Reducing your Cholesterol

Introducing Cholesterol

We have all heard the word "Cholesterol", but how many really know what it is ? More importantly, how many know how to reduce it ? Let's try and explain.

Imagine a sink with a drain that never gets cleaned. Imagine the build up of grease in the pipes, and how the pipe becomes clogged and doesn't work as efficiently as it did when it was new. Cholesterol actually needs to circulate in ...
...up the arteries, and can form a plaque on the sides of them, making them not work as efficiently as they should. Blood not being able to flow properly can cause Heart attack or stroke, so it is rather important to know what your levels are, and to ascertain whether your lifestyle contributes to the levels, or whether it is the body itself that is producing the cholesterol excess.

When I was diagnosed as having high levels of cholesterol, ... more

Introducing Cholesterol

We have all heard the word "Cholesterol", but how many really know what it is ? More importantly, how many know how to reduce it ? Let's try and explain.

Imagine a sink with a drain that never gets cleaned. Imagine the build up of grease in the pipes, and how the pipe becomes clogged and doesn't work as efficiently as it did when it was new. Cholesterol actually needs to circulate in the blood, but excess of LDL cholesterol really does clog up the arteries, and can form a plaque on the sides of them, making them not work as efficiently as they should. Blood not being able to flow properly can cause Heart attack or stroke, so it is rather important to know what your levels are, and to ascertain whether your lifestyle contributes to the levels, or whether it is the body itself that is producing the cholesterol excess.

When I was diagnosed as having high levels of cholesterol, I decided it was time to take responsibility for my body, and designed a diet that actually did some good and lowered the levels without the need to resort to medicines. Not everyone can reduce their levels by diet, though you can aid the body enormously by making the effort.

So what are the things you can change ?

The first thing that I changed was my meat eating, since many of the meats I ate had excessive fat content. I went from red meat to white meat and fish that was not greasy, and did not find the transition difficult at all. I thought that I would, although now indulge occasionally in eating duck which is known for its goodness and the fat of duck is actually HDL and works against the bad cholesterol. You've probably seen adverts on the telly about "good" and "bad" germs. Well cholesterol works much in the same way in that HDL cholesterol (or the good cholesterol) carries the bad cholesterol away from the arteries towards the liver and slows the growth of plaque caused by "bad" cholesterol. Avoid all salamis and prepared meat like sausages, since the fat content is renowned as high.

Little by little, I began to take the advice of my doctor and look at the foods that I ate that were actually harmful to me, and was surprised at many of them. I wanted to eliminate bad things, but also to have something to replace them with, because deprivation doesn't work for me, and I quickly lose incentive. Ice cream was something I ate a lot of and the fatty content within it really is not helpful at all. I found that I could eat Zero Percent Fat Yoghurts, and that I actually enjoyed them enormously, and that the range available was better than I had thought.

Cheese was another area where too much fat was being absorbed, and here I found that by reading labels and being wise in my choice of cheeses, choosing only those with very low fat content, and eating it rarely, rather than on a day to day basis, I still fed the craving for cheese, but without the worry of excess. Butter is extremely bad for fat content, and this was a very hard choice for me to make, because I have tried many replacements over the years, though found that the Brands that contain Omega 3 did actually help, though were tasteless. What was missing was salt, and the compromise that I chose to make was to buy Omega salted spreads and to cut back on salt in other areas of my diet. Interestingly enough, I was unaware that you could buy Omega Milk, and found that by using this, I was cutting my fat intake enormously, because I drink tea and coffee with milk in them. I had to decide a good balance because in taking away dairy products, I stood the chance of losing Calcium which was important for healthy bones, and the compromises made have been well worth the effort.

Cooking in fat was a difficult one to cope with, as I was accustomed to using fats, and here I found that using Olive Oil in salads rather than eating fried food, I was feeding that need for some kind of fat, and here again, using a good quality Virgin olive oil, was helping the HDL levels or "good" cholesterol rather than feeding the bad. Cooking with fats in the ingredients was a no no as well and here I had to forego the pleasures of pastry, cakes, etc., although found that healthy alternatives such as a piece of fruit or a dish of natural nuts allowed me little treats, without the danger of the fat content. Summer was particularly easy since the choice of fresh fruits is enormous, though in Winter, eating bananas proved beneficial in other ways in that it helps to alleviate body cramps.

Chocolate was something I really did need to look at and here, I chose to continue eating chocolate though was careful in my choice, and never eat milk chocolate any more. Dark chocolate actually is an acquired taste, although I find it nicer than the milky alternatives now, and it benefits me in other ways, in that it contains magnesium.

There are many ways in which an individual can change their eating habits in order to make their body last longer, and they don't have to be drastic measures. Changing tasty bad stuff for tasty good stuff was actually much easier than I thought it would be, and although it does not affect the cholesterol, I actually cut out sugar from my diet and replaced it with sweeteners.

Overall, the results of over 12 months of strictness with myself are that my cholesterol levels are dramatically reduced, although I am aware that smoking is making the "good cholesterol" less, and that it can clog the arteries, not because it produces bad cholesterol, but simply because it stops the good cholesterol from working properly. I am working on this last ditch attempt to get rid of any problems with the levels of both HDL and LDL cholesterol, and would stress how important changes that are relatively simple can be to your health.

For a test of your cholesterol levels, see your General Practitioner and ask for a simple blood test, ask them to explain the results, and also what you can do to help yourself. There are drugs available to help to get the cholesterol levels correct, although for me, these are a last resort, and keeping to my diet, I have not only reduced the cholesterol to an acceptable level, and possibly extended my lifespan, I have actually lost weight as a side effect, and am happy with the results.

Doctors are there to help, though sometimes, helping yourself understand your body's needs, and maintaining it in as healthy a way as you can aids longevity. Working under the guidance of your GP, if I can do it, so can you.

Rachel

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