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The Good, the Bad and the Difference
The Facts About Cholesterol
By Carma Haley
If a higher then recommended blood cholesterol level is present, steps should be taken in order to reduce the risk for heart disease, heart attack and stroke. Simple steps to reduce risk include regular physical activity, reducing dietary cholesterol and receiving regular blood cholesterol testing to ensure levels are within recommended ranges.
Small subtle changes in diet can be made to also help in reducing cholesterol levels. For example, decreasing foods such as red meat, whole milk, butter, palm or coconut oils and shellfish and replacing them with foods such as fish, skinless poultry, tuna, skim milk, low fat cheeses, olive, peanut or soybean oils and spreads made with vegetable oils will help eliminate excess cholesterol.
"My dad has very high cholesterol and blood pressure," says Melissa Brooks, a 27-year-old mother of one from Victoria, Texas. "I want to start early trying to control my blood pressure and have taken a few steps to do that, such as eating lots of fiber, cutting out as much fat as possible, and removing the skin from the chicken."
"If your levels are too high, there are plenty of ways to get them down," Vance says. "First things first – exercise regularly and adopt a diet low in saturated fat and dietary cholesterol and high in fiber. Try to get at least 30 minutes of walking or other exercise three times a week to help lower LDL cholesterol and raise HDL cholesterol. Overweight people can drop LDL levels by dropping a few of the extra pounds."