Kazuyoshi Nakamura writes:
I think that Mrs. Masuda has about
four problems.
1. She likes to stay at home, she does not exercise.
2. She is approximately 15 kilos overweight.
3. She dislikes most vegetables and fruits.
4. Her LDL-cholesterol level is above normal.
These problems have some relationships to one another.
Problems 1 & 2: She likes to stay at home, she does not exercise; and
she is approximately 15 kilos overweight. The first thing that she should
do more walking, taking a walk, going shopping and walking around the park,
etc. But she does not like exercise, so she should not do hard workouts.
So she can do light exercise, she should do harder exercise little by little.
Being overweight results in excess fat in the body. That raises risk of
breast cancer. So she should do exercise. The National Research Council
and the American Medical Association have recommended that the measurement
of blood fats, particularly cholesterol, should become a part of all routine
physical examinations. If you fall into a high risk group on the basis
of these tests or if you want to reduce your chances of disease, here are
some recommendations and some ways to help carry them out: To keep your
weight down, participate in routine physical exercise and control your
calorie intake.
Problem 3: She dislikes most vegetables and fruits. She had better have
vegetables and fruits, because these foods are plentiful sources of vitamins,
minerals, biochemical compounds, and fiber-ingredients that may help to
reduce cancer risk. Moreover, eating enough fruits and vegetables means
an individual is likely to eat proportionately less fatty and high-calorie
foods. Fruits and vegetables are chemically very complex, and contain many
biochemicals that may contribute to reduction of cancer risk. Research
underway in many laboratories is seeking to identify the factors in foods
that help to prevent cancer.
Problem 4: Her LDL-cholesterol level is above normal. She likes beef and
pork, coconut oil or margarine, cakes, ice cream etc. These foods contain
high levels of LDL-cholesterol. Too much cholesterol can raise her risk
of a cancer. Eating healthy food can help lower your LDL cholesterol level,
and it may protect you from the damaging effects of cholesterol. Eating
healthy foods usually lowers cholesterol levels. Here are some tips on
eating smart:
a) Eat more fruits and vegetables.
b) Eat more broiled or grilled fish and skinless chicken and less fried meats.
c) Choose lean cuts (pieces of meat containing little visible fat) when you eat beef, pork and lamb. Also, cut down on the amount of meat you eat.
d) Eat a variety of fiber rich foods, like oats, whole grain breads and apples. Fiber helps reduce cholesterol levels. Fiber rich foods can also help when you're trying to lose weight, because they make you feel full.
e) Limit your intake of saturated fats, like dairy fats (in ice cream and butter) and palm and coconut oils (in baked goods). It helps to read the labels on food packages. A label may say the food is low in cholesterol, but the food could still be high in saturated fats. When you see these ingredients on the package like palm oil, coconut oil, partially saturated vegetable oil and hydrogenated vegetable oil, you know that product is high in saturated fat.
f) Limit high cholesterol foods, like egg yolks and liver. Eat no more than four egg yolks a week.
g) Avoid eating fried foods.
What should she do if exercising and eating healthy foods do not lower
her cholesterol level enough?
If eating healthy, exercising and making other changes in her life do not
lower her cholesterol level after about six months, her doctor may want
to discuss using medicine to lower her cholesterol level. This may be lifelong
treatment, so it should be thought about only if healthy habits do not
work.
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