FAT foods
Buying unsaturated fats and oils as the BEST alternative!
Cooking-sprays (low-fat) to replace oils and cut fat from our diet MORE!
Kitchen habits and food preparation techniques that do not require oil (stirfry, steam, boil etc.)
No deep-frying or foods baked/prepared in heavy oils
Heritage and Genetics
Thank your genes and DNA for some of your cholesterol levels and bodily dynamics!
IT does have a role to play here.
Ask and answer: Is there anyone in your family that suffers from high cholesterol?
Alert your physician of this as well, especially with a family history that includes heart disease and high cholesterol levels.
You cannot fight or deny genetics and the role that it plays/can play, BUT you can choose actively to live differently! This is exactly what this book proposes! Let us learn some more about this topic now.
Age and Gender
It is an undeniable fact of aging that the older you get the higher you cholesterol levels will get. It is however also a question of reality and maintenance. Especially when menopause hits for women. We tend to see a higher occurrence of cholesterol issues when this sets in. Women easily surpass men at this point and have to do a great deal to manage and lower their cholesterol and risk of disease.
Ensure that your age does not threaten your heart health. Stay active and eat rightand monitor your cholesterol levels regularly.
Why And How Cholesterol And Your Arteries Have An Uneasy
Alliance!
Moving things around and in effect pumping and circulating blood is the task of the heart and arteries.
Here is why arteries and cholesterol have an uneasy partnership at best:
It is an intricate network of circulatory genius, from the dorsal aorta (main
artery) and/or its branching out into many other and smaller arteries to transport blood and oxygen throughout the body.
This is a necessary bodily function that keeps us in good health and tip-top shape.
It is never a good thing to have too much cholesterol in the blood - especially bad cholesterol for it does effectively prevent these arteries from working like they should and/or optimally.
Cholesterol is an arterial wall enemy! It may clog, block, stop and damage them, keeping them from doing what they should.
Cholesterol puts your health at serious risk and can even threaten your life.
Most physicians will advise you that the diagnosis is dire. These blockages, build-up on the arterial walls are disastrous and kill you. It is that simple and intervention is required with urgency and immediacy to preserve your life.
From a patients perspective it is important to understand that keeping these arteries free of bad cholesterol for optimal health is paramount.
Arteries are constructed of a tough exterior and a soft, smooth interior and when cholesterol is a problem it is like a thickening of this fatty substance on the arterial walls, like plaque build up that restrict the flow of blood and interferes with the functioning of the heart and circulatory system.
CHOLESTEROL: THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY!! Here is how your arteries work and function – THE GOOD
Each layer of these arteries is made up of epithelial cells.
The middle layer is elastic and very strong.
It helps pump the body's blood.
The inner layer is smooth and allows the blood to flow easily.
As the heart beats, the arteries expand and are filled with blood.
The heart relaxes and produces enough force to push the blood through.
If you are healthy, this whole intricate circulatory system works well with the oxygen-rich blood moving and transporting essentials throughout the bodysuccessfully so and unhindered.
Why cholesterol is not good for your arteries per se – THE BAD AND THE UGLY!
Any fatty deposits that causes blockages and obstacles that interfere puts you at risk for disease (heart attack and stroke)
These thick substances WILL prevent your body from working well.
Your heart will eventually become starved of the required blood – you are and will be at great risk. You might even die because of it.
When this build up and thickening occurs due to high levels of bad cholesterol, you need to deal with the problem and ‘unclog’ your arteries, getting rid of the residue and fatty deposits. For those of us with an early catch of this condition and a good prognosis, even clear arteries (for now), ALWAYS REMEMBER prevention is better than cure! There are medications, lifestyle changes and even invasive procedures to deal with this problem in order to hand you back your quality of life and deal effectively with lowering your cholesterol. Yesterdays top standards quickly becomes today/tomorrow’s entry-requirements. This is also true for cholesterol. Even borderline or acceptable levels of cholesterol will not be enough! Exercise and healthy eating is critical regardless! CHANGE YOUR LIFESTYLE, CHANGE YOUR LIFE AND YOUR FUTURE FOR THE BETTER! It will make a world of difference in the long run. Keeping your levels well within, even far below the accepted is to be highly recommended. There are some very simple steps all of us can take, deemed necessary to lower cholesterol and enjoy a better and possibly longer life. We will briefly look at some of them.
Lifestyle and food choices for Lower Cholesterol
Food choice, nutrition, diet, preparation, portion and types of food, regularity of meals, fats and salt, a variety of fresh foods are all part of this equation and dynamic.
