Saturday, October 10, 2009

What do you do to lower your bad cholesterol levels?

Need to lower LDL (low density lipoprotein - I call it Lethal)
and increase HDL (high density lipoprotein - I call it Healthy)


1) Cut back on saturated fat and dietary cholesterol (animal products)
    a) red meat - 3 oz (which is one serving) 1x a week
    b) milk - bring it down to 1% low fat (2% has too much fat - it is practically the same as whole)
    c) eggs - 1x week
    Eat chicken, turkey (try ground), and fish (salmon is very good) more often


2) Exercise more and on a regular basis
    walking briskly is enough - 3x a week for 30 min each time
   start off slow – 10 minutes a day and gradually increase up to 30 minutes.
   To avoid injury, you’ll want to increase the length of your walks by no more than  10 to 20  percent  from week to week.


3) Drink 8 ounces of water an hour before you start walking, then another 4 to 5 ounces just before you start. To determine how much fluid you need to replace after exercising, weigh yourself before and after. For every pound lost, you should drink 16 ounces.


4) Lose excess weight
    You can build up lean muscle.


5) Consume more soluble fiber
    a) fruits & vegetables
    b) whole wheat grains and bread (make sure it states ingredient #1 made from  whole wheat)
    c) dry beans - have these on a regular basis a couple times (at least 3 or 4) a week
    d) oats - oatmeal, oat bran, or Cheerios cereal every single day!
   Just as in doing exercise, remember to drink plenty of water. The fiber will not do its job  without water.


6) Consume soy protein
    try soy milk. The "Silk" brand is very good (delicious).
    eat soy beans (boiled or steamed)


7) Oil
    a) olive oil - for salads and cold foods
    b) canola oil - for frying (it is cheaper and healthier for you).
    I advise to cut back on fried food.
   c) butter (saturated fat) and margarine (hydrogenated) - try to eliminate both of these from your   diet. If you must spread something on your bread, try tub or soft margarine. But the   healthiest choice is a non-hydrogenated spread such as "Smart Balance". It tastes good too.


8) Garlic
    consume one half to one clove garlic daily
    not advised if you take aspirin because both are blood thinners


9) B-Complex vitamin
    help to remove homocysteine from your blood (homocysteine is an independent risk factor
    for cardiovascular disease.
   (also good for memory and brain function, metabolism and for the electron transport chain to       work properly)
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High Fiber foods
* fruits & vegetables - with peel
* whole wheat grain & bread
* oats
* soy - whole beans and milk
* legumes - dry beans
Have blood checked for:
a) Iron - you may have too much iron in your blood and may need to donate some blood.
b) Uric acid level
Both of these can elevate serum cholesterol

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