As easy as ABC! Anticipate; Be in control of your CHOLESTEROL level

How many of you already had your cholesterol level checked? Cholesterol had always been mistaken that it will be high only for those who are overweight or obese, and not for those who are thin. This is absolutely NOT true. Although whose who have a higher BMI are often said to have higher risk for hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol level in blood), but it does also occurs in those who have a low or normal BMI.

What is cholesterol? Cholesterol is a soft, waxy, fatty compound that is a type of steroid. It is an important nutrient that is essential in the formation and maintenance of cell membranes, and in the production of the sex hormones. It is also used by the body to produce bile salts that are used in the digestive process to break down food. Its last major task is its conversion into vitamin D when the skin is exposed to sunlight. Clearly, cholesterol is not completely bad. It is something that the human body needs. Nearly 80% of the cholesterol was produced by our liver. Therefore, we need to limit the amount of cholesterol that we ingest from food to keep the cholesterol level in control.

If you had high cholesterol level, normally doctor will give a period of 3-6 months for lifestyle intervention. Taking care of your diet and physical activity will be your only turning point. Be sure to have at least 150 minutes of exercise per week. To take care of daily diet, you must comply with a low fat, low cholesterol, and high fiber diet. Let’s take a look at foods to avoid and food to increase! 

Food to AVOID

Visible animal fat/skin	Trim off those fats and skin before cooking. If you are eating out, you can just easily remove those unwanted fats and skin. Easy yet healthy.
Egg Yolk	Limit egg yolk to not more than 2 in a week.
Red meat	Intake of red meat such as beef, lamb and pork should be minimized. Fish and poultry would be a healthier choice as they are leaner and lower in fat.
Internal organs	Internal organs are high in cholesterol. Limit to only once a month
Seafood	Seafood such as prawn, crab, oyster, clams and squids should be limited to once a month. Remove those head (prawn, anchovies, and squid) prior to cooking and eating.
Coconut milk	Coconut milk is high in saturated fat which will increase the bad cholesterol (LDL cholesterol) level. Limit to 2 tablespoon, twice in a week
Chips	Potato chips and keropok are high in trans fat which will increase 4x your cholesterol level. Choose snacks which are trans fat free.

Food to INCREASE

Soluble fiber	Soluble fiber acts as a sponge to absorb the bad cholesterol (LDL) to be excreted. Example of soluble fiber includes oat bran, oatmeal, beans, peas, rice bran, barley, mangos, citrus fruits (including the pulp, not just the juice), strawberries and apple pulp. To get 6g of soluble fiber, go for ½ cup of oat bran daily!
Plant sterol	Plant sterol had been proven to be able to reduce bad cholesterol (LDL) level. Plant sterol occurs naturally in small amounts in many grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, and seeds.
Soy product	25g of soy product a day had been proven to aid in the reduction of bad cholesterol level (LDL). Soy products include soy milk, tau fu fah, tauhu, and tempeh
Polyunsaturated fat (PUFA)	Substitute saturated fat with omega-3 and omega-6 rich food such as deep sea cold-water fish (salmon, mackerel, tuna), walnut, flaxseed, corn oil, sunflower oil, soya bean, nuts and seeds.It is proven to be able to reduce LDL cholesterol and triglyceride (TG) level.
Monounsaturated fat (MUFA)	The good source of MUFA includes canola oil, olive oil, peanut oil and nuts. However these oil are only suitable for dressing and quick stir fry, but NOT deep frying