7 Slimming Tips for a Healthy Heart

Next time you’re about to scarf down a serving of fries, picture this. All the fat in those fries is going to congeal into one solid greasy lump which travels through your body into your blood vessels and comes to rest along your artery walls. Still want fries with that?

This image is not exactly textbook, but essentially it’s what happens when you overload on saturated fat. Your body reacts by making more cholesterol than it needs, and the surplus ends up in your blood, clogging up your arteries and preventing blood flow, and may eventually lead to a heart attack.

Burgers, hot dogs, fries and most other fast-foods are high in saturated fat, so try to avoid them. Don’t be fooled by words like “flame-grilled” either – that doesn't translate to low-fat or low-cholesterol. 

As well as avoiding fried and take-out foods, there are several other ways to reduce saturated fat intake. Allan Borushek, (the Calorie King!), offers these tips:

• When it comes to dairy products, choose low-fat or non-fat milk, yogurt, cheese, and ice cream.
• Avoid adding cream to desserts and coffee.
• Choose lean cuts of meat and skinless poultry;,avoid deli meats and sausages.
• Enjoy fish instead; fish is also an excellent source of omega-3 fat, which is good for cholesterol levels.
• Cook with vegetable oils such as canola, olive, sunflower and soybean instead of lard or butter or margerine.
  
• Be careful to limit cakes, pastries, and cookies as most of these are high in fat and contain hydrogenated vegetable fats. (Hydrogenated vegetable fats are a form of trans fat, which also raise LDL cholesterol levels and increase your risk for heart disease).

Increasing the amount of soluble fiber in your diet is a great way to improve cholesterol levels. Fiber helps to clean out your body’s digestive system, and in doing so it pushes LDL (bad) cholesterol through the blood stream and eventually out of the body – it’s like an exfoliating scrub for your insides!

Foods rich in soluble fiber include beans, lentils, chick peas, hummus, nuts, and seeds. Oat bran, rice bran, and barley are also good source sof fiber, as are fruits and vegetables.

Soy protein in place of animal protein can significantly decrease high blood-cholesterol levels, as well as “bad” LDL cholesterol and blood triglycerides, while at the same time maintaining “good” HDL cholesterol. Soy contains isoflavones, which researchers believe inhibit the growth of the cells that form plaque in arteries; this leads to heart disease.

“At least 25g of soy protein per day should be consumed for best results,” advises Allan Borushek. “Ideally, have three to four servings a day.”

One serving equals:

• 1 cup soy drink
• 2 slices soy-enriched bread
• 70g tofu or 40g tempeh
• 1/3 cup cooked soy beans

 

Fruits and vegetables are full of good carbs that can help to lower your LDL cholesterol levels. Foods rich in healthy carbohydrates like fruits, vegetables and whole grains are also naturally low in calories. By consuming more of these foods you will eat less high-fat, high-cholesterol foods. These same foods are also high in fiber, which also lowers LDL cholesterol. Fruits and vegetables also contain vitamin E, vitamin C, beta-carotene, and antioxidants, which help prevent cholesterol from moving out of the blood stream and into the lining of the blood vessels.

Allan Borushek also recommends eating avocados. The fat in avocados, though high, is mainly monounsaturated and can help to lower blood cholesterol levels. 

 

Several studies have now shown that drinking too much coffee can cause a rise in LDL cholesterol levels, particularly in people who have a predisposition to high blood-cholesterol. If you drink six cups or more a day of unfiltered coffee, it’s likely to significantly increase your cholesterol levels. However, if your java-jolt is drip-filtered you can keep sipping; the studies showed that filtered coffee causes only a tiny increase in LDL compared with espresso or percolated coffee.

Allan Borushek suggests drinking tea instead. “Tea contains antioxidants that may protect the oxidization of cholesterol in the blood” he explains.

 

The best way to make sure you steer clear of foods high in saturated fat and dietary cholesterol is to read food labels, or source information from the CalorieKing.com food database on the calorie, fat, fiber and carbohydrate content of foods you eat. Make label reading such a habit that you always check before you eat; that way, not a milligram of cholesterol or saturated fat will escape your attention! To learn more about how to read food labels, click on the link How to Use the Nutrition Facts Label at the end of this article.