Lowering Your High Cholesterol?

Lowering Your High Cholesterol?

Too much cholesterol in the blood can lead to heart disease and stroke America’s No. 1 and No. 4 killers. You can reduce your cholesterol by eating healthful foods, losing weight if you need to and being physically active. Some people also need to take medicine because changing their diet isn’t enough. Your doctor and nurses will help you set up a plan for reducing your cholesterol and keeping yourself healthy!

Most heart and blood vessel disease is caused by a buildup of cholesterol, plaque and other fatty deposits in artery walls. The arteries that feed the heart can become so clogged that the blood flow is reduced, causing chest pain. If a blood clot forms and blocks the artery, a heart attack can occur. Similarly, if a blood clot blocks an artery leading to or in the brain, a stroke results.

What should I eat?
1. Focus on low-saturated-fat, trans fat-free, low-cholesterol foods such as these:

2. A variety of deeply colored fruits and vegetables (4 to 5 servings of each per day)

3. A variety of fiber-rich grain products like whole grain bread, cereal, pasta and brown rice. (6 to 8 servings per day with at least half of the servings whole grains)

4. Fat-free, 1 percent and low-fat milk products (2 to 3 servings per day)

5. Lean meats and poultry without skin (choose up to 5 to 6 total ounces per day)

6. Fatty fish (enjoy at least 2 servings baked or grilled each week)

7. Nuts, seeds, and legumes (dried beans or peas) in limited amounts (4 to 5 servings per week).\

8. Unsaturated vegetable oils like canola, corn, olive, safflower and soybean oils (but a limited amount of tub or liquid unsalted margarines and spreads made from them)

What should I limit?
1. Whole milk, cream and ice cream
2. Butter, egg yolks and cheese and foods made with them
3. Organ meats like liver, sweetbreads, kidney and brain
4. High-fat processed meats like sausage, bologna, salami and hot dogs
5. Fatty meats that aren’t trimmed
6. Duck and goose meat (raised for market)
7. Bakery goods made with egg yolks, saturated fats and trans fats.
8. Saturated oils like coconut oil, palm oil and palm kernel oil
9. Solid fats like shortening, partially hydrogenated margarine and lard
10. Fried foods

Excercise
a. Aerobic exercises are probably the best approach to lowering cholesterol.  Walking, cycling or swimming are good examples of aerobic exercise.

b. Your goal should be to exercise at least 4 days per week for cardiovascular benefit, 6 days per week if desiring weight loss.

c. Measure your pulse rate (if possible) before, during (midway), and after exercise.  The pulse can be found near your wrist (thumb side, called radial pulse) or on the neck (carotid).  Count the number of pulses in 15 seconds, then multiply by four (4) to give the number of pulses per minute.

d. If you choose walking as your exercise, you should gradually work up to 45 to 60 minutes per session (or per day: exercise has a cumulative effect).