HeartActive is a delicious, 99% fat free milk enriched with plant sterols, which are proven to help reduce cholesterol. Research shows that consuming plant sterols everyday in milk can reduce cholesterol by an average of 10% in three weeks. HeartActive is currently available in a 1L carton with an extended shelf life (45 days from production) compared to regular white milks with a shelf life of 14 days.
Last month I shared the outcome of a recent (and very overdue) medical checkup. You may recall I was surprised by the outcome of the tests given my *ahem* occasional less-than-healthy behavior; however I did note that my cholesterol was a bit higher than I would like.
It was the first time it had been elevated and although my doctor wasn’t concerned, I figured I should be mature and responsible about my health for a change and look at how to reduce my cholesterol.
Firstly I discovered there are a lot of furfies out there. Hey, I’m all for a magic elixir if it will help me lose 20kg in a month with minimal effort, or a wonderous wrap of some sort which will strip my body of any additional fat or cellulite… but I know from experience, it’s easy to get caught up in old wives’ tales or magic cures offering a quick fix.
What I’ve learned however, is that reducing your cholesterol isn’t as overwhelming as you might think and is – it seems – relatively painless.
As usual, the Heart Foundation here in Oz offers some useful tips; but this 10-step heart challenge offered up by Dairy Farmers is particularly helpful (and simple to follow!).
It goes something like this:
1. Maintain a healthy weight
2. Make positive food choices
3. Know your fat facts
4. Get some exercise
5. Go fish (well…. eat it at least!)
6. Drink responsibly
7. Stop smoking
8. Use no / less salt
9. Eat plant sterol enriched food
10. Monitor your cholesterol and heart health.
There are a few things I’m already working on (or KNOW I need to work on): namely my weight; exercise regime; alcohol consumption; and the fact that I need to monitor my cholesterol levels in future.
Fortunately I’m not a smoker (and am actually very anti-smoking) and I use salt but rarely. But… I have to confess I’m sometimes a bit confused about my fats (monounsaturated vs polyunsaturated; margarine vs butter; olive oil vs well… other oils); and exactly what foods I should be eating (I mentioned the issue of eggs in my last post).
I know there are also products (like HeartActive) which actually lower bad (LDL) cholesterol levels and it occurs to me that it should be easy to switch some products and replace others. So… as I try to step-up my exercise (more on that in my next post) and continue to not-diet and not-binge; a continued focus on my overall health and foods to reduce my cholesterol are next on the agenda!
Is there anything in the 10 tips that surprise you?
Anything there you need to work on?
Sponsored Series by Nuffnang AustraliaHeartActive is a delicious, 99% fat free milk enriched with plant sterols, which are proven to help reduce cholesterol. Research shows that consuming plant sterols everyday in milk can reduce cholesterol by an average of 10% in three weeks. HeartActive is currently available in a 1L carton with an extended shelf life (45 days from production) compared to regular white milks with a shelf life of 14 days.
* I’m linking up with Essentially Jess and her IBOT team today.
May 14, 2013
It is interesting with all the “sugar-free” diet/lifestyle trends at moment that sugar isn’t mentioned more specifically in the top tips. I guess the Heart foundation are really focusing on cholesterol and fatty eating options. Very interesting. My cholesterol is 4.0 even though I consider myself to be in healthy lifestyle mode and make good food choices. I get confused with the different types as well. I will have to take a look more closely.
May 14, 2013
Yes Lisa, I suspect when I delve more into the foods I should be eating / avoiding I’ll be better-armed to reduce my cholesterol as well! I don’t know if sugar is specifically mentioned… it might get a guernsey as the detailed list I used referred to fibre etc (so it wasn’t all about types of fats etc).
Deb
May 14, 2013
I find the good fats/ bad fats really confusing. I’m never sure exactly what is the best choice and when. I was reading certain oils are good at room temperature but terrible to use in cooking!
May 14, 2013
I know… and I am sure once upon a time, we were told margarine was bad and butter was good, but now I’m pretty sure it’s the opposite! Am about to start digging through the quagmire of information.
May 14, 2013
I am really trying to cut down my salt intake but after a lifetime with a salt pot next to the stove its really hard – food just tastes so good with it in! Good on you for trying to make a difference – hope you don’t mind if I skip number 6 (I really do try!)
