C is for...

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Cholesterol is a waxy substance found in your blood. Your body needs cholesterol to build healthy cells, but high levels of cholesterol can increase your risk of heart disease. With high cholesterol, you can develop fatty deposits in your blood vessels. 
Recommendations are as follows:
  • Total Cholesterol: Less than 200mg/dL
  • HDL (“good cholesterol”): >40mg/dL in men, >50mg/dL in women
  • LDL (“bad cholesterol”): <129 mg/dL
  • Triglycerides: <149mg/dL
  • Ratio Total Cholesterol: ≤ 3.5
 How do you hit those numbers? You guessed it! Diet and exercise are the MVP of this game. Exercise is the #1 way to support increase in HDL. Increase regular aerobic exercise to at least 30 minutes, 5 times per week. This also helps individuals maintain a healthy weight. Generally, the higher your weight, the lower your HDL levels. Weight loss, using a combination of reducing processed foods and eating healthy fats, as well as exercise can greatly improve your good cholesterol and lower your bad cholesterol.
Quick Tips: 

Add Fiber: eat a high fiber diet, especially soluble fiber. You can find fiber in most fruits and veggies. Some other places to find soluble fiber include dried beans, oats, oat bran, rice bran, barley, citrus fruits, apples, strawberries, peas, and potatoes.  
Reduce Trans- Fat: Avoiding fried and processed foods, which are high in trans-fat, will also lower LDL levels. Generally, the more solid the fat is at room temperature, the higher the trans-fatty acid content of the food. 
Don’t forget in the late spring, early summer the LiveWell Vermont team will be traveling the state to do biometric screenings. This could be a nice opportunity to check in on your cholesterol but does not take place for your primary care provider visits.

Comments

  1. BloggerFebruary 25, 2020 at 12:03 PM

    As claimed by Stanford Medical, It is in fact the one and ONLY reason women in this country get to live 10 years longer and weigh 19 kilos less than us.

    (And realistically, it has totally NOTHING to do with genetics or some secret-exercise and really, EVERYTHING to about "how" they eat.)

    BTW, I said "HOW", and not "what"...

    Tap on this link to discover if this brief quiz can help you decipher your real weight loss potential

    ReplyDelete

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