Heart-Healthy Eating
Quiz Results
See
how you scored! Then read the informative article below on heart-healthy eating!
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Question |
Correct
Answer |
Your
Answer |
| 1. |
If my cholesterol is high, it’s better for me to use margarine instead of butter. |
False
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False. Margarine and butter are both high in fat, so the first goal is not to use a lot of either. If you choose margarine, be sure that it is a liquid vegetable oil or soft tub margarine that is labeled at trans-fat free or non-hydrogenated. |
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| 2. |
If you have high cholesterol, you should be on a low cholesterol diet.
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False
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False. A common misconception. A diet to lower blood cholesterol is a low-saturated-fat, high-fiber diet, not a low-cholesterol diet. |
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| 3.
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Thin people don’t have to worry about cholesterol.
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False
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False. Thin people and overweight people can both have high cholesterol and suffer from heart disease. Everyone should know their numbers. |
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| 4. |
Adding fiber to your diet can help you if you have heart disease.
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True
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True. Eating a diet high in soluble fiber from foods such as oat bran, oatmeal, beans, peas, barley, citrus fruit, strawberries and apple pulp can be helpful in lowering blood cholesterol. |
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| 5.
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You don’t need to worry about your cholesterol if you are young.
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False
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False. Everyone, even young children, should know what their cholesterol is. It is never too early for adopting a heart-healthy lifestyle. |
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Heart-Healthy Eating
Valentine’s Day is about hearts … and it’s never too early to start taking care of yours. Heart disease remains America’s number one killer. While heart disease is more common in older people, the damage of heart disease starts years before. There are steps you can take now to reduce your risk of developing heart disease.
First, learn what your cholesterol numbers are – and what they mean. (See Know Your Numbers.) Regardless of your numbers and your risk, eating a heart healthy diet is something everyone can do. It’s easy, tasty and may be well worth the change.
Just what is that diet? A diet to reduce your risk of heart disease or to lower your cholesterol is often referred to as a low-cholesterol diet. But it is not actually a low cholesterol diet … it is a low-fat diet. The confusion begins with the word cholesterol. (See Know Your Fats.) One would assume that to lower the cholesterol in your blood, you should simply reduce the amount of cholesterol you eat. However, the cholesterol in your blood is influenced more by the total amount and type of fat in your diet.
The dietary message is low fat …
not no fat. |
Fat and cholesterol are decidedly different nutrients. Cholesterol, a fat-like substance, is found only in animal products. It does not have any calories and is unrelated to the calorie content of food. Fat, on the other hand, does have calories. It can occur naturally in both animal and vegetable foods and is often added to foods or used in food preparations.
Fat intake gets even more complicated because there are good fats, bad fats and so-so fats. Though some fats are considered to be better than others, too much of any kind of fat isn’t good.
Some people have taken “low fat” to the extreme of “no fat.” That is unhealthy and unnecessary. We all need some fat to perform important functions in the body such as protecting our organs, providing energy and helping the body absorb essential vitamins. The dietary message should be low fat … not no fat.
Fiber also appears to be helpful in lowering your cholesterol. (See Fiber: The Body’s Broom.) In addition to eating a healthy diet, there are many other steps you can take to keep your heart healthy. For instance, regular activity and exercise are key to decreasing your heart disease risk.
To date, the diet most effective in lowering your blood cholesterol is a diet low in saturated fat, low in trans fats and high in fiber. And that is exactly how everyone – even college students – should be eating. ( See Heart-Healthy Meals.)
Learn more about Eating Well on Campus - book by Ann Litt packed with tips on eating healthy at school without depriving yourself.
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