Vegetables, fruits, and grains are normally low in fat and have no cholesterol. Most are great sources of dietary fiber, complex carbs, and vitamins. The American Heart Association recommends that you eat foods that are high in complex carbs and fiber. Below are some tips for making healthy food choices:

1. Coconut is high in saturated fat, while olives are high in monounsaturated fats and calories. You should use these items sparingly to avoid getting too many calories from fat.
2. When vegetable grains are cooked, saturated fat or cholesterol is often added. For example, egg yolks may be added to bread or even pasta. Continue reading →

Heart disease is not limited to the men in our world. Actually, heart disease is the number one health threat for women. Women need to take charge of their heart care. We offer some suggestions on how to get started.

• Track your numbers. The main numbers you need to track and the optimum levels you should strive for are blood pressure (120/80), LDL cholesterol (<100 mg/dL), HDL cholesterol (> 50 mg/dL), triglycerides (< 150 mg/dL) and fasting blood sugar level (<100 mg/dL). Ask your doctor to provide you with these numbers each time he/she runs blood work on you.
• Check your family history. If you have family members who have had heart disease or risk factors associated with it, such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure, you may be at risk for the disease yourself. If you do have family members, i.e. parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, who have a history of heart disease, be sure and let your doctor know this information. Continue reading →

Women of all ages should be taking steps to avoid heart disease. The obvious issues are eating healthy, exercising and reducing stress. However, there are steps you can take as you age that will help you to be heart healthy.

• Twenties. In your twenties, you need to get rid of any nasty habits you may have acquired, such as smoking. Smoking just one cigarette per day can stiffen your arteries by up to 25 percent. And, smoking can erase the hormonal advantage you have from estrogen in your body. Another thing to consider is the taking of birth control pills. Birth control pills can raise your risk of blood clots. Finally, if you drink, you need to limit your drinking to one drink per day. If you drink more than that, it can raise your triglyceride level, increase your blood pressure and lead to weight gain.
• Thirties. If you have had a baby, you need to strive to get back to your pre-pregnancy weight within one to two years. Excess weight can lead to high blood pressure and high cholesterol as you age. You also need to try to control any stress you may have in your life, especially if you are juggling a career with family. You can do that by keeping connected to your family as well as friends, and allow yourself time to be social and have some fun. Continue reading →

Many of us know what cholesterol and heart disease are. What most of us don’t know is that there are arguments whether cholesterol is the main cause of heart disease. Some experts say that cholesterol is one of the main cause of heart disease while there are others who think otherwise.
Experts from the Framingham Heart Study have determined that high blood cholesterol is one of the factors for a coronary heart disease or CHD. The result of their study showed that the ones who have a higher cholesterol level is the most likely he will have a coronary heart disease or CHD. Coronary heart disease is unusual at low cholesterol levels. A connection between high blood cholesterol and heart disease was also confirmed by another group of experts. Their studies showed that lowering the total LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) levels drastically reduces coronary heart disease. Recently, a series of trials of cholesterol using statin drugs showed that lowering the total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol greatly reduces the chance of experiencing a heart attack, angioplasty (a bypass that requires surgery) and dying of coronary heart disease-related causes.

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Cholesterol is a fatlike substance which is found in the tissue of humans and other animals. It plays important roles in cell membrane structure, certain hormones, and manufacturing vitamin D. Our livers procude all of the cholesterol that we need for these important functions. Excess cholesterol can contribute to antherosclerosis or clogging of the arteries.

Cholesterol is found in all food from animal sources: meat, eggs, fish, poultry, and dairy products. Some animal foods contribute substantial amounts of cholesterol, while others contribute only small amounts. There is no cholesterol in any plant-derived foods. Excess dietary cholesterol can increase blood cholesterol, which can increase the risk of coronary heart disease.

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Most people know the word “cholesterol”. Many of us know that it is a waxy substance among the fats found in the arteries. Cholesterol is crucial in the formation of cell membranes and other tissues. But if the cholesterol level is high, it might lead to a stroke. A high cholesterol level is one of the main risk factors of heart diseases. Sustaining a healthy diet and enough exercise can lower the cholesterol level. Eating cholesterol free foods leads to a healthy life.

On the other hand, it doesn’t mean that you can eat all you want because you are eating cholesterol free foods. It means that you got to be conscious of what you intake. Eating at least three to five servings of fruit or vegetables each day is good. Fruits and vegetables are cholesterol free foods. If you want your diet to be all cholesterol free foods, fruits and vegetables are great substitutes. When shopping for fruits and vegetables, buy them as snacks, salads, side dishes, desserts and main dishes. Add a variety of vegetables to meat or make a vegetarian main dish. Wash and cut up raw vegetables before storing them.  Always serve fresh fruits on desserts.

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Before you eat that delicious dish on your favorite restaurant, be sure to ask the server how it was prepared. How about eggs, cheese and bacon? Hmmm… they sure are good at breakfast. What about steaks, cakes ice cream? Better think twice before putting them in your mouth. One of life’s ironies is that the better it tastes the higher the chance it has high cholesterol content.

If you have high blood cholesterol level it doesn’t mean you should be a vegetarian. It means that you have got to control yourself from eating cholesterol high foods. Cholesterol high foods have two major nutrients; saturated fat and cholesterol.

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What does cholesterol management entail? Will this make me more heart-healthy? How does it work?

Several clinical trials have cholesterol management programs put up basically for patients with cholesterol level problems. Likewise, in May 2001, the National Institutes of Health has issued procedures for the detection, evaluation and management of high blood cholesterol in adults. This was done to decrease the mortality rate associated with coronary heart disease (CHD), America’s leading cause of death.

Cholesterol management is deliberately intended to assist patients in managing their own cholesterol treatment plans. The first step in any cholesterol management program though is for the patient to understand his risk. Risk assessment will help one be able to adapt to the program more sincerely.

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If you have high cholesterol and you are thinking of lowering your cholesterol level, don’t worry because you can do it yourself and a lot of other people are also experiencing the same problem. This may be a tough job but it will be worth it in the end. There are several ways and steps to be healthy. If you want to be serious, you must closely follow each step.

Actually, there are two kinds of cholesterol in your body, HDL and LDL. The difference between the two is that HDL is the cholesterol that is bad for you and LDL is the healthy one. An increase in blood cholesterol is very common in most people.

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Imagine hundreds of cars zooming down an eight-lane highway. One lane disappears, and then another, until the same cars crawl bumper-to-bumper along a one-lane country road. That’s sort of what happens when you have atherosclerosis. Your arteries, the highways for your blood, harden and narrow, and the same amount of blood has to make its way through a much tighter space. This traffic jam in your arteries leads to all sorts of trouble, including heart attack and stroke.

Atherosclerosis occurs when cholesterol, fat, and other substances in your blood build up in the walls of your arteries. The process can begin when you’re a child, but it may not become a problem until you’re in your 50s or 60s. As this muck gathers in your arteries, it forms plaque. Plaque can clog or completely block arteries, cutting off blood flow to your heart or brain. That’s when you have a heart attack or stroke.

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