Oatmeal...just do it.

Cholesterol. The difference between the good and the bad; how can we manage?
Knowing your numbers and what they mean is a good start to managing a healthy heart. Too much of the bad when your body doesn't produce enough of the good is where we find trouble. Your liver and other cells in your body create about 75% of cholesterol. The other 25% comes from the food you eat. Cholesterol is only found in animal products(which is why more doctors are pushing for heart patients to eat plant based diets).

Lets get down to numbers. You want your LDL's(low-density lipoprotien) is the "bad" cholesterol. You really want this number to remain below 100, especially for those of us who are at an increased risk of heart disease. 100-129 is near optimal, but anything over that 129 and you will want to consider things you can do differently to lower that number. I recommend starting with diet and exercise modifications before starting on any medications. Getting healthy by our own doings is always more beneficial. The next number we want to look at is our HDL's(high-density lipoprotein) also known as the "good" cholesterol. The reason we like this cholesterol is because it behaves as a cholesterol scavenger, picking up the excess cholesterol in your blood and carrying it back to your liver where it can be broken down. So, the higher your HDL level the lower your LDL level will be, which is what we want! For men and women, the desirable level of HDL's are to be above 60mg.

Two years ago when my levels came back with less than desirable results, I started to modify my diet only slightly. By my next appointment my numbers were right where I wanted them to be. For me, I cut back on the cheese. I was eating a pretty large amount on daily basis so I cut that out completely. Then I just added one thing...oatmeal! No, not the instant oatmeal that is loaded with sugar. Real oatmeal! I thought, ok, if I'm going to eat this stuff, I'm going to do it right. I tried it a few times plain jane and I couldn't handle it; so I started thinking of ways I could sweeten it up. What I came up with? fresh fruit! My favorite way to prepare oatmeal is to add some blueberries and bananas to the mix. This sweetened my bland little breakfast up in a natural and healthy way. If you don't care for those fruit choices try replacing them with fruit of your choice. Give it try!