Cholesterol Guidelines Are Helpful


If your doctor prescribes a cholesterol-lowering drug, be sure to take it regularly, even though you can't feel its effects. Remember, too, that the drug is only one part of the treatment. For best results, you need to maintain good eating and exercise habits in addition to taking the drug and follow instructions or cholesterol guidelines given to you by your doctor.

Cholesterol Guidelines Are Listed Below

If you are overweight, work with a doctor or a registered dietitian to design a personalized nutrition plan to help you lose weight and keep it off.

Eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grain breads, cereals, and beans on a daily basis.

Use only low-fat or skim milk, cheeses, sour cream, and yogurt.

When eating meat, choose lean cuts and take small portions. Cook chicken without the skin. Add more fish to your diet. If you have a husband that can fish, it is a great way to put fish on the table! And its free!

Limit your intake of high-fat and cholesterol-rich foods such as french fries, fast foods, sausage, bacon, and hot dogs.

Do not fry foods. Instead, bake, broil, boil, grill, steam, roast, poach, or microwave.

Some more cholesterol guidelines to follow

Read food labels carefully and avoid foods that contain hydrogenated vegetable oils, cocoa butter, coconut or palm oil, beef fat, and lard.

Cook and bake with vegetable oils such as canola, sunflower, corn, soybean, peanut, and olive oils. Use Pam instead of butter or margarine for cooking.

Eat at least one meatless meal per day.

Cook with egg whites or egg substitutes instead of whole eggs.

Exercise regularly. Good exercises to aid in lowering cholesterol include walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, aerobics, and dancing. Find an activity you enjoy and do it 3 to 4 times per week for at least 20 to 30 minutes at a time.

Smoking increases the risk of heart disease, so when you have high cholesterol it is doubly important to quit. If you have trouble, ask your doctor for quit-smoking aids.

Have your blood cholesterol checked periodically by your doctor or a reputable lab to monitor your progress. Home cholesterol testing kits may alert you to a high cholesterol problem, but they are not as comprehensive as one performed by a lab or your physician's office. If you have a history of high cholesterol, your doctor may recommend more frequent testing.
When To Call Your Doctor
When you need to call your doctor if you notice anything with the cholesterol guidelines or you are concern about your cholesterol, give your doctor a call.
If you noticed a small, yellowish skin growth, especially around your eyes.
You develop symptoms such as pain in the lower legs, dizziness, or an unsteady gait. These could be signs of heart trouble associated with high cholesterol.
However, unless your cholesterol is severe, the only way to know if your cholesterol levels are within desirable ranges is to have your blood tested. Have your cholesterol checked regularly, and take preventive steps to avoid the complications of high cholesterol, and to follow some easy cholesterol guidelines.