May 15, 2013
My dad was terrible with condiments and salt. I actually NEVER used to use salt. Like EVER. But now use it on eggs – which I have for breakfast most days. And on fries (which I try to have less-often!). Am pretty sure I could cut back as well!
May 14, 2013
I have familial high cholesterol so have been on a statin for years. The other day I saw on Dr. Oz that you can also take sterols as a supplement in pill form. I hadn’t known that.
May 15, 2013
Oh Karen, I didn’t know that either. (And… hello stranger! Hope you are well – and your family, healthy and happy!).
xx
May 14, 2013
Hi Debbie it was really interesting reading your post on the 10 step plan and I think it is fantastic that your taking a sensible approach to this problem. The clients I work with are often left confused as everything they read tells them to do this and to do that… We live in the information age and in many ways it is a beautiful thing. But in other ways it can be confusing and with too much choice we are left feeling indecisive. A great person to listen to is Barry Schwartz on The Paradox of Choice…. That’s another story perhaps for another time and I promise I will get to my point (sorry for the tangent) The point I am trying to get to is that many of the clients I train always ask, ‘What should I eat, it is all so confusing?’ For those with weight loss as their goal and a history of weight fluctuation I always always always recommend the slow carb method it nearly always works. The best part is you do it for life not just 4 weeks or 6 weeks or 10 weeks etc. If you love Thai and Mexican then you’ll love this style of cooking. Also the fact that I do it myself makes it so easy to recommend. Great read as always
May 15, 2013
Hi Doug, thanks so much for your comment and I guess this is something you know about given that nutrition would be a focus at your retreat!
And it’s so true, your comment about the confusion – too much information can be scary. When I googled options I decided to go with those I knew were tried and true, and I’ll do the same when I do more research about foods!
PS. LOVE Thai and love Mexican…
Deb
May 15, 2013
I’ve got no real idea about the good and bad fats too, except that you shouldn’t eat too much pepperoni or bacon. Which is a pity cause they really do taste so good!
May 15, 2013
I have to admit, I eat bacon most days… but just one short cut middle rasher thingy.
May 15, 2013
Implementing all of those steps was what directly caused my 0.7 drop in cholesterol over five months. I’m hoping that my continuing efforts have reduced it even more – I’ll find out in June, when I get it re-tested.
I miss wine though. I just can’t drink any more, my body doesn’t like it at all. 🙁 That won’t stop me having a few champagnes on special occasions though. 😉
May 16, 2013
Oh wow, so glad it’s been working for you and hope it’s even lower when you get it retested.
May 25, 2013
HeartActive is a delicious, 99% fat free milk enriched with plant sterols, which are proven to help reduce cholesterol. Research shows that consuming plant sterols everyday in milk can reduce cholesterol by an average of 10% in three weeks. HeartActive is currently available in a 1L carton with an extended shelf life (45 days from production) compared to regular white milks with a shelf life of 14 days.
May 30, 2013
HeartActive is a delicious, 99% fat free milk enriched with plant sterols, which are proven to help reduce cholesterol. Research shows that consuming plant sterols everyday in milk can reduce cholesterol by an average of 10% in three weeks. HeartActive is currently available in a 1L carton with an extended shelf life (45 days from production) compared to regular white milks with a shelf life of 14 days.
June 3, 2013
The plant sterols found in new margarines such as Flora Pro Active and Logical Spread can reduce the amount of cholesterol absorbed by the body. These spreads are beneficial if you have high cholesterol and would like to continue using margarine type spreads. However, it is important to note that you need to use approximately 25g per day, 5-6 teaspoons, to get a reduction in cholesterol of 10%. Many people with high cholesterol are also battling with their weight and adding this amount of margarine to the diet will only lead to increased kilojoule intake, and therefore weight gain. For the individual who is an ideal or a lower weight, these margarines can be of great benefit. Another negative about these margarines is that they are very expensive compared to mono and polyunsaturated margarines.
June 3, 2013
Thanks Carla… much appreciated.
June 5, 2013
Great post! I bookmarked your site so I can look around when I have more time. I’m looking forward to it 🙂