Weight Loss and Cholesterol Tips

Posted on May 4, 2008

Weight Loss and Cholesterol Tips

Butter Vs. Margarine: Which Is More Heart-Healthy?Okay, we’ll give you the straight facts and we won’t butter anything up for you. Although there are advocates of both butter and margarine, most cardiologists agree that if you have heart disease or are at risk and you are following a diet for high cholesterol, certain types of margarine are better for your heart than butter. Because margarine is made from vegetable oils, it contains no cholesterol. Butter is made from milk, which is an animal protein source, so it does contain cholesterol. Butter also contains saturated fat. But all margarines are not created equal. Many margarines are made from hydrogenated vegetable oil, which means that they contain trans fats; exactly what you want to avoid on a low cholesterol diet. Look for tub margarine rather than stick margarine. In general, the more solid the margarine is, the more trans fat it contains. Look for spreadable tub margarine with three grams or less of total fat, including both saturated fat and trans fat amounts. Are you a baker? Opt for butter. Not only is it heart-healthier than stick margarine, it gives your baked goods more flavor, which makes it easier to perform other low-fat substitutions in recipes
Check Your Cholesterol At Age 20Once you turn 20, you should have your cholesterol checked as part of any regular physical exam and have it checked every five years if you are otherwise healthy. Cholesterol levels (both LDL and HDL) are expressed in terms of milligrams of cholesterol per deciliter of blood (mg/dl). A healthy LDL cholesterol level for most adults is 130 mg/dl or lower. If you have other risk factors for heart disease, follow a low cholesterol diet to work on reducing your LDL to 100 mg/dl or lower, and if you already have heart disease, work on reducing your LDL to 70 mg/dl or lower. A healthy HDL for most adults is 40-50 mg/dl for men and 50-60 mg/dl for women. An HDL of 40 or lower is considered risky for men and women. A low HDL accompanies a high LDL and the greater the imbalance, the greater your risk of developing heart disease. If your LDL cholesterol is high and you need to begin to follow a low cholesterol diet, your doctor will likely check your cholesterol more frequently to monitor the effects of the diet. Eating healthy foods and reducing or avoiding trans fats can improve your LDL level.

Chefs Diet Meal Delivery - Order Now to Get FREE Snack Bars

Exercise Is Part Of Cholesterol ManagementBecause a buildup of LDL (bad) cholesterol in the body is what causes heart attacks and strokes, it’s important for those at an increased risk for heart attack and stroke, to include aerobic exercise as part of a lifestyle plan. Aerobic exercise, as you know from gym class, gets your blood flowing, and that helps promote high levels of HDL while preventing excess LDL from building up in your arteries. Also, aerobic exercise strengthens the heart muscle itself. A strong heart pumps less often, and a more efficient heart means improved blood flow to all parts of the body including the brain. The bottom line: The improved circulation that comes with regular aerobic exercise can reduce your risk for both heart attack and stroke. And since you’ll be in better shape, your “bottom line” will benefit, too. If you are a moderate exerciser, try increasing the duration and intensity of your workouts to at least 30 minutes at a time of walking, biking, running or swimming at a brisk pace each day. As your body adapts, your heart and your muscles will become stronger and more efficient.
More Reasons To Go Nuts
If you haven’t already decided that you need to eat more nuts, walnuts and almonds in particular are potential cholesterol-lowering foods that can be part of a low-cholesterol diet. Both of these types of nuts are high in soluble fiber and they have been shown to significantly reduce LDL levels after four weeks of eating a handful of nuts daily. Walnuts also contain healthy omega 3 fatty acids, which promote the health and elasticity of the blood vessels themselves.

But, as with any nuts, factor in the calories and stop with a handful. Replace another food that’s high in calories or saturated fats with a handful of nuts to keep your total calorie intake stable; for example, sprinkle nuts on a salad in place of croutons or cheese. You’ll reap the benefits of a low cholesterol diet and a high protein diet in one healthy crunch.
Oatmeal, Oh Yeah!
Oatmeal is one of the best dietary sources of soluble fiber, which has been shown to reduce LDL levels consistently over time.

Eating about 5-10 grams of soluble fiber daily can reduce LDL levels by nearly 5 percent. And you don’t need to eat the whole tin of oatmeal; just 1.5 cups of cooked oatmeal (a modest bowlful) provides 4.5 grams of soluble fiber, and studies have shown that adding this amount of soluble fiber to your daily diet lowers LDL cholesterol over time.

Some more tips for enjoying your oatmeal:

-add raisins or dried cranberries for flavor (and potassium)

-sweeten with brown sugar or honey rather than white sugar

-add a handful of chopped nuts for protein and extra crunch.

