Health education in Malaysia

Utilizing Diet and Exercise to Lower Cholesterol

First and foremost, make smarter dietary choices. Eat lean meat (leanest cuts of beef, pork and veal, chicken or other fowl without the skin, wild game). Trim excess fat from your meats before cooking and skip the fatty condiments like gravies and sauces – use fresh herbs and spices for flavorings and avoid processed high fat and high carbohydrate preparations. Watch the size of your portions because even lean cuts of meat contain fat. Increase your consumption of fish to 2 or 3 times per week and eat at least 1 or 2 vegetarian meals per week, where the protein comes from legumes (beans, peas, lentils, etc.).

Eat low-fat milk products. For example: milk and yogurt with two percent or less milk fat (M.F.), and cheese with less than twenty percent M.F.

Choose flax or hemp seed oils, olive or sunflower oil, fatty fish (salmon, trout, tuna, sardines and mackerel), nuts and seeds for healthier fats. Eat them all in moderation since excessive consumption of fats can lead to weight gain and do not cook with flax or hemp seed oils as heating these oils cause them to become unhealthy.

Use cooking methods requiring little or no additional fat: oven bake, grill, microwave or cook in a non-stick fry pan, steam, boil, poach or braise.

Avoid foods containing saturated or hydrogenated fats since they can increase the bad blood cholesterol (LDL’s) and reduce the good cholesterol (HDL’s). Consumption of these foods should be kept to a minimum:

• Fried or breaded foods
• Donuts, cookies, commercially made muffins
• Butter, cream
• Deli meats (bologna, pepperoni, salami, sausage, etc.)
• Potato and Snack Chips, French Fries
• Chocolates, ice cream
• Croissants, pastry
• Meat fat or chicken fat
• Coconut oil and palm oils, hydrogenated oils and margarines, shortening, lard

Choose foods with more fibre. Soluble fibre can help reduce overall blood cholesterol and LDL’s. Soluble fiber is found primarily in legumes (chick peas, lentils, white and red beans), fruit, barley, linseeds, oat bran, oatmeal, brown rice and psyllium. Use salt or salty foods sparingly to keep your blood pressure under control.

The Role of Anti-oxidants

Increase your intake of anti-oxidants like beta-carotene (a vitamin A precursor), vitamins C and E, soy products, green or black tea. Anti-oxidants are believed to slow down the development of atherosclerosis. Beta-carotene and vitamin C can be found in citrus fruits and in red, orange and dark green vegetables. Vitamin E is found mainly in cold-pressed oils and nuts.

Exercise

Consult with your physician or health care practitioner to determine a regular and appropriate exercise program to help lower your blood cholesterol while helping you maintain a healthy weight.

In summary, by using intelligent supplementation strategies in combination with a well-advised diet and an exercise program you may find that you get a surprising and beneficial response in both the overall level of your cholesterol, as well as a beneficial shift in the ratio of HDL/LDL cholesterol in your bloodstream.