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healthy cholesterol levels
Here is another trap to avoid. Reducing fat might not be as smart as it sounds. Tufts University scientists recently put 11 middle-aged men and women volunteers on a variety of average reduced and low fat diets.
If you are overweight, the chances are almost 100% that you have a problem with high cholesterol. You can lower your LDL and elevate your HDL just by dropping some pounds. Eat fewer fatty foods and more fruits, vegetables, grains and beans and it’s a pretty good bet that you will slowly but surely lose weight.
Over the long term, stress has shown to raise blood cholesterol levels. The way it does this is by affecting habits. An example is over indulging in fatty foods as a way of consoling themselves when people are under stress. The saturated fat and cholesterol in these foods contribute to high levels of blood cholesterol. We will explore dietary factors in a later chapter.
Brand names of statins that you might recognize are Lipitor, Lescol, Mevacor, Altocor, Pravahol, Zocor and Crestor.
Take a multivitamin – it can’t hurt
Here’s another healthy living tip for you. If you really have trouble giving up your favorite high fat cheese, try this. Turn it into a low fat version. Just zap it in the microwave for a minute or two. Pull it out and drain off the oil. It will significantly reduce the fat content of the cheese. This will work well for cheese sandwiches, toppings and other recipes that call for your favorite cheese.
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