Do you have an abnormal blood cholesterol level?

Only a blood test/screening can determine your cholesterol level.
1/3 to 1/2 of all Americans have abnormal blood cholesterol levels; only a small percentage of these individuals are taking medications to improve their cholesterol.
Cholesterol is produced by the liver and obtained in the diet.

High density lipoprotein (HDL) is know as the "good" cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL) is know as the "bad" cholesterol.
Total cholestrol of 200 or less is considered ideal for most people. LDL is considered optimal below 100 and a LDL of 160 is high. A HDL value of less than 40 may be considered low and a risk factor for heart disease. HDL of over 60 may offer protection against HD.

Genetics, diet, physical activity level, %body fat and distribution, stress, age, gender and unknown factors determine blood cholesterol levels.

Lifestyle Factors That Decrease LDL Cholesterol
*increase physical activity level
*decrease dietary saturated and hydrogenated fat
*decrease dietary cholesterol
*increase dietary soluble fiber and soy
*decrease percent body fat
*manage stress effectively
*control diabetes

Lifestyle Factors that Increase HDL
*increase physical activity level
*increase percent body fat
*quit smoking
*decrease blood triglyceride levels
*increase mono and polyunsaturated fat intake
*reduce simple and refined carbohydrates

Consult the following links for more information: http://www.americanheart.org/. http://www.eatright.org/, http://www.cancer.org/
some of the above information provided by The Cooper Institute, Dallas, TX,'05

Calories from FAT

The number one rule is, "READ LABELS"!

Your daily calories should come from a mixture of carbs, protein and fat. You need all of them to fuel your body properly. Out of those 3 basic groups FAT is an important one to watch.

Carbs and protein have 4 calories per gram and Fat has 9. Most agree, that fat calories should be limited to 30% of you total calorie intake or less if you are trying to lose weight.

So take the label above: Each serving has 250 calories, 110 of which come from fat. So 110/250=44%. So a quick look at this macaroni and cheese label indicates that it gets too many of its calories from fat and should be avoided. 25% of those fat calories are from saturated fat, NOT GOOD=NOT A GOOD SIDE DISH for your kids.

Exercise of the day

MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS

Muscles worked: calves, quads, glutes, back, chest, triceps, abs, and shoulders•In a push-up position, keeping your back flat, pump your legs as if running in place. Try not to brush the ground with your toes as they come forward. Do 50 right-left reps.

FAT: GOOD and BAD

Fat Facts: Fat contains 9 calories per gram and are a necessary dietary component. When looking at the fat content of food it is important to look at food ingredients, not just the nutritional facts, to determine what types of fats they may contain.
Bad Fats:
Saturated Fats-often solid at room temperature (beef, pork, whole milk) and they come from mostly animal sources.
Tropical oils-often are liquid at room temperture (palm oil, coconut oil) and are found in many different food items including baked pastries and snack foods.
Trans-fats (hydrogenated fats) have been shown to increase the risk of coronary heart disease. They are often found in fried fast foods, processed baked goods and stick margarines.
Current RDA states that individuals with a LDL/HDL of >130 mg/dl should get less than 7% of total daily calories from Saturated and Hydrogenated Fats.
Good Fats:
Monounsaturated fats and Polyunsaturated fats have been shown to have a positive effect on cholesterol levels in the body. Mono-fats tend to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and increase HDL (good) cholesterol. Poly-fats tend to lower LDL, but also may lower HDL levels.
Omega-3 polyunsaturated fats (fish & flaxseed) have been proven to prevent heart attacks, strokes and sudden cardiac death. Omega-3s inhibit blood clot formation and promote dilation of blood vessels and prevent fatal cardiac arrhymias. They have been shown to have positive effects on body fat, skin and depression in some individuals. A fish oil supplement is worth looking into.

EXERCISE OF THE DAY

ABDOMINAL BICYCLES

Muscles worked: abs, obliques, and hip flexors• Lie on your back in a sit-up position, with your hands behind your head. Raise your legs off the ground and bring your left knee to your right elbow while extending your right leg straight out. Change sides and repeat

Cops and FASTFOOD

Ever wonder what your eating when you grab that burger and fries for that quick lunch?

How bad can it be? Is it ok to hit the drive through just a couple of times a week?

You might be surprised. Its not all bad, things are changing, most restaurants are making the nutritional value of their food available to the consumer. However, some food establishments have refused to list the nutritional information. You have to ask yourself why they would want to do that; don't you think you have a right to now what you are eating? Sure you do.

Quiznos has been a notorious example of this only recently listing the calories of a select few menu items, choosing not to show fat, sodium or other content.

Lets take a quick look at a couple of meals:
Meal #1: Whataburger, lg Fries, md shake
Whataburger, no cheese- 607 calories, 29.9g of fat, 1,158mg of sodium
Large Fries- 514 calories, 26g of fat, 413mg of sodium
32oz Vanilla Shake- 834 calories, 25g of fat, 449mg of sodium
This one meal as a total of 1955 calories, 80.9g of fat and 2020mg of sodium. Whata-Size it and add 275 calories and 15g of fat! It doesn't take a dietitian to realize that this is not going to be a good choice, but how many people eat something like that several times a week, what about everyday?
Meal #2: McDonald's Premium Grilled Chicken Sandwich, md coke
Sandwich calories-420, 17g fat, 1470mg sodium
Medium Coca Cola- 210 calories
This meal is a bit better, but still not the "diet meal" that some would like to think with 630 calories, 17g fat and 1470 sodium.

As you can see both of these meals are very high in sodium and would be very detrimental for anyone with high blood pressure or on a low sodium diet. As for the fat, the burger combo contains way too much fat with a large percentage coming from saturated fat. The addition of fries sends it over the edge.

The grilled chicken sandwich is better, it gets about 21% of its calories from fat, which is acceptable and it is low in saturated fat. You did know that a medium coke as over 200 calories of pure HIGH FRUCTROSE CORN SYRUP, right? If you must frequent "Fast Food" restaurants then take sometime to research the nutritional information for their menus. Don't just think that this is a problem at fast food restaurants, it is a common theme anywhere, even real sit down eateries.
http://www.whataburger.com/browse_nutritional_info.php http://www.mcdonalds.com/usa/eat/nutrition_info.html