Controlling your Cholesterol Levels

The Young Living Health and Wellness Fair was a resounding success. Lots of folks at corporate took time out of their busy day to come and check in on their health; glucose screenings, bone density checks, body mass index checks, and of course cholesterol screenings. I had lots of questions about cholesterol that day and thought it might warrant a posting here, to cover all the bases.

The American Heart Association lists the following ranges for ranking your cholesterol health: 200mg/dl and below is healthy, 201-239mg/dl is borderline high risk, 240mg/dl and above is high risk meaning you are twice as likely as someone in the healthy range for a heart attack. In your overall cholesterol score you have two different numbers: your LDL, or bad cholesterol, and your HDL, or good cholesterol. I recommend that if your score was high when you were tested at the health fair, check with your doctor and have it retested so that he can evaluate BOTH of your scores. You may have your LDL levels in an acceptable range and just have high scoring HDL numbers, which can be good. That being said, your results could also be worse if your LDL levels are very elevated and your HDL numbers are low. There is a specific fat form called a triglyceride that comes into play here as well, and your doctor can help you understand your numbers best.

A number of Young Living employees approached me after the Fair, asking what they can do to lower their numbers. Your doctor can evaluate your particular needs best, but a few things we can all do for healthy levels include: modifying your diet, getting regular physical activity, and avoiding cigarette smoke.



As for eating better, here are a few suggestions. First, pay attention to your fiber intake. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends between 25-30 grams of fiber per day (note: one serving of Balance Complete has 11 grams of fiber!). Next, watch your sodium intake. The AHA recommends less than 2,300 mgs per day with high risk folks targeting more like 1,500 mgs per day. Again, if you are high risk it is worth consulting your health care professional. Also, keep your alcohol intake low, restrict/eliminate trans fats, and keep your saturated/animal fat intake low. Whole grains, lots of fruits and vegetables, and eliminating heavily processed foods are just good general guidelines for heart health whether you are high risk or not! Try to eat fish twice a week if you don't already as that helps to boost your HDL levels (Young Living Omega Blue is also critical here, loaded with heart-healthy omega 3 oils).

The AHA recommendation of exercise is at least 30 minutes a day 4 days a week, but we all benefit from more days if you can work that into your schedule. Find something that you genuinely love doing, whether it be walking, biking, dancing, yoga, rowing, martial arts or whatever works for you. Keep it in your schedule like an appointment that you just don't miss. After all, this is keeping your body healthy and happy and is critical to every aspect of your quality of life.

There are also several foods with strong correlations to cholesterol reduction, easily worked into your eating plan. The Mayo Clinic has five recommendations: oatmeal and oat bran, walnuts and almonds, fish and omega fatty 3 fatty acids (Omega Blue, Young Living's amazing blend of essential oils and fish oils, is perfect for this application), olive oil, and the foods fortified with plant sterols or stanols (these are naturally occurring compounds found in plants, and have been shown to have as much as a 10% reduction on cholesterol levels. You'll find them in some orange juices, for example). These are quick changes that can get your numbers moving in the right direction. Feel free to post questions!