01/11/21

#73 Q&A Cholesterol, Ice-cream and Vegetables

I hope you've enjoyed 2021 so far. With my new courses kicking off it's certainly been a bit of a whirlwind but one of the things I love about this time of year is being able to combine my exercise and movement of my body with adventures outdoors. It's a wonderful way to exercise your body and mind.

As you may have heard me say before, I'm not a fan of new years resolutions but this time of year is a great time to set some goals and plans about how you are going to achieve them.

My advice is to set a short-term goal to work towards across January. Don't worry if you hit a road bump, just keep going and don't use it as a reason to give up.

Write down all the reasons you can think of as to why you can't achieve this goal. Your brain will be great at making these up. Once you can't think of any more, go back and write down how you are going to counter these (I've given you some practical examples in the Live Chat above)

What the recipe and Calories of the Cream Cheese and Salmon Dip?

Tub of the extra light cream cheese (5% Fat Philadelphia) with a can of Pink Salmon (you can add extras like garlic and lemon etc). Just throw them in the blender and whizz! It's a win-win for calcium and great texture.

It comes up at around 35 calories for a heaped tablespoon so a bit more than a low-fat hummus but packed with nutrition.

How do I lower or keep my cholesterol low?

There's a general consensus that your cholesterol tends to increase as you age (though the link between the two isn't as strong as once thought). It is sensible to keep your total cholesterol under about 5 and to keep your HDL above your LDL as well as being careful of triglycerides.

If you have a poor diet and swap to lean proteins and lots of fruits and vegetables you'll typically see a fall in your cholesterol.
If you eat quite well already, you may need to work a bit harder. One key area is in your soluble fibre intake. Soluble fibre essentially soaks up LDL (your bad cholesterol) and rolled oats is a great option. It's my go-to!
Moving to a plant-based diet also typically sees's a good reduction in cholesterol effectively and quickly.

It's hot and I want Icecream, what should I do?

Your standard 2 scoops of ice cream in a cone is about 260 calories. It is essentially a meal on its own. If you don't want to sacrifice a meal for icecream then there is a range of great swap-outs or change downs. Go for a popsicle or sorbet option or make your own from a low calorie cordial, Barker and Hall do some great flavours.
I'd allow myself one a week one my "free" days and the rest I'd use a low-calorie option made at home as one of my snacks.

How do I get more vegetables into my week?

It's really about being creative and inventive and here are my top tips.

Immediately after a shop, I do a vegetable medially. Chop and throw on a baking tray, drizzle with oil, and roast away.
Stirfry, I often do this without oil and just use water and a stock cube.
Steam. The bamboo steamers are lovely but you can easily steam in the microwave as well.
Ratoturatatouille based meals are also a great option for loading a meal with lots of vegetables.

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