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Health See other Health Articles Title: Lowering LDL Cholesterol Only the yolk of an egg counts, when it comes to cholesterol. An egg's yellow center holds two fats that can be bad for your heart: cholesterol and saturated fat. Egg white, however, has no fat of any kind and about four times more protein! So, if you've got high cholesterol, don't eat more than 200 milligrams of cholesterol a day. That's a little more than one egg yolk. Even better, don't eat more than two egg yolks per week -- and baked goodies do count! That helps you eat less saturated fat, too. Whole milk has just one-third of the saturated fat found in powdered creamer or half-and-half. If you like your coffee "white" -- and you drink 2-3 cups -- those bad fats can add up quickly. Here's a breakdown of the saturated fat in 1 tablespoon of creamer options: Heavy cream - 3.5 grams Half-and-half - 1 gram Powdered creamer - 1 gram Whole milk - 1/3 gram Skim milk - 0 grams Coconut milk makes curry sauces taste rich and creamy. But one serving of curry can pack more saturated fat than most people should eat in a whole day -- thanks to the fatty coconut milk. Coconut meat should be a rare treat, too, if you've got high cholesterol. A piece the size of a mini candy bar has 13 grams of saturated fat! Coconut water is a clear liquid some people sip after a workout. It has almost no saturated fat. Fast walking can help raise your good cholesterol, just like other peppy workouts. Brisk exercise is even more powerful in lowering triglycerides, unhealthy fats in your blood. These can drop 20%-30% when you start moving. Aim for at least 30 minutes, five days a week, of moderate exercise. That means breaking a sweat and raising your heart rate. Walk, bike, dance, and even rake leaves quickly . Short on time? Split a workout into 10-minute bursts. Surprised? The liver makes about 75% of the cholesterol in your body. We need some cholesterol to make cells and hormones, and for many other essential functions. The other 25% comes from what you eat. Foods high in saturated fat and trans fat -- like potato chips, ice cream, and other processed foods -- are bad if you're trying to watch your cholesterol levels. Your body easily converts them to cholesterol. Load up on the fish, veggies, fruits, and whole grains! A Mediterranean diet seems to work better than a low-fat diet to lower total cholesterol. And it lowers your risk for heart disease in many other ways, too. You might lose weight on a low-carb plan. But it's easy to eat too much saturated fat on these meaty diets. And that can make your cholesterol go up. Hold the cheese -- and the pizza. America’s love for these gooey foods is responsible for the biggest slice of saturated fat in our diet, about 15%. And saturated fat raises cholesterol levels. Beef and processed meats kick in another 9%. Egg dishes contribute about 3%. Americans also gobble up a whole lot of bad fat from cookies, cupcakes, donuts, ice cream, and Mexican food. It’s true -- eating oatmeal can lower your cholesterol. It has soluble fiber, which brings down “bad” LDL cholesterol. Adding just 5-10 grams of soluble fiber a day -- that's one or two large apples with skin -- can lower LDL by 5%. You’ll also find soluble fiber in many fruits and veggies, nuts, and dried beans, such as kidney, pinto, and black beans. To get the greatest health boost from fiber, aim for 10 to 25 grams daily. Lentil soup is a tasty way to get 9 grams. If you're overweight, slimming down can lower your bad cholesterol, LDL. If you weigh 150 pounds, for example, dropping 15 pounds will do the trick. Losing more weight should bring it down even further. Cholesterol begins to drop when you lose 10% of your body weight. Statins keep your liver from making cholesterol. They also help your liver remove some LDL bad cholesterol from your blood stream. Meditating every day can lower your blood pressure, but there's no evidence it can directly improve your cholesterol. Still, calming your mind helps reduce stress. This can help you avoid unhealthy ways of coping with tension, like binging on unhealthy foods, smoking, and heavy drinking . Nuts have soluble fiber, which helps lower cholesterol, as well as a bonus for your heart: omega-3 fats. An ounce of walnuts -- about 14 halves -- does have about 185 calories, so pay attention to portion size. Bananas are good for you, too. They just don’t help your cholesterol as much because they’re not loaded with heart-healthy fats. Either one is a better choice than processed foods like pretzels, even if they're low in salt and fat. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
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