Lower Cholesterol and Blood Pressure Now with Take Action Guide – American Heart Month
Every February marks American Heart Month. Heart disease is the number on killer of Americans with cardiovascular disease and stroke taking nearly 1 million lives every year. Heart disease is strongly affected by your diet and lifestyle choices. By making some simple, but necessary changes you can drastically decrease your risk by lowering cholesterol and blood pressure.
Heart Health Made Easy: Master the Basics to Lower Blood Pressure and Cholesterol for a Longer, Healthier Life – American Heart Month Savings
Purchase Heart Health Made Easy before February 28th and you’ll receive a 25% savings
The program takes you step-by-step to a lower cholesterol and blood pressure with a practical, easy to understand take action guide.
THIS PROGRAM IS RIGHT FOR YOU IF. . .
- You are newly diagnosed with high cholesterol and/or blood pressure and don’t know the next step.
- You want to promote heart health, prevent high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and heart disease.
- You want all the information they need to know in one location.
- You don’t want to search for the answers yourself, but want the information you need easily and quickly accessible.
Learn more at http://hearthealthmadeeasy.com
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
4 Heart Healthy Habits to Cut Heart Disease 80%
The U.S. Center for Disease Control has identified four lifestyle factors that can drastically reduce your risk of chronic disease, such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
1. Do not smoke – ever.
2. Eat a diet high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low in meat.
3. Exercise a minimum of 30 minutes everyday.
4. Keep your BMI less than 30.
These four factors were used to analyze a little over 23,000 Germans between the ages of 35 and 65. Only 9% met and maintained all 4 factors, but this 9% was 78% less likely to develop a chronic disease.
February is American Heart Month. In recognition of American Heart Month you can access Heart Health Made Easy at a 25% savings. Learn more about this take action guide to lower cholesterol and blood pressure at http://www.hearthealthmadeeasy.com.
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
Heart Healthy Tips
http://www.hearthealthmadeeasy.com
Reduce Salt to Lower Blood Pressure
Too much sodium in your diet can contribute to high blood pressure and make your blood pressure treatment less effective.
Sodium versus Table Salt
First, let’s clear up the confusion about the difference between sodium and table salt. Table salt is a combination of the two minerals sodium (Na) and chloride (Cl). Table salt is 40% sodium and 60% chloride.
Sodium
Sodium is a mineral that is vital for health. Sodium maintains fluid balance, which is why it plays a key role in blood pressure control.
There is a direct relationship between sodium intake and blood pressure. Reducing sodium to 2.3 grams sodium (6 g table salt) daily is linked with decreased blood pressure levels.
Sodium Intake
A typical U.S. diet means a high sodium diet. The average American consumes 6-18 grams of table salt daily (about 3 teaspoons). The body only needs 200 mg daily. That is 30 times less than what American’s typically consume.
To be heart healthy, sodium intake should be reduced to less than 2300 mg (1 teaspoon) daily.
Sources
Sodium is found naturally in food, but most sodium we consume has been added for food preservation and preparation. To successfully reduce sodium intake you need to be aware of the table salt you add to foods and the sodium pre-added to foods.
75% of the typical American diet comes from processed foods – sauces, soups, condiments, canned foods, and prepared mixes. Fast food is another common source of sodium.
Tips to Reduce Sodium Intake
Use less salt at the table and when cooking.
If you automatically add salt to food before tasting it, this is the first place to start cutting back. You have many options for flavoring your food in place of salt – salt substitute, herbs, and spices.
If you want to try salt substitute, check with your MD. Salt substitutes contain potassium and needs to be monitored if you have kidney disorders.
Read labels when buying prepared and prepackaged foods.
When reading labels, here are some terms to avoid:
• Salt (sodium chloride)
• Monosodium glutamate (also called MSG)
• Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
• Baking powder
• Disodium phosphate
Select canned, frozen, and snack foods without added salt, such as unsalted nuts, unsalted broths, and no added salt canned vegetables. Better yet, switch from canned vegetables to frozen with no added salt or fresh veggies. Limit salty snacks like chips, pretzels, and salted nuts. Cheese is anther high sodium source.
Make healthy choices when dining out.
Here are some tips to enjoy a meal out and maintain a low sodium intake:
• Use pepper for extra seasoning instead of salt.
• Avoid sauces or gravies.
• Order broiled and baked meats.
• Avoid seasoned or blackened menu items.
• Avoid menu items with a lot of cheese.
• Avoid soy sauce and MSG.
Salty flavor is something you have trained your body to prefer. You can retrain your taste buds over time with the ultimate goal of lowering high blood pressure.
To receive heart health and weight loss tips from dietitian Lisa Nelson, subscribe to The Heart of Health and grab your free report “Stop Wasting Money – Take Control of Your Health” today!
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
How to Lower Triglycerides for a Lower Total Cholesterol
I’ve recently answered several questions related to triglycerides. These questions range from “What are triglycerides?” to “My triglycerides are 400, do I need to worry?” on to “Help, my triglycerides are 1200, how do I fix this?”
