Cholesterol

Cholesterol Eating a sensible diet low in saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol and high in fibre and vitamins, getting moderate exercise, and losing excess weight are important ways you can lower your high cholesterol level. For many people, these lifestyle changes may be all that is needed to decrease LDL cholesterol and raise HDL cholesterol. Some food and nutrients you should eat more: Oatmeal Oatmeal contains soluble fibre, which reduces your low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the "bad" cholesterol. Soluble fibre is also found in such foods as kidney beans, apples, pears, psyllium, barley and prunes. Soluble fibre appears to reduce the absorption of cholesterol in your intestines. Ten grams or more of soluble fibre a day decreases your total LDL cholesterol. Try organic oatmeal warm or cold and add fruits and cinnamon if you like. (Birchermusli) Walnuts, almonds and more Studies have shown that walnuts can significantly reduce blood cholesterol. Rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, walnuts also help keep blood vessels healthy and elastic. Almonds & hazelnut, appear to have a similar effect, resulting in a marked improvement within just four weeks. But all nuts are high in calories, so a handful will do. As with any food, eating too much can cause weight gain, and being overweight places you at higher risk of heart disease. To avoid gaining weight, replace foods high in saturated fat with nuts. For example, instead of using sausage, bacon, meat or croutons in your salad, add a handful of nuts or avocado. Omega-3 fatty acids Research has supported the cholesterol-lowering benefits of eating food with high levels of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids also help the heart in other ways such as reducing blood pressure and the risk of blood clots. In people who have already had heart attacks, fish oil — or omega-3 fatty acids — significantly reduces the risk of sudden death. Cholesterol Food & Nutrition 1

Omega-3 fatty acids you can find in: flaxseed oil, soy beans, canola oil, fatty fish There are many Omega -3 and fish oil supplements on the market. Supplements in general have never the same value as food, while the body can only take vitamins and minerals in certain combinations to each other. But a supplement is in this case better than nothing. Olive oil Olive oil contains a potent mix of antioxidants that can lower your "bad" (LDL) cholesterol but leave your "good" (HDL) cholesterol untouched. Use about 2 tablespoons (23 grams) of extra virgin olive oil a day to get its heart- healthy benefits. To add olive oil to your diet, you can sauté vegetables in it, add it to a marinade, or mix it with vinegar as a salad dressing. But avoid "light" olive oils. This label usually means the oil is more processed and lighter in colour, not fat or calories. Included in the list below are also nutrients with high in niacin (B3). Niacin is one of the main natural medicines in cholesterol treatments with impressive overall benefits. (Niacin can be purchased as a supplement but it is recommended to try with food first) Some guidelines: Number of Food group Serving size servings Lean meat, poultry, No more 1 medium piece maximum a day of lean meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, and than 5 or fish. dry peas, soy ounces total Replace the meat with dry beans, tofu, soy beans or beans, a day peas Eggs No more 1 whole egg. Egg whites are not limited. Boiled not deep than 2 yolks fried. a week Milk and milk Max. 2 a Either milk, cheese or yogurt per serving products day Cholesterol Food & Nutrition 2

Fruits 3–5 a day Fruits if possible with the skin. Berries are high in antioxidants. Pineapple, papaya in enzymes, pomelo & guave, oranges in vit. C. Apples, pears, bananas, dates in pectin. Best is a mix of all. Whole fruits contain more fibre and pectin than juice. Vegetables 3–5 a day Especially good to lower cholesterol: Celery, beetroot, aubergine, garlic, onion, peppers, chilli, artichokes, bell peppers, tomatoes, leaf vegetables (green) broccoli, carrots, asparagus Bread, cereals, 3–5 a day 1 cold cereal dish with fruits pasta, rice, and Whole grain bread, pasta and rice. Particularly oatmeal legumes barley, amaranth and buckwheat. (different organic Pasta, noodles are available in Carrefour) Fat and oils 3–5 a day Use monounsaturated oil, such as canola, olive, flaxseed, rice bran oil or nuts and seeds. Walnuts, almonds, hazelnut Other beneficial Avocado, cocoa butter, brewer’s yeast, turmeric, nutrients honey, shellfish different sprout’s like alfalfa, shitake mushrooms, saffron Safflower, hibiscus rosella, green, ginger, ginseng tea Stay away from: - Sausages, bacon, fatty meat - deep fried food - pastry and deep fried sweets, biscuits, chips etc. Next to eating healthy, moderate exercise would also help reducing your cholesterol level. Just 30 min. normal walking and using the stairs in the MTR/BTS station instead the elevator, would make a difference. Cholesterol Food & Nutrition 3

Cholesterol

by bangkokhealth on Aug 13, 2009

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Cholesterol — Document Transcript