Lowering Cholesterol and Triglycerides
Eating healthy is all about taking in the right combination of fat, calories, protein, vitamins and other materials that keep your machinery functioning at full performance. By contrast, metabolic syndrome, or a breakdown of this system, occurs when you are ingesting low HDL (good cholesterol), high LDL (bad cholesterol), and you have high blood sugar, waist fat, high triglycerides and high blood pressure. Many people with high cholesterol and triglycerides live for a long time, completely unaware of their body's malfunction. They may be overweight, feel sluggish or suffer occasional stomach pains, but chances are the symptoms won't appear until it's too late or unless a routine check up reveals high blood pressure.
To get your triglycerides and cholesterol back down to a normal level, you will have to make some dietary changes. For people who have high cholesterol levels from eating too many fattening foods, cholesterol lowering can be accomplished by as much as 10-20% from dieting alone. Reducing calories to 1,200-1,500 for women and 1,500-1,800 for men will help you lose 2 pounds per week. When losing weight, you shouldn't drink more than one serving of alcohol per day and you should be ingesting eight cups of water daily. Adding just 30 minutes of exercise per day, either all at once or in 3 intervals of 10 minutes, can work wonders for heart health.
A sample diet plan for someone looking to lower cholesterol and triglycerides begins with ½ cup of oatmeal with a cup of nonfat milk, 1 teaspoon of brown sugar and a sliced banana or ½ cup of canned peaches. For lunch, slap 2 ounces of lean turkey onto two slices of whole wheat bread, adding a tablespoon of Miracle Whip, a tomato and a slice of lettuce. Carrot sticks and fruit make a nice complement to this midday feast. You can treat yourself to a satisfying snack of yogurt, raisins and peanuts midday if you desire.
A great dinner consists of 3 oz. baked or broiled salmon, a cup of brown rice, a cup of cooked broccoli, a slice of bread with one teaspoon of margarine, 1 tablespoon of olive oil used in cooking and a salad with 1 ½ cups of romaine lettuce, ½ cup of tomatoes, ¼ cup of cucumber and 1 tablespoon of oil/vinegar salad dressing. You'll find that well-rounded eating like this is more satisfying than binging on small, fatty meals.
If your doctor finds that you have an abundance of cholesterol and triglycerides, then there are several things that may be recommended. The first step is usually a diet/lifestyle change. Yes, you'll need to quit smoking, start exercising a little more, lose some weight and give up some of your favorite foods, but keep in mind that its small potatoes compared to paying the medical bills when you have a heart attack. If lifestyle modifications do not significantly improve your heart health, then you will likely require medication. Statins are the most common prescriptions, but you may also try other drugs, like bile acid sequestering resins, cholesterol absorption inhibitors, fibrates, and nicotinic acid (niacin).
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Today's Tip On Cholesterol
"Bad fats" are trans fats: margarines, shortening, deep fried chips, fast food, baked goods, hydrogenated vegetable oil. The reason they have such a bad wrap is that they're known for lowering HDL cholesterol, which is the kind your body needs to function, as well as increasing triglycerides and LDL cholesterol, which is the bad cholesterol that leads to heart disease and diabetes.
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