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There are things that anyone can do to bring down their cholesterol levels. It starts with the food that you put in your mouth. Changing the way you eat, can significantly impact your cholesterol level. When you plan your diet, you need to focus on food that is low in saturated fats, trans fats and cholesterol. A list of foods that are healthy and help with lowering cholesterol levels are:

* Fruits and vegateables

* Beans

* Peas

* Unsaturated vegetable oils like olive and canola

* Omega-3 containing fish like salmon and haddock

* fat free and low fat milk and dairy products

ON THE OTHER HAND FOODS THAT YOU NEED TO LIMIT THE INTAKE OF:

* fried foods

* processed meats likes sausage, hot dogs

* Organ meats like liver and kidney

* Butter, egg yolks and cheese

*Solid fats llike magarine and lard

Your body needs cholesterol to function normally. Did you know that your body actually makes all the cholesterol that it needs? Over time, extra cholesterol and fat that circulates in the blood build up on the walls of your arteries that supply blood to your heart. The buildup is known as plaque, the plague makes the arteries get narrower and narrower. This causes a reduction of blood flow to the heart. Blood is also a carrier of oxygen and if your heart is not getting enough oxygen rich blood, you may experience chest pain. When the blood supply to a portion of the heart is totally occluded, the end result is a heart attack.

Everyone needs to have their cholesterol levels checked. Cholesterol by itself does not cause symptoms. Cholesterol is present in the blood in what are known as lipoproteins. Cholesterol known as LDL is called the bad cholesterol because it can lead to cholesterol buildup and blockage in the arteries. HDL cholesterol is known as good cholesterol because HDL helps remove cholesterol from the body and prevent buildup in the arteries.

What is your cholesterol number?

TOTAL CHOLESTEROL LEVEL

less than 200mg/dl is in the desirable range

200 to 239 mg/dl is considered borderline high

240 mg/dl and greater is considered high

LDL CHOLESTEROL LEVEL

less than 100mg/dl is considered ideal

100 to 129mg/dl slightly above ideal

130 to 159 mg/dl is considered borderline high

160 to 189mg/dl is considered high

190 mg/dl and greater is considered very high

HDL CHOLESTEROL LEVEL

An HDL cholesterol level of less than 40mg/dl is a major risk factor for heart disease. If you have an HDL of 60mg/dl or higher it is considered to be somewhat protective.

HOW DO YOU LOWER YOUR LDL CHOLESTEROL LEVEL?

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