So, I’m going to answer all these questions here for those of you who are wondering, but haven’t asked.
What are triglycerides?
Triglycerides are a type of fat. Actually, they’re the most common type of fat in foods and in your body. When you eat foods containing fat and oil, such as butter, French fries, and chocolate chip cookies, the body takes the fat and stores it in your body as triglycerides. So, all those “fat cells” in your body are made up of triglycerides.
What do triglycerides have to do with cholesterol?
When you see your MD, he or she may order a “lipid panel” (lipid is a fancy term for fat). From the lipid panel you will learn your total cholesterol, HDL (good) cholesterol, LDL (bad) cholesterol, and triglycerides.
Total cholesterol = HDL + LDL + VLDL
Well, what in the world is VLDL? Not something you’ve probably seen or heard of before. VLDL is an acronym for Very Low Density Lipoproteins, another “bad” type of cholesterol. Triglycerides are used to calculate VLDL levels in your blood.
Triglycerides x 20% = VLDL (bad) cholesterol
Also, the liver uses triglycerides as fuel for cholesterol production. So, if you eat a high fat (triglyceride) diet, the liver will increase its’ production of cholesterol and put more cholesterol out into your blood.
What is a normal triglyceride level?
You want your triglycerides to be below 200 mg/dL. Borderline high triglycerides are from 200-500 mg/dL. Triglycerides are high risk above 500 mg/dL.
Some experts argue that 200 mg/dL is too high and that a normal level should be less than 150 mg/dL. The numbers I’ve listed above are the current guidelines from the National Cholesterol Education Program Expert’s Panel.
If your triglycerides are high your heart disease risk increases.
What you can do when lowering triglycerides?
1. Limit simple sugars.
Unlike other types of cholesterol, triglycerides are affected by sugars you eat. You need to limit foods such as soft drinks, candy, baked goods, syrup, table sugar, jelly, and honey. A high intake of fruit juice can also raise triglyceride levels since juice contains a high content of natural sugars.
2. Limit alcohol.
If your triglycerides are borderline high or high risk, discuss your alcohol intake with your MD. My recommendation for borderline high (200-500 mg/dL) is to limit alcohol to no more than 1 drink per day for women, 2 drinks per day for men. One drink equals 12 ounces beer, 4 oz wine, or 1 ½ ounces liquor. If your triglyceride level is high risk (great than 500 mg/dL) I recommend NO alcohol. Again, discuss your situation with your MD.
3. Lose weight and/or maintain a healthy weight.
Many times weight loss alone will lower your triglycerides. Losing as little as 10% body weight could drop your triglycerides back to the normal range.
4. Choose a low-fat diet.
To achieve lower triglyceride levels, maintain a dietary intake of 30% or less of total calories coming from fat. A healthy diet for normal triglyceride levels should consist of whole grains, beans, fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy, and lean meat.
5. Increase your physical activity.
Boosting your activity can lower your triglycerides up to 40%. If you’re not currently active, talk to your MD before starting an activity program. To reduce triglycerides, be physically active at least 30 minutes on 3 or more days each week. The more activity the better.
Triglycerides aren’t all bad. They provide efficient energy storage, cushion your organs, transport certain vitamins, and keep you warm by providing insulation. What’s important is to keep them under control!
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
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Heart Health Made Easy: Master the Basics to Lower Blood Pressure and Cholesterol for a Longer, Healthier Life
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How to Lower Cholesterol: Step 3
In the last post I gave you the first step towards lowering cholesterol. Here is the third. Remember, by implementing these basic steps, you’re establishing a solid foundation that will support heart health and increase the effectiveness of medications and supplements.
Step 3: Lose weight and/or maintain a healthy weight.
Weight has a significant impact on your heart health and cholesterol levels. Weight loss alone may lower triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, and total cholesterol levels. Losing as little as 10% body weight could drop your cholesterol back to the heart healthy range.
February is American Heart Month. In recognition of American Heart Month you can access Heart Health Made Easy at a 25% savings. Learn more about this take action guide to lower cholesterol and blood pressure at http://www.hearthealthmadeeasy.com.
Lower Cholesterol: Step 1
Lower Cholesterol: Step 2
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
How to Lower Cholesterol: Step 1
It’s often easier to turn to supplements or medications to lower cholesterol. However, the effectiveness of these treatments will not be as great if you do not have a solid foundation in place that supports heart health. Over the next few posts I’ll give you three basic steps you can implement now to promote lower cholesterol levels and reduce heart disease.
Step 1: Know and understand your cholesterol lab results.
A simple blood test will check your cholesterol levels. This test is also known as a lipid profile. You will learn your total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglyceride levels. By knowing the “breakdown” of your lipid panel you (or your MD/dietitian) will be able to determine the best steps to take for results.
The American Heart Association Recommends that everyone over the age of 20 know their cholesterol levels.
Lower Cholesterol: Step 2
Lower Cholesterol: Step 3
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