YOU CAN CONTROL WHAT MAKES IT WAY INTO YOUR MOUTH! It is as simple as that. Willpower and discipline, informed, empowering and life-enabling choices are what this is all about.
Controlling your diet, is one of the things you can use to quickly get your cholesterol levels down and in check. IT IS ANOTHER GREAT FIRST STEP!
Be ‘picky’ about eating the right types of foods with 0% cholesterol!
Making the necessary changes will result quickly …
It is easy to understand and act on the fact that you should rather be following a low cholesterol and low fat diet. It is in your best interest, to get better and live a fuller life.
Set a goal of trying to reduce your cholesterol by at least 15 percent through your initial efforts and changed habits, lifestyle and food choices and intake.
Energy and feelings of wellness will return to your life as a bonus.
Our bodies are designed and meant to be moving! If you choose to engage in regular exercise schedules and routines this will raise your "good" HDL levels for a total package of healthy living. There is a positive correlation between the two.
But, what does eating right (following a low cholesterol and low fat diet) really mean? Here are some suggestions that might help you take a serious look at and even change and adapt your own lifestyle to one that is healthier and will sustain your heart health, lower your cholesterol and risk for disease and increase your longevity:
WATCH OUT FOR HIDDEN DANGERS! Try above else to avoid foods that contain harmful trans-fats such as margarine, salad dressing and sauces.
Rather opt for lemon juice and natural flavorings and get rid of all these added salts and fats! (Rather NOT ‘ADD’ for flavor – it could get you right back in trouble with those cholesterol levels).
WEIGHT MAINTENANCE SHOULD BE A PRIORITY. Being obese, overweight or simply just carrying some excess weight is never good for you. Seen from this perspective it can also contribute to cholesterol and to heart ailments. GET AND KEEP THE WEIGHT OFF! CUT CALORIES AND EAT FOR THE RIGHT REASON: Eat only enough calories to improve your healthy weight and reduce your blood cholesterol level.
KNOW, SET, STICK TO YOUR PLAN AND LIMITS! Eating and taking in LESS than 200 milligrams of dietary cholesterol each day, or follow the limits for dietary cholesterol that your doctor sets for you, which might be even less than ‘normal’ if deemed appropriate in your case.
LIMIT EVEN ELIMINATE IF YOU CAN SATURATED FATS FROM YOUR DIET (less than 7% of daily intake)
LESS SALT IS ALSO GOOD FOR YOU. Limit your sodium intake to 2400 milligrams a day.
If you are faced with really high/bad cholesterol levels, get very low portions of saturated fat in at all. Some say between 25-35% or less from ‘fat’ per se is a good rule of thumb.
OTHER TIPS INCLUDE:
Remember when your parents/doctor told you that fiber is your friend and actually good for you! It is true. Our bodies does need it to digest and deal with foods properly. Soluble fiber is BEST! Try new sources and foods full of it like:
• Dried peas and beans
• Fruits (especially oranges and pears)
• Oats, rye, and barley
• Vegetables (especially brussel sprouts and carrots)
There are also definitely TABOO or FOODS TO AVOID AT ALL COSTS FOR LOWERING YOUR CHOLESTEROL:
ALL foods high in cholesterol like egg yolks and full-fat dairy, even organ meats (liver/kidneys)
Fried and processed foods or foods high in fat and salt
High processed foods (deli meats, sausages, hot dogs, bologna, salami and fatty red meats)
Food-selection Tips
Animal products and all meats unfortunately have some/even lots of saturated fat and cholesterol. WE are advised to limit daily intake to 6 ounces or less to keep our cholesterol levels in check
Fish is your BEST option here for protein and nutrients! From the fat and cholesterol standpoint, it is much better than meat, even than chicken.
Some other useful cholesterol lowering and health-friendly methods and tips for dealing with meat and animal protein:
CHOOSE WISELY: Select lean cuts of meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs and nuts each week.
CUT FAT OFF/OUT: Skinless meats are best, lean cuts with no excess fat. DO NOT EAT THE SKIN OF CHICKEN FOR EXAMPLE – RATHER REMOVE IT!
EAT LESS OF IT: Smaller, more regular meals is better for your metabolism.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF PROTEIN AND ALL FOODGROUPS: Variety is the key, from all food-groups, every day.
TYPES AND CUTS OF MEAT: White meats, lean cuts with less ‘marbleizing’ (which is the cholesterol)