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Your Cholesterol
Lowering Guide
Cholesterol plays a vital role in the day-to-day functioning of your body. However, too much cholesterol in the blood can affect your heart health. The good news is that lowering it, and
keeping it below the recommended level, is much simpler than you might think. For some people, medication may be needed to lower cholesterol but in many cases cholesterol can be lowered just by making the right changes to diet and lifestyle.
A healthy balanced diet is important for everyone and can lower cholesterol by up to 5%. Plant sterols (the active ingredient in Flora pro.activ) are clinically proven to lower cholesterol by up to an additional 10%* as part of a healthy diet and lifestyle – and eating just 2-2.5g of plant sterols every day is all you need.
Making these simple changes can be an effective, fulfilling and enjoyable way of lowering your cholesterol and improving your health…now!
*1.5 – 2.4 g plant sterols can lower cholesterol by 7-10% in 2-3 weeks. High cholesterol is a risk factor in the development of heart disease. There are many risk factors for heart disease and it’s important to take care of all of them
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Dietary advice to help lower your cholesterol and keep your heart healthy
Food and Shopping
The Flora pro.activ range
Exercise and lifestyle
The Flora pro.activ range:
The Flora pro.activ cholesterol lowering range is perfect if you want to lower your cholesterol and follow a healthy diet and lifestyle.
How does Flora pro.activ work?
The Flora pro.activ range contains concentrated amounts of plant sterols. Plant sterols actively remove cholesterol from the body by partly blocking the absorption of cholesterol in the gut. Cholesterol that isn’t absorbed is then removed from the body, resulting in a lowering of total and bad (LDL) cholesterol levels.
For optimum cholesterol lowering, 2-2.5g of plant sterols need to be consumed daily. By consuming Flora pro.activ foods daily you can reach this level. Three portions of Flora pro. activ spread or Milk, or just one daily Mini Health Drink with food, can provide you with the optimum amount of plant sterols every day.
How much is a portion?
Try the whole range to see what you like best. They’re all used differently so you can mix and match to suit your diet.
Flora pro.activ Spreads: one portion is 10g (two teaspoons). Three portions a day, eaten with your meal, is all you need to get the recommended amount of plant sterols. Try it on a sandwich or stirred into hot vegetables.
Flora pro.activ Milk: one portion is 250ml (one glass). You can try a combination of Milk and Spreads, as long as you have three portions a day.
Flora pro.activ Mini Health Drinks: one portion is one drink. With these, you only need one portion a day with your meal. These come in three flavours: Original, Strawberry and Orange. Try pouring it over a bowl of fruit or drinking it with your lunch.
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Food and Shopping:
The following diet tips have been created by our nutrition experts and are based on current dietary guidelines. They can help to manage raised cholesterol and while you may not always notice any difference from the outside, you’ll feel the difference on the inside.
Follow our simple guidelines below to put your pro.activ eating plan into action today!
TEN TIPS FOR A CHOLESTEROL LOWERING DIET
1. Know your fats – Saturated fats such as those found in butter, full fat dairy and fatty meat should be avoided or at least limited because they can increase your level of bad cholesterol. Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats are healthier and can be found in foods such as nuts, seeds, avocado, soft spreads and oily fish.
2. Choose low fat dairy foods – skimmed or semi skimmed milk, low fat yogurt and reduced fat cheese. Use low fat yoghurt or fromage frais instead of cream when cooking or making desserts.
3. Opt for fish and poultry over fatty meat products, which can be high in unhealthy fats. Try substituting some meat with beans or lentils.
4. Include oily fish, such as herring, mackerel, salmon or trout, that’s high in heart healthy Omega one or two times a week.
5. Get plenty of fibre in your diet – swap white bread and pasta for brown and wholegrain
varieties. Oats, vegetables, fruits and pulses such as beans and lentils are also great sources of fibre.
6. Get your five-a-day – eat a mix of fruit and vegetables to get a lot of vitamins, minerals and fibre you need. The more colourful your meals are, the more likely you are to be getting the nutrients you need.
7. Include plant sterols – these are found at low levels in everyday foods like fruits, vegetables and cereals. But to get a significant cholesterol lowering effect, you need to eat a more concentrated form like Flora pro.activ foods.
8. Try to use seed or nut oils instead of butter – oils from seeds and nuts are rich in ‘healthy’ fats. Switch from butter to a good quality margarine, such as Flora pro.activ, which is made from these fats.
9. Snack on nuts and seeds instead of cakes and biscuits. Why not make up your own mix of seeds, nuts and dried fruit for healthy snacking at your fingertips?
10. Eat no more than six grams of salt a day. Experiment with herbs and spices instead and avoid salty snacks like chips, which are also usually high in bad fats which can raise your cholesterol.
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Exercise & lifestyle:
Try to do 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day. You can break it into three 10-minute sessions throughout the day if you like. Start with what you can and build your way up, you’ll be surprised by how responsive your body is!
Turn daily activities into moderate exercise. All you have to do is give a bit of extra ‘oomph’:
- Walking - Gardening - House work - Washing the car
The more active you are the better. Quick tricks that really help:
- Take the stairs instead of the escalator - Get off the bus a stop early and walk
- Park the car further from where you’re going - Walk briskly instead of strolling
There are also simple changes you can make to your lifestyle:
- Avoid smoking
- Maintain a healthy weight and shape - If you drink alcohol, do it in moderation - Learn to control stress and relax
If you want a quick 10 minute exercise programme, try some of the
exercises explained below:
LEG RAISES
Starting on your hands and knees, tuck your toes under and elevate yourself into an upside down ‘V’ position so your hips are high and your head is lowered to the floor. Tighten your abdominals and raise one leg and then the other. Repeat 10 times.
CHAIR DIPS
Start by sitting straight backed on the edge of a chair. Hold onto the edge of the seat and push your bottom away from the chair. Slowly lower your body by bending your arms at the elbows. Straighten your arms to bring yourself back up to the starting position. Repeat 10 times.
WAIST TWISTS
Sit on the floor with your legs wide apart. Lift your arms out to the side at shoulder height. Lean forward from the waist, keeping your back straight and making sure you tighten your abdominals. Reach across to touch the opposite foot then, with the other hand, reach out to touch the other foot. Do this in a swinging motion. Repeat 12 times.
ARM RAISES
Lying flat on the floor with your arms by your side, hold a weight or can of beans in both hands and raise your arms in an arch above your head, then lower them back down.
