Childhood obesity is on everybody’s radar these days.  It is a pet issue of Michelle Obama’s, for example, and the subject of great concern for public health officials.  How did our lifestyles become so destructive to our children?  One alarming fact from Wikipedia – a study has shown that “Eating at fast food restaurants is very common among young people with 75% of 7th to 12th grade students consuming fast food in a given week.”  Wow!

More young people today have high cholesterol than ever.

According to NPR, 20 percent of teenagers have high cholesterol.  The National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) doesn’t even recommend universal cholesterol testing for people under 20!

Though the scope of the problem is large, that doesn’t mean it can’t be controlled.  First, it’s important that the whole family knows their cholesterol, including kids.  Dr. Julie Brothers in the NPR link has a few suggestions for teens with high cholesterol.  Diet is very important – more fruits and veggies, less sugar, and more exercise.  The good news is that diet and exercise are frequently all it takes to reduce cholesterol levels in kids – Dr. Brothers rarely puts children on statin medication.

Be sure to monitor your diet and stay active.  And keep an eye on that cholesterol!

(You can buy one of two types of at home cholesterol test by visiting our Home Cholesterol Test page.)

Photo credit: “Talk” by Vojko Kalan

Our fast-paced modern life has thrown up many challenges and we tend to compromise on many things. We always seem to be in a rush to catch up on something or the other and in the process the first thing we ignore is what we eat and how we eat. That, more than anything else, is responsible for high cholesterol levels.

Now, now...you know this is not good for you!

Diet modification, coupled with exercise, is the best solution for lowering cholesterol levels but the sad part is that most of us tend to spend money on statin drugs rather than look for natural solutions. Simply avoiding foods that increase cholesterol can go a long way in reducing cholesterol levels in your body.

If you want to control cholesterol in your body, be sure to avoid the following foods.

1. Butter. Who doesn’t love butter? In fact fats add to the taste of food. But at the same time, it is not healthy for you if you have high cholesterol. It is actually one of the richest sources of cholesterol. One tablespoon of butter can contain almost 30mg of cholesterol.

2. Shortening. Shortening is a semisolid fat used for preparing baked foods. It is 100% fat as compared to 80% in butter. What is more important to note is that it is made from hydrogenated oils, which are loaded with trans-fat. Avoid eating pie crusts and fried foods.

3. Breakfast meats. Bacon, sausages (link and patty), ham and other meats that are normally eaten at breakfast are high in cholesterol, fats, calories and phosphates. You have simply to check the nutrition facts of these to realize the amount of cholesterol these can add to any meal.

4. Ice Cream. One cup of ice cream, any flavor, any brand, contains almost as much cholesterol as you should be eating in a day. Sugar content and preservatives in ice cream are equally harmful.

5. Fast food burgers. Every ingredient of burgers, especially super burgers, adds more cholesterol than is healthy for you. Bread, meat with preservatives, butter, cheese and bacon are all high cholesterol foods.

6. Soft drinks and Sodas. The average 12oz can contains 10 teaspoons of sugar. Too much sugar is not only bad for your cholesterol levels but also bad for overall health. Don’t think that you are consuming a healthy drink when you choose a diet variety of soft drink. These contain artificial sweeteners, which have been linked to cancer.

7. Doughnuts. What is a doughnut made of? And what do you drink to wash it down? Refined bread, refined sugar and refined oil. All these increase cholesterol levels, lead to obesity and increase the risk of heart disease.

8. Pizza. The only thing good in a slice of cheese pizza is the tomato sauce, the rest of it is all high in cholesterol.

9. French fries and potato chips. These are made from the unhealthiest fats, hydrogenated vegetable oils. Rich in trans-fats, these increase LDL or bad cholesterol and reduce HDL or good cholesterol.

10. Eggs. Eggs are actually good for your health but not if you have high cholesterol. Avoid egg yolk and eat only the white of an egg if you have been diagnosed with high cholesterol levels.

Lowering cholesterol is all about making healthy choices. Remember that home cooked food using natural and minimally processed ingredients is best for lowering cholesterol in your body.

(We have two types of cholesterol tests that allow you to monitor your cholesterol levels as you try to avoid these types of foods.  Check out our Home Cholesterol Test page to learn more!)

– Anne Hamilton

Even though 75% of the cholesterol that is present in our body is produced by the liver and other cells in our body, the lifestyle that we lead also contributes to the amount of cholesterol (chol.) that we have. Needless to say, the remaining 25% of the cholesterol in the body is mainly due to the diet that is consumed. A home cholesterol test can tell you the level of total cholesterol that you have at any given point in time.

The prevalence of high cholesterol is as high as 37.13% in the United States. This means that more than 1 in every 3 Americans is taking some medication or being treated for high cholesterol. It is also estimated that more than a quarter of women have chol. levels that are so high that they pose a threat of heart disease. One of the ways in which more serious complications of high cholesterol can be avoided is by using home cholesterol tests so that a regular check can be kept on one’s levels.

However, it is often assumed that cholesterol testing is required only after the age of 40 or 45. Many people do not even get the recommended once in a five year period cholesterol blood test done. The National Cholesterol Education Program recommends that everyone who is 20 years or above of age should get cholesterol testing with lipoprotein profile done at least once every five years. And this is based on the fact that a prevalence of 11 percent high cholesterol has been estimated even among men who are between the age of 20 and 34 years.

The frequency at which cholesterol testing should be done needs to be higher if you have a history of high cholesterol in your family. These days some incidence of high cholesterol has been noticed among kids as young as 4 or 5 years of age too. The factors that lead to high cholesterol among kids are obesity, diet and hereditary factors.

While it is mandatory for those who have high cholesterol to get the cholesterol checks done regularly based on the recommendation of the doctor, those who are at a high risk should also get a test done once in a while. If you consider going to the laboratory and waiting for your turn to give a sample to be too much of a time consuming activity, you can stock up with a home test that allows you to test your total cholesterol in an easy manner.

Such tests are available online, require no doctor’s prescription, and can be used to test cholesterol levels in a matter of a few minutes. It is a great way to keep an eye on your levels and take remedial action if you are a borderline high cholesterol case. Adequate diet modification and a few lifestyle changes can result in better management of cholesterol levels.

Some of the measures that you can take as soon as you notice borderline results in your home cholesterol test include exercise, reduction in calories from saturated and trans fats and moderation in alcohol consumption. Consumption of fresh fruits, fiber and fish have also been known to help those who see high cholesterol levels in their cholesterol blood test in lowering the levels.

Check out our home cholesterol test page to learn about the two different types of test we carry – the full lipid panel and the total cholesterol measuring test.

Learn more about cholesterol by visiting the National Cholesterol Education Program.