HDL Cholesterol #82

One thing I need to correct are a couple of facts about sodium.  First I incorrectly wrote one tablespoon of table salt contained the daily limit of sodium, when it should have been one teaspoon.   Cindy was kind enough to correct my error on that.  I next need to correctly state Cindy and I use a salt which is one third less sodium than regular table salt.  It is a form of salt which is called "Diamond Crystal Salt Sense"  One teaspoon containing 1500mg of sodium compared to 2300 mg for regular table salt.

To finish up on cholesterol, a natural function of your liver is to produce the amount of cholesterol needed by your body.  Your other source of cholesterol is from the food you consume.  Other factors to be considered as causes or sources of high cholesterol levels are:  A diet high in saturated fats.  A low level of physical activity, lack of exercise, and being overweight.  The aging process. As you get older it is natural for cholesterol levels to increase.  Which leaves you as someone with high cholesterol to consider, and be selective in the foods you eat in regards to the cholesterol content, and how your food is prepared.  You also can eat more foods that contain HDL, good cholesterol.  Fish as an example.  Remember good cholesterol also acts as a cleansing agent, helping remove and lower bad LDL cholesterol.   We always seem to get back to the key three elements for heart patients to be cardiovascular healthy.  Regular exercise, eating healthy foods, reducing and controlling your weight.

I do not watch much TV other than my college basketball team and NASCAR racing.  But I do watch and pay attention to programs and news concerning cardiovascular  health and living a healthy lifestyle.  You would be surprised by how much I see and hear about how heart patients, and heart attack survivors, are discussing the same lifestyle changes that we have discussed in this blog.  Last night I was watching a national news program and they had on a guy who had survived a major heart attack and he was explaining how he had changed his lifestyle and had lost 50 pounds.   They ask him how he did it.  He said " I eat a lot of fruit, and even more than a lot of oatmeal."  That guy had to be one of our readers. Thank you Quaker Oats, you can send me a royalty check for spreading your heart healthy message worldwide....Would you believe one of their attorneys sent me an e-mail to caution me about being cautious about how I present their product?  Oatmeal remains my favorite overall heart healthy food. 

We will discuss more health benefits of oatmeal later on.  To finish up here, let's go into which foods are good sources for HDL cholesterol.  Well, oatmeal for one and certain fish.  Salmon, tuna, trout, sardines, herring, shellfish are great HDL sources.  Walnuts, almonds, pecans, and purple skinned fruits as grapes and berries are some more.  And many beans, such as, navy, red,  pinto, kidney, and soy products.

Next more on eating healthy and how exercising helps.