Heart Healthy Food Basics 3 #124

PART 3
Understanding cholesterol levels, eating healthier food.

Eat fewer calories.  Eat smaller portions. Eat smaller meals, but eat more often.  If I get real hungry, that is when I can get into trouble and eat more than I should.  Eat 5 or 6 small meals each day.  Remember this is not a green light to cholesterol  rich foods.  You will have to do your homework and establish some sort of a core of healthy foods to build your diet around.   Please do not let the research part intimidate you.  It will not be as complicated or tedious as you may think.  Most foods you have been eating you will not need to research to determine if they are healthy.  You will know most of the foods to avoid without much research effort.   The American Heart Association recommends a cholesterol daily allowance of 300mg for healthy adults.  For adults with heart disease, or prior heart attacks the allowance is 200mg. 

"Cholesterol numbers you should aim for"  The Mayo Clinic.
Total cholesterol levels reference  (all in mg)

Totals:  Formulated sum of (LDL HDL Triglycerides)
Below 200   Desirable
200-239      Borderline high
240 >          High

LDL (bad) Cholesterol
Below 70     Ideal for those very high risk of heart disease
71-100        Ideal for those at risk of heart disease
101-129      Near ideal
130-159      Borderline high
160 >         High

HDL (good) Cholesterol
Below 40 men         Poor
Below 50 women    Poor
50-59                    Better
60 >                      Best

Triglycerides
Below 150           Desirable
151-199              Borderline high
200 >                  High

You can get a copy of your most recent (lipid profile) results from your cardiologist which will give you total cholesterol, and the 3 individual levels.  You do not get your total by adding the three and then dividing that sum by three.  There is a formula which you can find by using the search feature.  For those of you not from the U.S.A. you can go to mayoclinic.com and get a Cholesterol measurement conversion chart.



Now I am going to go into what I would call the core of my food diet.  Fruits.  Strawberries, oranges, bananas daily.  When available fruits as grapes, apples cherries, peaches, pears, melons.  Just about any fruit my wife buys I will eat.  Vegetables, plain baked potatoes, no butter, sour cream, or cheese.  Just a plain potato.  Salads, tomatoes, green beans,  peas, cucumbers, spinach.   Chicken breast, skinless baked.  I drink skim milk, water, orange and grape juice.  Basically I eat many soup and salads, lots of oatmeal, and much fruit daily.   I do not starve myself.  I have very simply replaced foods I use to eat with these.

Here are some of my very in general I do not eat foods.  This is my list and does not necessarily mean you too.   I do not drink carbonated colas, nor eat eggs, butter, margarine, whole milk, red meat, processed snack foods, processed pastries, or fast foods of any kind.   Over this last 3 years, my total cholesterol has continually reduced and now remains between 98-105.  My HDL (good) continues to increase which is what you want it to do.  Mine is lower than I prefer and I continually try to find and eat foods that will improve my HDL.