Congratulations on keeping up your training for the Flora Women’s Mini Marathon! We know it can be hard to get motivated at this time of year, when it’s dark and gloomy outside but keep at it, because the rewards will be worth it when you cross the finish line on the June Bank Holiday weekend!
With your new healthy regime underway, now is a good time to chat about cholesterol and why it’s important to keep a close eye on your cholesterol levels.
Cholesterol is a fatty substance that is found naturally in the body. It plays a key role in the working of every cell and helps make vital chemicals such as vitamin D and some hormones. Too much cholesterol, however, can cause heart problems.
The most common cause of high cholesterol is eating too much fat, particularly saturated fat. Saturated fats are mostly found in dairy products such as hard cheeses or butter and meat products like sausages or burgers. High cholesterol can also be caused by a family history of the condition, getting older, physical inactivity, excessive weight, an under-active thyroid and diabetes.
There are two main types of cholesterol in our blood - High Density Lipoprotein (HDL), the good cholesterol, and Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL), the bad cholesterol.
The good HDL cholesterol gathers up excess cholesterol in the blood and carries it back to the liver to be excreted by the body. Excess levels of the bad LDL cholesterol, however, build up on the artery walls and can increase your risk of heart disease. Foods high in saturated fats and trans-fats can increase your LDL cholesterol levels.
The only way to check if you have high cholesterol is to have a simple blood test. A blood sample can be taken from your finger or arm to determine your total blood cholesterol levels.
The recommended healthy levels of cholesterol are:
• Total cholesterol of no greater than 5.0 mmol/l
• LDL cholesterol of no greater than 3.0 mmol/l
• HDL cholesterol of greater than 1.0 mmol/l
The Flora pro.activ cholesterol lowering range is perfect if you want to lower your cholesterol and follow a healthy diet and lifestyle. The foods in this range contain plant sterols, an active ingredient which is clinically proven to lower LDL by 10 to 15% in just three weeks, as part of a healthy diet. The range includes Flora pro.activ light spread, extra light spread, olive oil spread, Flora Buttery spread and mini drinks.
Other ways to lower your cholesterol levels include:
• Eat a healthy diet and try and cut down on saturated fat
• Switch to low fat polyunsaturated or monounsaturated spreads instead of butter and hard margarines
• Choose low fat diary foods such as low fat milk, yoghurt and cheese
• Eat lean meat three times a week and chicken or turkey (with no skin) about twice a week
• Try to eat fish at least twice a week and choose oily fish such as mackerel or salmon at least once a week
• Eat lots of fruit and vegetables
• Take plenty of cereals, bread, pasta, rice and potatoes.
• Being more physically active can also help to improve cholesterol levels.
