family history

Question
My father has been told for years that he has very high bad chlorestorol and very low good. It is genetic he has been told over and over again. At 25 yrs old what would be my best diet to maintain a healthy level for years to come. I would also like to loose 10 lbs (I am currently 5'5" and 128 lbs) Thanks!

Answer
First, let me apologize for the delay in responding to your question.  I bought a new computer the day you asked your question and it took a couple of days to get everything set up again.

If a person has a genetic high cholesterol problem, then diet will have very little effect on the numbers.  As it is, the average person's cholesterol levels are determined mostly by genetics (about 85-95%) and modestly by diet (about 5-15%).

To do everything you can with diet, you can follow a few rules of thumb:
1) decrease saturated fat (animal fats) and trans fatty acids (margarine and fried foods) and substitute with;
2) unsaturated fats (olive oil, canola oil, nuts, fish, and 揃enecol?or 揝mart Balance?margarine)
3) try foods with added plant sterols (Minute Maid Premium Heart Wise orange juice, Yoplait Healthy Heart yoguart, and several other food products)
4) eat less simple carbohydrates (sugar, sweets, candy, processed grains, cookies, cakes, soda pop, fruit juice, alcohol, etc.)
5) eat more whole grains (high fiber, low sugar)
6) eat plenty of fruits and vegetables
7) eat an appropriate amount of calories to maintain a healthy weight (fewer calories to lose weight)
8) don't forget to get regular exercise
9) at your age, you should have your cholesterol checked every 1-2 years

You can find more info on diet and cholesterol here: http://www.lipid-clinic.com/diet.html

I hope this helps.

Best wishes.

Todd
www.lipid-clinic.com

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