High cholesterol, heart disease and obesity know each other well. Like the chance series of events that sunk the Titanic, they’re familiar steps in a tragic progression of declining health that affects hundreds of thousands of people every year – and potentially you. Consider:

• Nearly 1 million Americans died of heart disease in 2002.
• 52 million Americans have high cholesterol, a leading cause of heart disease.
• 67% of Americans are overweight or obese, the top contributor to high cholesterol.

The relationship is clear. For a healthy heart, the best course of action is often simply to lower cholesterol in large part by losing weight. In fact, the American Heart Association says that overweight and obesity represent the #2 preventable cause of death in the United States.

Still, even though cholesterol is linked to obesity, there are many heart benefits to lowering those levels, even if no weight is lost. Ignoring either your weight or cholesterol levels can quickly make a bad situation much, much worse.

How SparkPeople Can Help Your SparkPeople program is a comprehensive tool to use in conjunction with your doctor’s advice. Our core program helps people lose weight and be more active, two keys to fighting high cholesterol. In addition, your meal plans are considered to be “low cholesterol.” We also included some additional nutrient goals to your Nutrition page: Consume over 400 micrograms of Folic Acid a day Keep dietary Cholesterol under 300 grams As we mentioned, our program should be used in addition to your doctor’s recommendations, and you should consult with your doctor before starting this program.

Heart Healthy Eating

Your nutrition habits can make or break your chances of gaining control over your cholesterol. It’s usually easier to keep cholesterol out of your body in the first place, than to get rid of it once it’s there.

When it comes to nutrition strategies, there are basically three things to remember:

1. Cholesterol is good for you – if it’s the right type and a moderate amount.
2. Keep your HDL high and your LDL low.
3. Limit your saturated fat and trans fatty acid intake.

What is Cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a soft fat-like substance, which in moderate amounts is essential to good health. It is a building block of every cell in your body, aids in metabolism, forms 50% of your nervous system, and is necessary for the production of various hormones. The dangers of high cholesterol, including artery blockage and damage, are well-documented. But some studies are suggesting that cholesterol levels that are too LOW can also be harmful and dangerous. The key seems to be making sure your body has enough – but not too much – cholesterol.

Cholesterol comes from two sources:

GOAL: Total blood cholesterol should be <200 milligrams per dL.

• Serum (blood) Cholesterol flows through the bloodstream. Most is produced naturally by your body, while some is absorbed through food.

• GOAL: Dietary cholesterol intake should be <300 milligrams per day.

  Dietary Cholesterol is found only in foods of animal origin, such as meat, poultry, fish, egg yolks, and dairy products. It is not found in plant foods. This source is easier to control.

	The Keys to Conquering Cholesterol Include Good Fats and Proteins Choose Olive Oil as a Healthy Alternative Use Aerobic Exercise as a Building Block Heart Healthy Benefits of Exercise Tips for Cutting Back on Fat Dietary Cholesterol Chart

Know Your Numbers

It might seem obvious, but it can’t be emphasized enough. One of the best ways to lower your cholesterol is to track it. Have your doctor regularly do a blood test and keep track of your results. There are three different types of cholesterol packages that make up the complete cholesterol picture. For a healthy heart, you’d actually want to see more of one type of cholesterol, and less of the other two:

• The Good: HDL (High Density Lipoprotein) is the good, Healthy cholesterol.

• The Bad: LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein) is the bad, Lazy cholesterol.

• The Ugly: Triglyceride is a form of fat found in food; the visible fat on chicken or steak is actually triglyceride. If you are overweight, your body stores the extra calories you eat as triglycerides. People with high triglyceride levels often have low HDL (good cholesterol); this combination is considered by many experts to be associated with an increase risk for heart disease.

Just the Facts on Fats

Based on your cholesterol numbers, what can you do with your diet to bring them in line with healthy recommendations? When you’re making food choices, the types of fats you choose are just as (if not more) important than the amount of cholesterol the food contains.

• Monounsaturated Fat: decreases total blood cholesterol but maintains your HDL (healthy/good) cholesterol. Try to make most of your intake this type of fat.
  
  
• Eat This: certain oils and margarines (canola, olive, peanut, sesame), avocado, nuts (almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia, pecans, peanuts, pistachios), peanut butter, olives, sesame seeds, tahini paste.

• Polyunsaturated Fat: decreases total blood cholesterol by lowering both the LDL (lazy/bad) cholesterol and the HDL (healthy/good) cholesterol.
  
  
• Eat In Moderation: certain oils and margarines (corn, safflower, soybean), walnuts, mayonnaise, most salad dressings, pumpkin and sunflower seeds.
  
  
• Saturated Fat: increases total cholesterol and bad cholesterol. Limit to 10% of total calorie intake.
  
  
• Avoid This: butter, cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, cream, ice cream, whole milk, bacon, bacon grease, lard, beef, pork, poultry, shortening, coconut, coconut oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil, cocoa butter
  
  
• Trans Fatty Acids: fats that do not occur naturally. In other words, they are created when using “hydrogenated” oil to make crackers or cookies, for example. Hydrogenated oils act very similar to saturated fats in the body and are not heart healthy. Avoid as much as possible by limiting processed and baked goods that are hydrogenated.
  

