1. My diet and exercise determines my cholesterol levels.
FALSE. This is actually a half truth. Although diet and exercise
do contribute to healthy cholesterol levels, medication may also
be required to keep your cholesterol levels in check.
2. Using margarine instead of butter will lower my cholesterol.
FALSE. Both margarine and butter are high in fat content, so use
both in moderation. When choosing a margarine substitute for
butter check the nutrition label and pick one with -0- trans fats.
3. Thin people don't have to worry about high cholesterol.
FALSE. While overweight people tend to have higher cholesterol,
some skinny people think they can "eat anything they want". But
the truth is if you have a high metabolism and can burn more fat
than the usual person, your body still reacts badly to high
cholesterol levels. Make sure you have your cholesterol checked
regularly.
4. My doctor hasn't said anything, so I don't have to worry about
it.
FALSE. If your doctor hasn't brought it up, you bring it up.
A simple test can tell you where you stand.
5. The Nutrition label says it has no cholesterol, so it's heart
healthy. I'm good to go.
FALSE. Nutrition labels are great and a wonderful tool to
determine what's good to eat. But many low cholesterol foods are
high in saturated fat and or trans fat, that your body turns to
cholesterol when digesting food. Also when you're checking your
nutrition labels make sure you check the portion amount, more often
than not the serving size is very small.
6. Since I take a prescription for my cholesterol I can eat whatever
I want.
FALSE. Prescriptions are usually assigned after weight loss and
exercise don't bring down cholesterol levels to a fair number. You
still need to be responsible in what you eat and how much you eat.
7. High cholesterol is a mans problem.
TRUE. But it's also a woman's problem. Estrogen tends to help
produce HDL or good cholesterol, but as you age cholesterol
problems can still arise. Best to get tested on a regular basis.
8. You don't need to check your cholesterol till middle age.
FALSE. In todays society of couch potatoes and fast food, high
cholesterol can affect even young people. Again best to get checked,
better to know and fix it than not know and develop big problems
later
I know this will be an eye opener for some of you, it sure was for
me. When it comes to your heart it just make good sense to be in the
know.
Make it a great day!Chris Walker
Kitchener's Weight Loss Expert
For more weight loss secrets click here!Also, click here to get my Weight Loss Secrets book for free!
