There has been a lot of talk lately about cholesterol and the heart and Becel has started a campaign about knowing your cholesterol number. There is a QUIZ you can take to find out how old your heart is. I have a bit of high cholesterol so I found this very useful to me.
Some factors that cause high cholesterol are smoking, stress, poor eating habits, extra body weight, lack of exercise and of course hereditary factors.
Here are some ways to have a Healthy heart
Don’t smoke
Lower your cholesterol
Manage your weight
Keep physically active
Monitor your blood pressure
Reduce stress
Manage your diabetes
Limit alcohol consumption
Lower your cholesterol
Manage your weight
Keep physically active
Monitor your blood pressure
Reduce stress
Manage your diabetes
Limit alcohol consumption
DAILY INTAKE MUST INCLUDE PLANT STEROLS
Plant sterols — also called “phytosterols” — are substances naturally found in plant-based foods and have been in our diet for thousands of years. Plant sterols are naturally found in many heart healthy foods, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains, and in vegetable oils like sunflower, safflower and canola oils. However, it is difficult to consume enough plant sterols from these foods to see a significant effect. Studies show that consuming 2 grams of plant sterols daily can help to lower your cholesterol by up to 9% starting within 3 weeks. Two grams of plant sterols is equivalent to eating 425 tomatoes, 150 apples or 11 cups of peanuts!
International health experts such as the American Heart Association, as part of the National Cholesterol Education Program, suggest eating 2 grams of plant sterols a day to enhance a LDL cholesterol-lowering lifestyle and diet.
Here’s what you can do to get more plant sterols in your diet:
- Enjoy a variety of vegetables and fruit every day. Aim for 7-10 servings a day, as recommended by Canada’s Food Guide.
- Eat 2-3 servings of plant sterol-fortified foods each day.
- Cook and bake with vegetable oils and non-hydrogenated margarines made from vegetable oils.
- Snack on nuts, like almonds and walnuts, or sprinkle a small handful on your cereal and salads.
- Include whole grains in your meals. Look for recipes that use barley, brown rice, oats and quinoa
- Take the HEART TRUTH QUIZ Here
- You can also sign up for HEARTBEATS Here
- Heartbeats gives you a whole year of lifestyle changes, delivered once a week and designed to boost your heart health. Each change is achievable for women of all health and fitness levels, and if you incorporate each one into your lifestyle, you’ll see your health and energy levels improve over the weeks and months.
Be kind to your heart as you have only one life to live so live the best you can be !
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