Control Your Cholesterol

Control Your Cholesterol:

Keep Your Heart Healthy 

• High cholesterol is a preventable and treatable cause of heart disease

  and stroke.

• 1 in 4 adult New Yorkers has high cholesterol, but many don’t know it.

• High cholesterol has no symptoms. The only way to know you have 

   it is to get checked by your doctor.

• It won’t go away on its own. High cholesterol stays high unless you take 

  action – and keep taking action.

• Physical activity, healthy diet, and healthy weight can prevent and 

  reduce high cholesterol. 

• Cholesterol-lowering medications are safe and effective.

Diet, Weight, and Genetics Can Make

Cholesterol Rise

• People who are overweight or obese are more likely to have high cholesterol,

  but anyone can have it, including thin people and even children.

• Some people’s genetics cause their bodies to have

  high cholesterol.

• Food with saturated fat and trans fat are the main dietary causes  of high cholesterol.

 

• Cholesterol in food can also raise your blood cholesterol, but not as much

  as saturated fat. Products that say “cholesterol-free” may still contain 

  saturated or trans fat.

 You can contol cholesterol

To keep bad (LDL) cholesterol low and good (HDL)  cholesterol high:

Exercise. 

Get at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity (such as a brisk walk)

at least 5 days a week. Exercise can raise good (HDL) cholesterol.

Eat a healthy diet.

• Eat at least 5 servings of fruits or vegetables a day. Add fiber to your diet.

• Limit saturated fat and high-cholesterol foods.

• Avoid all trans fat. (Don’t eat foods with partially hydrogenated vegetable oils 

 on their labels.)

• Choose foods with healthy monounsaturated or polyunsaturated oils.

• When eating out, ask about the oils used to cook your food. Choose items

 from the menu that are low in saturated fat and free of trans fat.

 A Healthy Diet Helps Control Cholesterol

Choose Foods From These Groups...

• Skinless poultry, fish, and lean cuts of meat.

• Fat-free or 1% dairy products (milk, yogurt, cheese).

• Trans-fat-free monounsaturated or polyunsaturated vegetable oils and spreads 

(such as olive, canola, corn, cottonseed, peanut, safflower, soybean, sunflower).

• Egg whites and egg substitutes.

• Fiber-rich foods:

       • Whole fruits (such as apples, bananas, berries, nectarines,

          oranges, peaches, pears, plums, prunes).

      • Vegetables (such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, carrots,

        celery, cucumbers, tomatoes).

      • Legumes (peas, beans, lentils).

      • Nuts and seeds.

      • Whole grains (such as brown rice, oatmeal, oat bran, wheat bran).

Limit or Avoid These Foods...

• Fatty cuts of beef and pork.

• Deli meats (such as salami, sausage, pepperoni).

• Organ meats (such as brain, liver, kidneys) – they are high

   in cholesterol.

• Shrimp and lobster (moderately high in cholesterol).

• High-fat dairy products (whole milk, butter, cream,

  half-and-half, cheese, yogurt).

• Whole eggs including those in baked goods and processed

 foods. Yolks are high in cholesterol (egg whites are okay).

• Processed or store-bought foods that contain saturated or

  trans fat (check the Nutrition Facts label).