Empower Yourself!
Learn Your Cholesterol Number
Contents
- Should you be
concerned about your blood
cholesterol number?
-
What is blood
cholesterol?
-
What are good
and bad cholesterol?
-
Have your
blood cholesterol checked.
-
Take action
to keep your cholesterol
number low. Follow these
steps:
|
Should you be concerned about your
blood cholesterol number?
|
YES! High blood
cholesterol increases your
chances for coronary heart
disease. Coronary heart disease
is a disease of the blood
vessels of the heart that causes
a heart attack. It is the number
one killer among African
Americans. You can take steps to
protect your heart! Read this
brochure. Improve your
cholesterol level or keep it at
the right level to help reduce
your risk of getting heart
disease.
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What is
blood cholesterol?
|
Your body makes all the
cholesterol you need. Eating
foods high in saturated fat and
cholesterol can raise your blood
cholesterol level. The higher
your blood cholesterol level,
the greater your risk for heart
disease. Too much cholesterol
can lead to clogged arteries.
You are then at risk for having
a heart attack, a stroke, or
poor circulation.
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What are good and bad cholesterol?
|
HDL "good
cholesterol" helps clean fat and
cholesterol from arteries,
carrying it to the liver for
removal from the body. LDL
"bad cholesterol" deposits
cholesterol in your arteries and
causes them to become clogged.
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Have your
blood cholesterol checked?
|
All adults age 20
and older need to have their
blood cholesterol checked at
least once every 5 years. Ask
your doctor to do a simple test
to measure how much HDL and
total cholesterol is in your
blood.
|
Here's
what your numbers mean.
|
|
Total blood cholesterol
|
|
Desirable:
|
Less than 200 mg/ dL.
|
Good for
you! Try to keep it
below this number.
|
|
Borderline:
|
200-239 mg/ dL.
|
Be on the
alert! You are at risk
for a heart attack. You
need to make changes in
your lifestyle.
|
|
High:
|
240 mg/ dL or higher.
|
Danger
zone! You have a higher
risk for a heart attack.
Seek help from your
doctor to lower your
cholesterol level.
|
|
HDL-cholesterol |
35 mg/ dL or higher. |
Being
physically active can
help raise your HDL.
|
If the total
blood cholesterol number is
higher than 200, or if your HDL
is lower than 35, your doctor
may order blood tests to check
your LDL cholesterol level. The
test will let you know if you
need treatment. Take charge and
work with your health provider
to lower your risk.
|
Here's what your
number means.
|
|
LDL cholesterol
|
|
Desirable: |
Less than 130 mg/ dL
|
|
Borderline: |
130-159 mg/ dL
|
|
High: |
160 mg/ dL or more
|
|
Take good care of
yourself!
|
|
My cholesterol
levels: |
Recommended goal:
|
|
Total |
________ |
Total |
________ |
|
HDL |
________ |
HDL |
________ |
|
LDL |
________ |
LDL |
________ |
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Take action to keep your cholesterol
number low. Follow these steps:
|
1. Eat foods low in saturated
fat and cholesterol.
MEATS, POULTRY, AND FISH
|
|
Instead of: |
Try:
|
|
High-fat
meats |
Lean
meats, poultry without
skin, fish
Bean and grain dishes |
|
Fatback
and bacon |
Skinless
chicken or turkey thighs
|
|
|
|
CURED
MEATS
|
|
Instead of: |
Try:
|
|
Pork
bacon |
Turkey
bacon, lean ham,
Canadian bacon (These
choices may be high in
sodium. Read the label.) |
|
Pork
sausage, ground beef,
and pork |
Ground
skinless turkey breast |
|
|
|
DAIRY
PRODUCTS
|
|
Instead of: |
Try:
|
|
Whole
milk |
Skim
(nonfat) milk |
|
Whole
milk cheeses |
Low fat
or part skim milk
cheeses |
|
Cream,
evaporated milk |
Evaporated skim milk |
|
Sour
cream |
Low fat
yogurt |
|
|
|
FATS,
SPREADS, AND DRESSINGS
|
|
Instead of: |
Try:
|
|
Lard,
butter, shortening |
Small
amounts of vegetable oil |
|
Regular
mayonnaise, regular
salad dressing |
Mustard
and nonfat or low fat
types of salad dressing,
yogurt, or mayonnaise |
2. Keep moving.
Do 30 minutes or more of
physical activity most days of
the week. Choose
activities you enjoy. For
example:
|
Walking |
Jogging |
|
Gardening |
Bike
riding |
|
Climbing
Stairs |
Playing
sports |
The goal
of physical
activity is to strengthen the
heart muscle. Remember the heart
is just a muscle like any other
muscle within the body. If it is
not stimulated or exercised it
will become weak just like any
other muscle that is not
stimulated. Activity will develop
endurance, help increase
Ejection Fraction (EF), and aid in
raising HDL - carrying away the
unwanted LDL.
3. Maintain a healthy weight.
Take steps
to lose weight if you are
overweight. Try losing weight
slowly.
-
Cut back on foods high in
fat and calories. Use the
food label to choose foods
lower in fat and calories.
-
Eat smaller portions.
-
Eat fruits and vegetables at
meals and for snacks.
-
Bake, broil, roast, stew, or
microwave your food instead
of frying.
-
Stay active every day.
Check the steps you will take
for a healthy heart.
-
Get my blood cholesterol
level checked.
-
Talk to my doctor about what
my numbers mean.
-
Bake chicken without the
skin instead of frying it.*
-
Eat more fruits, vegetables,
breads, and cereals.
-
Eat smaller portions.
-
Try to take a 30-minute brisk walk
either in the morning, at lunch,
or after work.
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Vazteck Health Systems has provided this material for your
information. It is not intended to substitute for the
medical expertise and advice of your primary health care
provider or any Cardiovascular professional. We
encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment
or care with your health care professional. The mention
of any product, service, or therapy in this information
is not an endorsement by Vazteck or any of its
affiliates. We however believe, in our opinion, the
products listed herein are an effective alternative
treatment that you should give considerable attention
and weight to for your overall health improvement
regimen. |
Copyright © 1998-Present Vazteck Corporation®™
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