To be heart healthy, your total blood cholesterol should be less than 200 mg/dl.  High cholesterol is 240 mg/dl or higher.

Table of Contents for Preventing Heart Disease and Stroke Introduction What is a risk factor Risk Factors High fat diet High LDL-Cholesterol High blood pressure Cigarette smoking Blood clotting Other risk factors Links to related web sites Self Quiz Summary Review questions Back to Nutrition Curriculum Lessons

High-Saturated Fat, High-Cholesterol Diet

Eat a heart-healthy diet and maintain a healthy weight to help control the progression of heart disease.  An 11-pound weight loss is associated with a decline of about 10 mg/dL in total cholesterol. 

To be heart-healthy, you should:        

1.  Limit your intake of foods high in saturated fat and cholesterol.  

2.  Reduce calories, when necessary, to maintain a healthy body weight. 

3.  Have moderate salt intake.   

4.  Have  moderate alcohol intake, if any at all.

5.  Eat more fruits, vegetables and whole-grain breads and cereals.

High LDL-Cholesterol

What is cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a fatty substance found in animal tissues.  Your body produces cholesterol, but you also get it from food that comes from animals, such as meats, organ meats, egg yolks, milk, butter, cheese and other dairy products.

Cholesterol is used by your body in digestion and the production of some hormones. However, high levels of cholesterol can be associated with increased risk of heart disease.  To be heart- healthy, your total blood cholesterol should be less than 200 mg/dl.  High cholesterol is 240 mg/dl or higher.

To learn more about cholesterol and types of food that lower cholesterol, link to Quaker Oatmeal. 

Total blood cholesterol is made of three parts, some good and some bad!

1. LDL-C  (low density lipoprotein cholesterol) - this is a bad cholesterol. 

LDL-C is associated with clogging and hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis) and is a primary cause of heart attacks when you have too much in your blood!  This cholesterol level should be LOW in your blood!

An LDL-C level of less than 130 mg/dl is heart healthy.

Lipoprotein is a protein that carries fat around in the blood, bringing it to the right places.

You can keep LDL-C low by (1) watching your fat and calories, (2) losing weight if necessary and (3) eating dietary fibers such as oats and barley.

2. VLDL-C (very low density lipoprotein cholesterol) - also a bad cholesterol. 

This level should also be low in your blood. 

You can keep VLDL-C low by eating seafood oils, such as sardines, tuna, trout, salmon, mackerel, soybean oil, margarine with soybean oil and black walnuts. The fatty acids (parts of the fat) in seafood oils also help your heart maintain a regular heartbeat and not get out of rhythm (cardiac arrhythmia). You should eat fish at least once a week to get these helpful seafood oils.

3. HDL-C (high density lipoprotein) - this is a good cholesterol to have in your blood! HDL-C helps remove harmful cholesterol from your body.

HDL-C should be higher than 60 mg/dl in your blood . Less than 35 mg/dl is too low!

Remember: Keep the low-density cholesterol (LDL-C and VLDL-C) LOW and the high-density cholesterol (HDL-C) HIGH!

What can you do to improve your cholesterol?

1. Have your doctor check your total blood cholesterol, LDL-C (bad cholesterol) and HDL-C (good cholesterol). Are they within the heart-healthy limits? If your blood cholesterol is healthy, go back to be rechecked every two years. If it is too high, get rechecked according to your doctor's recommendation.

2. If any of your cholesterol levels are not heart-healthy, you can:

• Reduce your total fat intake, saturated fat intake and cholesterol intake. 
  
• Eat a Food Guide Pyramid diet: lots of grains and breads, fruits and vegetables. These foods are high in fiber, and low in calories, fat, saturated fat and cholesterol.
  
• Exercise regularly - light to moderate physical activity for at least 30 minutes per day.

3.  If you are overweight, reduce your weight to a healthy level by eating right and exercising.

Link to http://www.quakeroatmeal.com and take the Quaker Oats Smart Heart Challenge.