Tuesday’s Tip|Cholesterol and You|Part 2

This Tuesday’s Tip is part 2 in the series on Cholesterol and You. (See Part 1) Today we’ll explore the first two tips that were recommended to help control my cholesterol levels and lower risk of heart disease. The tips are:

• Consume a low fat diet
• Aerobic exercise for at least 30 minutes a day

Low Fat Diet

We’ve all heard this recommendation over and over. But does it mean we just need to eliminate fat from our diet? Not quite.

There are four types of fats involved: saturated fat, trans fat, monounsaturated fat, and polyunsaturated fat. The further we get on this progression the better. Let me explain.

Saturated fat contains triglycerides and has been associated with increased risk to heart disease. Examples of food with high levels of saturated fat are cream, cheese, butter, animal fats, and some vegetable products like coconut oil. These types of fats should be avoided.

Trans fat occur in some animal products like milk and fat, but the bulk of trans fat comes from processing vegetable oils to increase product life – partial hydrogenation. The process of partial hydrogenation does good for how long products survive before spoiling, but it has dramatic affect on the value of the food for the body. This quote by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) puts it most boldly:

trans fatty acids are not essential and provide no known benefit to human health

While both saturated and trans fats increase levels of LDL cholesterol, trans fats also lower levels of HDL cholesterol; thus increasing the risk of coronary heart disease.

So watch for the keywords partially hydrogenated and run away; your heart will thank you.

Monounsaturated fat have been proven to reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and may increase high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. Monounsaturated fats are found in natural foods such as red meat, whole milk, nuts, and high fat fruits like avocados and olives. Olive oil is about 75% monounsaturated fat and is often recommended for daily consumption to improve heart health. I fry my eggs in olive oil and use it instead of butter on my toast.

Polyunsaturated fat also lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. Examples of foods that are high in polyunsaturated fats are seafood (salmon and fish oil), corn oil, safflower and sunflower oils.

One way to remember which fats are good is that unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature – use it with moderation. If it hardens at room temperature it is most likely a saturated fat – avoid it. Fats tend to be high in calories so moderation is required to avoid gaining extra weight.

Aerobic Exercise

The old recommendation of 30 minutes 3-5 times per day has changed, especially when it comes to heart health. The new recommendation has been stepped up to at least 30 minutes every day. For us fitness nuts that is almost good news, we can now point to our doctors as the reason for our need to get out and get moving. For the bulk of the population sitting in cubes this may sound overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be.

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) updated the Guidelines for Healthy Adults under age 65 in 2007 by stating:

• Do moderately intense cardio 30 minutes a day, five days a week

Or

• Do vigorously intense cardio 20 minutes a day, 3 days a week, and
• Do eight to 10 strength-training exercises, eight to 12 repetitions of each exercise twice a week.

First, break it down. If doing 30 minutes of exercise is seems like too long then break it up. Doing 3 ten minute sessions through out the day is a great way to get started. Walk in the morning, at a break during the day, and again in the evening.

Second, find activities outside that you enjoy. Remember there’s life outside the box; go find something. Walk, run, hike, paddle, climb, ski, snowboard, snowshoe, … the list could go on forever. By building your exercise into something you enjoy, you’ll do it. There aren’t many people that actually enjoy bouncing up and down on a treadmill for 30 minutes every day.

Third, explore other fitness options. For me that was discovering the kettlebell and interval training. As you read the other posts on this site like my series on German Volume Training (day 2, day 3, day 4, and day 7) you can see how there are lots of options and that variety has kept me at it.