By Steven Lang, Health & Safety Committee

My name is Steven Lang and I’m a MoveUP member who works out of BC Hydro. I’m also an executive councillor and a member of our union’s Health & Safety Committee.

February is Heart Month and, since I’m in my 40s, I would like to share with you the things I have learned about how to lower cholesterol, and why its important for heart health.

I am prone to higher cholesterol due to a genetic ailment on my father’s side and I’ve been making changes to protect my heart health. One of those changes is diet, a major contributor to heart health. Some facts I’ll share you may already know, while others might be surprising. I’ve also received a request to provide details on the heart health risks which are specific to women.

The more commonly known facts

80% of premature heart disease can be prevented with a healthy diet and being physically active.

Canada’s Food Guide suggests filling half of your plate with vegetables and fruit because these are packed with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and fibre. Whole grains, which contain fibre, protein and B vitamins would make up the next quarter of your plate. The last quarter of your plate can contain proteins such as plant-based proteins (legumes, nuts, seeds, soy) eggs and animal proteins low in fat. We’ll discuss fats in more detail later in this article.

The Heart & Stroke Foundation recommends the following 5 tips:

1. Prepare most of your meals at home using whole or minimally processed foods.
2. Make an eating plan each week.
3. Choose recipes with plenty of vegetables and fruit.
4. Avoid sugary drinks and drink water instead.
5. Eat at least three meals per day with snacks in between.

Ultra-processed foods should be avoided because the nutrients are removed and replaced with sugar, salt and unhealthy fats. We should be mindful there are 4 types of fats:

1. Monounsaturated fats are good because they improve blood cholesterol levels and can be found in avocados, some nuts, olive oil, peanut oil, non-hydrogenated margarine, etc.
2. Polyunsaturated fats are good because they lower bad cholesterol levels and can be found in fish, omega-3 eggs, canola & soybean oils, flaxseed and some nuts.
3. Saturated fats raise bad cholesterol and are found in ultra-processed foods, fatty meats, full-fat dairy products, shortening, coconut oil, ghee and palm oil.
4. Trans fats are manufactured fats that raise bad cholesterol and lower good cholesterol. Fortunately, these fats were banned by the Canadian government in 2018.

Some lesser known facts

• The liver makes 80% of the cholesterol in the body with the remainder coming from diet.
• Foods that have high levels of dietary cholesterol are egg yolks, shrimp, squid and fatty meats. (Note: Studies have shown consuming one egg a day does not increase the long-term risk of heart disease).
• I’ve discovered there are some processed food products that don’t contain excessive amounts of unhealthy fats. Examples I’ve found are some brands of pita and tortilla chips. On the other hand, I’ve found some processed food products that are surprisingly high in unhealthy fats, such as Pringles (these contain significantly more saturated fat than most other potato chip products) and chocolate bar products including chocolate covered nuts and fruit.

Heart Health Risks Specific to Women

According to the Heart & Stroke Foundation, estrogen provides a fluctuating protective effect over women’s heart and brain health. Over three life stages, the risk factors change and can be influenced by many factors.

During a women’s reproductive years, hormonal contraceptives, fertility treatments and pregnancy-related disorders, such as high blood pressure or gestational diabetes, can affect her risk. Other risk factors in this life stage are related to menstruation, pregnancy-related disorders or complications, and polycystic ovarian syndrome.

At the menopause life stage, estrogen production lessens and thus increases a women’s risk for heart disease. Risk factors in this stage are breast cancer treatments, high blood pressure, chronic kidney disease, depression, diabetes, high cholesterol and systemic inflammatory and autoimmune disorders.

Unfortunately, during post-menopause, estrogen’s protective effect is gone, and this increases a women’s risk significantly. During this stage women are disproportionally impacted by high blood pressure, atrial fibrillation and depression. Most of the risk factors from the menopause stage apply to this stage.

The information available on the Heart & Stroke Foundation’s website is extensive and I encourage readers to learn more here.

Now to end with a fun event

Let’s take what we’ve learned and, if you’re interested, share some heart healthy recipes.

Visit moveuptogether.ca/recipecontest and submit your heart healthy recipes. We’ll share our favourite ones online at a later time and you might even win a prize for your submission!

Deadline to submit a recipe is February 28.