CAMAF Member Option Guides & Info

8 HIGH CHOLESTEROL: PART 3 Of 5 we have already covered all key facts about high cholesterol. we have looked at what it is, how it is diagnosed, and why it is so important. High Cholesterol would be much less important if we could do nothing about it. If it was not manageable we'd simply have to accept the health risks it causes. The good news is that HIGH Cholesterol CAN be managed. Not cured as such, and so long-term lifelong management is usually needed, but this is still good news. High Cholesterol is managed with a combination of lifestyle changes and medications. This week we'll consider the lifestyle changes. LOW-fAT, QUALITY-fAT that's Really the Key to managing CholesteRol. What this means in pRaCtiCe is: low-fat The idea is to reduce your overall fat intake such that fat makes up no more than 30% of your total calorie intake. You can try counting everything very exactly but for most of us it is easier just to try and eat as little fat as possible. This can be done by: • Not frying foods and certainly, never deep-frying foods • Avoiding fast-foods • Reading food labels and choosing low-fat options (under 10% fat is a good guide here) • Reduce red meat and eat more fish & chicken QualIty fat not all fat is bad and our bodies need some fats to function properly. to keep things simple here: • satuRated Fats – nearly always from meat, eggs and dairy - are bad for you. • unsatuRated Fats – found in most but not all vegetable oils - are better. • tRans Fats – these are unsaturated but have been altered, usually by food processing such as baking and deep-frying and some margarine production – are bad for you. • omega 3 – this special fat comes from fish oils and some vegetable oils – is claimed to be very good and even though some of the evidence is not yet 100% clear, this is an unsaturated fat and can be good for you.

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