If you prefer your cereal cold, or just want to mix it up a bit, try oat bran or look for cold cereals made with oatmeal or oat bran.

Caveat: the best way to eat oatmeal is to buy a container of oats and add water, rather than buying the prepackaged packets of oatmeal.

But it’s easy: Put ¾ cup of uncooked oats in a large glass bowl with about 1.5 cups of water (use a little less water if you like thicker oatmeal). Cover the bowl and microwave on HIGH for one to two minutes. Stir, let stand for a minute, then stir in any healthy additions and enjoy.

Not only that, oatmeal is easily available, inexpensive and low in fat. What more could you want?

America’s Most Convenient Diet Delivery by Chefs Diet

On A Cholesterol Reduction Diet? Seek SterolsSterols (also called stanols) are substances found in plants that have been shown to block the absorption of extra cholesterol in the body. In recent years, food products have been developed that contain these substances. Just two grams of plant sterols as part of a daily diet for high cholesterol can reduce LDL levels by at least 10 percent. One easy way to consume plant sterols is to buy foods and juices that are fortified with them. Plant sterols don’t appear to affect HDL levels or block the body’s ability to absorb healthy fat-soluble nutrients. Most doctors don’t recommend sterol products for people with healthy LDL who are trying to remain healthy. But if your LDL is already high, adding sterols to your diet may be helpful.
Simple Food Substitutions Can Help Lower CholesterolThe National Institutes of Health’s National Cholesterol Education Program recommends a diet with 200 milligrams or less of cholesterol daily. This diet also limits saturated fat to 6-8 ounces daily. Tips from the National Institutes of Health to cut down on cholesterol include: -Substitute yogurt for sour cream -Cut down on salt; use interesting spices with antioxidant properties, such as oregano or rosemary, to add flavor -Substitute applesauce or prune puree for half or a third of the amount of butter when baking. (Caution: you many need to adjust the amount of dry ingredients to avoid over-wet batter).
Two Faces Of Cholesterol: Good And Bad
The fact that there is good cholesterol and bad cholesterol makes things complicated if you are trying to plan a diet for high cholesterol.

A reminder:

-Bad: Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) transports cholesterol through the body to meet basic needs for healthy fats.

-Good: High-density lipoprotein (HDL) picks up extra cholesterol and takes the excess back to the liver so the body can eliminate it.

LDL itself isn’t bad at healthy levels; it has a job to do in the body. But when LDL builds up in the body, it narrows the arteries and inhibits blood flow. When not enough blood reaches the heart, you have a heart attack. When not enough blood reaches the brain, you have a stroke.
What Make Soluble Fiber Special
Soluble fiber appears to promote the excretion and reduce the absorption of excess LDL cholesterol in the body.

In other words: Soluble fiber acts like glue to bind excess cholesterol to the bile produced by the liver so the cholesterol can be excreted rather than absorbed.

Many are good sources of soluble fiber and have other health benefits so it’s easy to include them in a diet for high cholesterol. Apples, pears and prunes are high in soluble fiber, as are Brussels sprouts, kidney beans and barley. And of course oatmeal is one of the most highly-publicized sources of soluble fiber.

Start factoring more foods that are high in soluble fiber into your diet now and you could prevent unhealthy cholesterol levels later, regardless of your current health status.

Chefs Diet- Let us do the dieting for you !

Why To Steer Clear Of Trans Fat
Of all the recommendations to avoid this and give up that, most doctors and nutrition scientists can agree that trans fats are to be avoided because they have a double negative effect on your cholesterol. Trans fats increase your “bad” (LDL) cholesterol and decrease your “good” (HDL) cholesterol. This combination significantly increases your risk of heart disease, especially if you have other risk factors, such as obesity or diabetes.

Ironically, trans fats were originally thought to be a healthy alternative to animal fats because they are unsaturated and are derived from plant oils. But the process of adding hydrogen to the oils (hydrogenation) yields trans fatty acids, and excessive consumption of foods high in trans fats has been associated with the unhealthy balance between LDL and HDL cholesterol, which promotes heart disease because the increased LDL builds up on the walls of the arteries and inhibits blood flow.

There is no good evidence to show how much trans fat you need to eat before it has a negative impact on your cholesterol, but the increased amount of processed foods in the diets of many Americans may be manifesting itself in the rising incidence of obesity and heart disease, so avoid it when possible to promote good health over time. Many food companies now make products with healthful oils that do not contain trans fats, and many restaurants have taken action to eliminate oils with trans fats from their meals.

Avoid foods high in trans fat and replace them with healthy fats if you are following a diet for high cholesterol. Even if your cholesterol levels are in the healthy range, keep trans fat foods to a minimum.