Aging and Fitness

In order to understand why it is important to lower cholesterol, it is necessary to first understand what cholesterol is.

Cholesterol is a fatty substance produced by the liver. Although it is important to overall health and body function, too much cholesterol in the body has damaging effects.

When cholesterol is at a good level it works to build and repair cells, produces hormones such as oestrogen and testosterone and produces bile acids, which aid in the digestion of fat.

High levels of cholesterol cause damage by clogging the arteries and putting us at risk of heart attack and stroke.

A diet high in saturated fats (full fat dairy, meat and eggs) will raise cholesterol levels, whilst a diet high in fruit, vegetables and grains has the opposite effect.

Cholesterol is carried round the body by lipoproteins - there are two main types:

High Density Lipoproteins (HDL.)
HDL is the ‘good' cholesterol and protects against risk of heart attack or stroke

Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL.)
LDL is also known as ‘bad' cholesterol and increases the risk of heart attack or stroke.

To maintain optimum health, you will need to know your levels of both LDL and HDL and will need to work hard to keep both levels in healthy ranges.

Besides diet, other causes of high cholesterol include lifestyle, gender and genetic predisposition.

Lifestyle issues and high cholesterol:

When we opt for convenience in eating instead of proper 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. In addition, a more sedentary lifestyle also contributes
to unhealthy levels of cholesterol. If you want to see a graphic representation of this, consider renting the documentary movie "Supersize Me." This documentary details the attempts of one man to live on fast foods and little exercise alone. The results on his cholesterol and body health in just 30 days are truly frightening.

Regular exercise will effectively lower cholesterol - just 20 minutes of aerobic exercise, including walking, each day will suffice. Exercise does not have to be a large time or money commitment. Simple activities that get you moving and that you enjoy enough to repeat are almost always adequate.

Arteries and Cholesterol

High levels of bad cholesterol lead to fatty deposits inside arteries, which can compromise the blood supply to vital structures e.g. if coronary arteries in the heart become blocked with these deposits a heart attack is almost inevitable. If your cholesterol levels are high adopting a healthy
diet is a must to ensure a healthy heart.

Eating for Lower Cholesterol

Eating is one of the things that can affect your cholesterol level a great deal. If you have too high cholesterol, the foods you eat can be one of the things you can control to most effectively and quickly lower your cholesterol. In fact, if you have elevated levels of high cholesterol, a healthy diet is the one thing that you must absolutely do in order to ensure heart health.

Following a low cholesterol and low fat diet necessitates that you must do the following:

Reduce your dietary saturated fat intake to less than 7% of your day's total calories and avoid foods made with trans fats such as margarine, salad dressing and sauces.

Eat more foods high in soluble fibre such as grains, fruits and vegetables.

Increasing your intake of fresh (not canned, not poached, not sweetened or boiled) fruits and vegetables significantly should be your first goal as you try to lower your cholesterol.

Avoid convenience foods and start cooking your own meals.

Cooking to lower your cholesterol is not very hard. There are a few basic foods that almost anyone can make that can keep your health in good shape:

Salads: Even if you are not an excellent cook, you can easily create a salad that is enticing. Simply chop up some favourite salad greens (lettuce mix, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots,zucchini, herbs) and garnish with a few nuts. You can also create a very low fat salad dressing by combining half an avocado with some herbs and lemon juice. Avoid croutons, bacon bits, and
whole milk products such as cheeses, eggs, and other high-fat foods in your salads. If you do want to add meat to your salad, opt for skinless poultry.

Fruit Salads: Chopping up some of your favourite fruits, berries, and lemons can make a beautiful and attractive salad that is very low fat. If you are using apples or other fruits that tend to "brown" in your salad, a squirt of lemon juice over your salad will keep your fruit salad attractive and healthy. A fruit salad is an especially excellent choice for breakfast or a later meal and is appropriate even for those who have very high cholesterol and so must follow a very low-fat and very low-cholesterol diet.

Sandwiches: Sandwiches are quite easy to make. Simply choose healthy breads or pitas or tortillas that are low in fats and salts and choose lots of vegetables for your sandwiches. Avoid highly processed deli and sandwich meats. Instead, use lean and skinless chicken or other poultry. Instead of fats or mayonnaise on your sandwiches - which can increase the fat content
of you sandwiches considerably - choose to flavour your sandwich with fresh sweet onions or low-sodium mustard or salsa.

Pastas: There are a number of pastas available, from fresh pasta or dried pasta to vegetablepastas and rice pastas. All can be made into delicious and heart-friendly meals.

Recap:

A low cholesterol diet is achieved by eating foods low in saturated fat and concentrating on the following:

Use herbs instead of salt in cooking.

Consume fat free, skim, or 1% dairy products

Watch out for bottled and canned drinks and especially for sports beverages - many are very high in sodium, calories, and sugars.

Choose only lean meats. Enjoy white meats, fish, and poultry rather than red meats.

Eat plenty of fish.

Enjoy only skinless poultry.

Select plenty of whole grain foods.

Eat lots of fruits.

Read food labels and choose foods low in fats (especially saturated, polyunsaturated, and hydrogenated fats), sodium, and cholesterol.

Choose fresh rather than processed, spiced, prepared, pickled or tinned foods. If you cannot find fresh produce out of season, try frozen foods that have no sauces or other ingredients added.

Eat lots of vegetables.

Conclusion:

Most of us know what we have to do to lower our cholesterol. Face it, most of us have been taught which foods are healthy and low in fat and which are less than good for us. However, adopting a very low-fat diet and healthier lifestyle is often challenging, especially if we have followed less than ideal eating and life patterns for some time. Although we may know which
foods we should be turning to and which lifestyle changes we need to make, we don't always do what is right but these simple dietary changes combined with exercise could save your life.

Consult your doctor and have your cholesterol levels checked - if they are normal continue eating healthily as above. If they are elevated you may be given a cholesterol lowering drug to take in conjunction with the suggested diet.