Cholesterol has important natural functions in your body, but if levels in the blood get too high, it can put you at risk of a heart attack. There is low-density lipoprotein (LDL-bad cholesterol), which is known as bad cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein (HDL- good cholesterol) known as good cholesterol.
Cholesterol contributes to the structure of cell walls, makes up digestive bile acids that helps the absorption of fats in the intestine, allows the body to produce Vitamin D and enables the body to make certain hormones. High levels of LDL can lead to a build-up of cholesterol in the arteries, whereas HDL carries cholesterol to the liver where it can either be reused or removed from the body.
High cholesterol levels can be as a result of poor diet and lack of exercise. Changing your diet and lifestyle can help lower your blood cholesterol and reduce your risk of heart disease. The key is getting your bad cholesterol down and keeping your good cholesterol up.
Healthy diet and an active lifestyle will help lower your bad cholesterol.
Follow these tips:
Eat the right fats such as fats from seafood and plant sources and choose olive oil, canola oil, and nut oils. Get into the habit of checking nutrition labels for grams of saturated fat per serving. Eat more fish that contain omega 3 fatty acids like sardines, fresh mackerel, and tuna. These foods help lower blood fat levels and reduce the risk of blood clots. Vegetables and fish oils can help reduce blood LDL levels.
Eating less animal foods can lower your blood cholesterol. If you have to eat beef or chicken, remove all skin and visible fat before cooking. Avoid organ meat such as liver, milk fat and shellfish because these are loaded with cholesterol and consider limiting the number of egg yolks you consume weekly. Eat more cholesterol lowering foods such as plant based proteins foods, legumes, nuts and garlic.
These super foods will help lower cholesterol levels.
Nuts – try having a handful a day
Beans, lentils
Oats
Fruits and vegetables
Mainly fats from Plant sources for example, avocado, flax or linseed oil, canola, Olive and vegetable oils.
Yam, dasheen, breadfruit, cassava, sweet potato
Avoid butter, hard margarines, lard, fatty and processed meat and full fat dairy products; these are not the best options for balancing your cholesterol levels.
Get regular exercise. It gets your heart rate up, raises the level of good cholesterol in your blood. Exercise is one of the few cholesterol-lowering activities that lowers total cholesterol, raises HDLs and lowers LDLs and stimulates the body to manufacture more good cholesterol.
Your mental and emotional state is also important to help control your cholesterol. Stress releases stress hormones, such as adrenaline, which can elevate blood cholesterol levels. A daily relaxation program, such as meditation, deep-breathings or mental imagery can lower blood cholesterol.
If you already have high cholesterol, temporarily switching to a vegetarian diet with fish and non-fat dairy products, such as yogurt may help lower your levels quickly. Talk to your doctor about the types of exercise that are ok to try and fit in as much exercise as possible into your day.
(Submitted by the Grenada Food & Nutrition Council)