Great Meal Planning Food Choices

Go Fishing for Omega-3’s

The American Heart Association recommends eating at least 2 servings (3 oz each) of fish per week. Why? Some fish, particularly albacore tuna, mackerel, and salmon, are rich in Omega-3 Fatty Acids, a type of polyunsaturated fat that makes blood less sticky and less likely to form damaging blood clots. Other rich sources include lake trout, sardines, herring, oysters, shrimp, shellfish, flaxseed, flaxseed oil, canola oil, soybean oil, walnuts, and butternuts.


Friendly Fiber

Roughage, bulk, fiber---they’re all the same thing. Fiber is the part of plant foods that cannot be digested or absorbed by the body. It plays an important role in promoting good health and protecting against diseases. Foods high in fiber may help to lower blood cholesterol, especially LDL (lazy/bad) cholesterol---and reduce your risk of heart disease. Most people need 25-35 grams of fiber each day, but 90% of Americans do not meet these guidelines. Most eat only about 15 grams daily. When shopping for fibrous breads and baked goods, make sure they contain “whole grains” and not simply “whole wheat”. This is the only way to be sure you’re receiving complex carbs and fiber, and not simply processed flour with brown dye. High fiber foods include beans, peas, lentils, oats, barley, apples, carrots, plums, squash, wheat bran, whole grains and many other fruits and vegetables.


Super Sterols and Stanols

You may have heard that products containing plant sterols and stanols may help to lower LDL. There are a number of studies and tests that can back up this claim. Sterols and stanols are found naturally in soybean oil and tall oil (pine tree bark) and in some salad dressings and margarine spreads, such as Take Control and Benecol. For optimal cholesterol lowering, get a minimum of 1.3 grams per day consistently. (Plant-based foods in the average diet provide only about 300 milligrams/day.) These foods are usually higher in calories and fat, so they should be used as substitutes for conventional products, not in addition to them. As effective as these products may be, talk over this topic with your physician. Don’t use these products with infants and young children who need cholesterol for growth and development.

Crazy for Nuts

While nuts are high in fat, they contain mostly protective, monounsaturated fat. They can lower LDL, while leaving HDL cholesterol intact. They also contain omega-3 fats, phytochemicals, antioxidants, folate, fiber, magnesium, potassium, and vitamin E. In fact, 1 oz of nuts 5 times a week can do your body a world of good. Add almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, pignola or pine nuts, pistachios, or walnuts to your meal plans. Sunflower, sesame and flax seeds also have high levels of healthy fat. These options can be pretty high in calories, so portion sizes are important. Try adding nuts and seeds to salads, cereals, stir fry, breads, muffins, yogurt, oatmeal, casseroles, and rice.


Oh Boy, Soy

If you haven’t tried it before, soy might be tastier – and healthier – than you might think. There is good evidence that 25 grams of soy protein per day can help lower your risk of heart disease. Soybeans:

• Contain isoflavones, which help fight heart disease
• Lower LDL and make it less “sticky,” and may increase HDL
• Appear to inhibit growth of cells that form plaque
• Help blood vessels stretch and remain flexible

Appetizing soy options range way beyond the stereotypical tofu patty. Many everyday grocery products include soy flour, soy protein bar, soy nuts, soy burger, soy crumbles, soy milk, soy yogurt, or soy cheese. Here’s an article packed with ideas for adding soy and soy milk to your diet.

Heart Healthy Fitness

Being overweight is a leading risk factor for high cholesterol. The good news is that regular physical activity will help with both weight loss and lowering cholesterol. Exercise can actually increase your HDL (“good” cholesterol) levels. In fact, the American Heart Association recommends exercise for a total of at least 30 minutes on most or all days of the week.

As you’re planning your workout schedule, here are some things to think about:

• Even moderate activity, if done daily, can make a difference. A study in the New England Journal of Medicine compared the amount and intensity of exercise and their effects on cholesterol levels. The highest amount of weekly exercise had the most effect. In other words, improvement was related to the amount of activity and not to the intensity of exercise.



• In the same study, participants lost little weight, but their cholesterol levels did decrease. This shows that heart-healthy changes can occur inside your body before any benefits are seen on the outside. So if you’re discouraged by not seeing weight results, you can still be motivated by the fact that you continue to get healthier!



• If you are new to exercise or haven’t been active in awhile, start slowly and increase your workout time and intensity as you get stronger. A good starting point is 30 minutes of cardiovascular activity, 3 times per week. Examples include walking, swimming and biking. The best activities to do are the ones you enjoy and will stick with. If 30 minutes is too much, start with 10-20 minutes and increase from there. Eventually, the goal is to work up to 45-60 minutes, 5 times per week. It is also important to let your body warm up and cool down gradually at the beginning and end of each exercise session (5-10 minutes).



• Listen to your body. Push yourself hard enough to get a good workout, but not too hard. The “Talk Test” is a good indication - if you can answer a question but not comfortably carry on a conversation at the height of your workout, you’re exercising at a good intensity level.



• For those who have no other medical complications, strength training is safe and can provide many benefits. A good starting point for strength training is 2-3 upper body, 2-3 lower body and 2 core exercises, 2 times per week. The Fitness Resource Center has dozens of examples of exercises that are easy to follow and require minimal equipment.