Diet to Low Cholesterol

Why is a diet to low cholesterol important? Cholesterol is a classic good news, bad news story. Cholesterol is vital for cell membranes, vitamin d production, and don't forget that your brain contains more cholesterol than any other organ in the body. Remember that next time someone calls you "Fat Head!"

Now the bad news: too much cholesterol leads to arterial plaque, stroke and heart attack. It really is true that "too much of one thing ain't good for nothing!" That's particularly true when we're asking questions like "What is LDL cholesterol?"

Cholesterol was discovered in 1769 by Poulletier de la Salle. Cholesterol is from from the words chole (bile) and stear (fat) - giving you a good idea which organ Poulletier was exploring...Yup, you got it! The liver! Our busy little livers make about 80% of our cholesterol. Only 20% of cholesterol comes from food.

Since the Internet was very, very slow in the 1700's Poulletier's discovery was temporarily lost to science. In 1818 cholesterol was re-discovered by my favourite creatine benefits guy, none other than the productive and hyper-kinetic Michel Chevreul! I have a theory about Michel Chevreul. I think Chevreul was a master's runner! How else to explain his energetic scientific career?

History aside, I bet you're thinking "A diet to low cholesterol? Hey, if I make 80% of my own cholesterol - what's the use? Bring on the chicken fried steak!"

No so fast. There's ways to lower cholesterol and lots we can do to lower cholesterol levels.

Before we get into a diet to low cholesterol let's cover the basics. There are at least four distinct forms of cholesterol which boil down into two main types of cholesterol:

Low-density lipoproteins (LDL). A lot of people ask "What is LDL Cholesterol." Well, since you asked - LDL is your cholesterol delivery system. If you have too much cholesterol delivered to your heart's doorstep pretty soon you have extra boxes of stock and sticky white fat sitting in the aisles - your arteries - and you've got big problems coming down the pike! You don't want this!
But wait - High-density lipoproteins (HDL) are your cholesterol removal system - HDL picks up your unneeded "LDL" and removes it from the body - clearing your arteries for prime time delivery of blood products and oxygen. HDL cholesterol - at least in a body with normal heart function - also works to prevent tiny vessel ruptures that can cause blood clotting and thrombosis. (Thrombosis happens when a "customer" - your blood - stumbles over a "box" - your extra cholesterol - and then sues the store! Not a good situation!)

Command your liver...

Back to your very own cholesterol factory: the liver. You want to tell the factory what kind of cholesterol you really want produced. You want enough of the LDL cholesterol delivery system, and for sure you want your liver to produce enough HDL cholesterol lipoproteins to ensure removal and cleanup of extra LDL cholesterol. How can we do this?

Here's what you can do to lower cholesterol. There's a diet to low cholesterol, and there's also exercise to lower cholesterol.

Cholesterol, diet, exercise are all related

We'll talk about risk factors later, but for now let's talk about positive steps in a diet to low cholesterol.

Dietary Fat

Lowering LDL cholesterol and your weight by eating healthy foods low in fat is pretty easy to do, and pretty simple. You can make the LDL you need yourself, so why eat extra?

Replace favorite high-fat foods with low-fat choices. Look, if you're having that Special Someone over for beef stroganoff use the 14% fat sour cream. After you're living under the same roof switch to the zero fat alternative. I love to cook, and I can barely tell the difference! Same goes for milk: skim mild has no fat and fewer growth hormones (hormones hitch a ride on fat). Give the heart healthy diet alternatives a try! These are simple steps to a diet to low cholesterol

Keep a lookout for fatty meats. Aside from cholesterol concerns we've got the mainstream cancer organizations weighing in about cancer and diet as it relates to various meats.

Give it a little thought, and you will find your diet can be high in complex carbohydrates, lean proteins, and low in saturated and trans fats without moving to a Nepalese mountaintop.

Here's a few ways to lower cholesterol:

eat fruits and vegetables, five or more servings per day.
choose a variety of whole grain products each day: whole grain cereals and bread.
consider pasta as a healthy carbohydrate. Our bodies process pasta slowly - like a complex carbohydrate.
choose preferably fat-free or at least low-fat milk and dairy products.
choose lean meats.
don't eat poultry skin even if it's summertime and you're barbecuing chicken. It's a crime against good taste, but...
fish oil and cholesterol - "good" cholesterol - go together. Serve fish, two or three servings per week.
include beans, peas, nuts and seeds in your diet. Nuts and seeds are good sources of "good" fats.
snack on dried fruit, carrot sticks, whole grain crackers and fruit.
use cooking methods like baking, broiling or steaming rather than frying.
don't be a pig! Try smaller portions.
alcohol and cholesterol - too much alcohol throws the body's fat factory - your liver - off kilter. Limit alcohol intake.

Exercise and Cholesterol

In addition to a diet to low cholesterol you need cholesterol lowering exercise.

Here's the basics: aerobic exercise three or more times per week. Master's running, anyone?

Try these seasonal

cross training alternatives: biking, indoor and on water rowing, cross country skiing, swimming, and other aerobics.

They all do the trick in helping with your cholesterol diet exercise program. You don't have to kill yourself, either. Moderate intensity exercise is all you need! There are real benefits to moderate exercise.

Here's some key exercise and cholesterol figures to remember:

Exercise at 75% of Maximum Heart Rate.
Three times per week or more.
We're talking about a 10 to 11 minutes (running) per mile for men, a bit slower for women.
more frequent exercise at lower rates of intensity are as beneficial as more intense exercise three times per week, so get out as often as you can.

The bottom line for a diet to low cholesterol and exercise is simple - exercise to raise "good" cholesterol and remove "bad" cholesterol. An exercise byproduct is weight loss and muscle gain - two more benefits of exercise to lower cholesterol.

Stress

Lifestyle stress gives your liver cholesterol factory the wrong instructions! Remember that it's not the situation that causes stress - it's how you react to the situation. You really are in control of your stress levels!

Running and exercise in general can lower your stress levels, and be a valuable addition to your diet to low cholessterol.

Here's a few more tips for reducing stress:

Breathing and meditation exercises
Going for a walk
Laughing at anything that's funny!
Managing your time
Talking to a friend

Drugs

As a last resort and in addition to a diet to low cholesterol there are a number of drug therapies that control cholesterol. Work with your physician to manage cholesterol through diet and exercise first. Keep the cholesterol drug therapy alternative as a last resort.

Cholesterol risk factors

Yes, a diet to low cholesterol works when combined with exercise. But there are some pre-existing risk factors which may affect you:

you are a male over 40 years of age
you are female and over 50 years of age
heart disease, stroke, diabetes or high blood pressure
family history of heart disease or stroke
you're overweight
you are a smoker

Talk to your physician about these and other cholesterol risk factors.

Summary

The good news about a healthy cholesterol diet is that cholesterol can be lowered by eating less LDL cholesterol-increasing foods, more LDL cholesterol-lowering foods and adopting a healthy lifestyle.

The most important steps to following a healthy lifestyle are:

decreasing the amount of fat in your diet
paying attention to the type of fats you eat
maintaining a healthy weight
quitting smoking
getting adequate exercise
reducing stress by managing your stress

All of these factors, taken together, can dramatically decrease your risk of heart disease and stroke by lowering your LDL cholesterol level and your blood pressure, and raising your HDL cholesterol.

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That's diet to low cholesterol! And don't forget...