Diabetes Management Centre
Understanding Your
Lipid Profile
.....................................................................
High fat diet
Diabetes
Smoking
High blood
pressure
Heart
Disease
High blood
cholesterol
Heredity
Over-weight
Lack of activity
Triglyceride
This is a fat found in your
blood. A high level of triglyceride increases your
risk for heart attack, stroke,
circulation problems and an
inflamed pancreas.
If you do the following, you
may lower your triglyceride:
•eat less fat
•lose weight
•avoid alcohol
•lower your blood sugar levels
•eat less sugar/sweets
Increase sources of omega 3
fatty acids such as:
•fish
•flax
Cholesterol/HDL Ratio
This is the amount of good
cholesterol compared to the
total cholesterol.The lower
the ratio the more good
cholesterol you have.
If you do the following,
you may improve your
cholesterol /HDL ratio:
•be more active
•stop smoking
•lose weight
Eating more fibre may
also help improve your
cholesterol.
May be reprinted without permission, provided source acknowledged. Sept.2012.
Illustration by: LifeART Health Care 1 Images, Copyright © 1994, TechPool Studios Corp. USA
WK85-1026 Rev. 10/2012
LDL Cholesterol
This is a bad type of cholesterol. Too much LDL
cholesterol may lead to heart attack, stroke and circulation problems.
If you do the following, you
may lower your LDL cholesterol.
•lose weight
•eat less fat, especially
saturated and trans fat
•eat less cholesterol
containing foods.
Lowering your cholesterol
HDL ratio and LDL
cholesterol reduces your
risk for heart attack, stroke
and circulation problems.
How
to
Lower
Your
Cholesterol
.....................................................................
Grain Products
➼ Choose bagels, english
muffins, pita bread,
multigrain breads and
rolls instead of breads
with a high fat content
such as croissants and
cheese breads.
➼ Choose plain low fat
cookies and crackers
instead of those with high
fat content.
➼ Choose whole grain
breads and cereals
(cereals with more than 4
grams of fibre per serving
are the best choices).
Fruit and Vegetables
➼ Eat plenty of fruit and
vegetables, but avoid
heavy creamy dressings
and sauces.
Milk and Dairy Products
➼ Choose low fat liquid,
powdered and evaporated milk (skim,
1%, or 2% milk).
➼ Use low fat milk in your
coffee instead of cream
or blend.
➼ Choose light sour cream
or low fat/fat-free yogurt
instead of regular sour
cream.
➼ Choose low fat cheese
less than 20% milk fat
(M.F.)
➼ Choose low fat frozen
yogurt instead of ice
cream.
Meat and Alternatives
➼ Eat fish two to three
times a week.
➼ Eat chicken and
turkey more often.
➼ Choose leaner cuts
of beef, pork and
lamb such as:
loin, flank, rump,
lean ground
round and sirloin.
➼ Trim all fat from
meat and remove skin
from chicken before
cooking.
➼ Eat two or more high
fibre meatless meals
each week by adding
chickpeas to salads,
lentils and kidney beans
to soups and casseroles.
➼ Choose canned fish
packed in water.
➼ Roast, bake, broil, or
barbecue. Cook on a
rack so that the fat will
drip off.
➼ If you choose to fry, use
a non-stick pan with little
or no added fat.
➼ Limit fatty processed
meats such as: bologna,
wieners, sausage, bacon
and luncheon meats. Try
lean smoked meat, ham,
roast beef and sliced
turkey which are lower in
fat.
➼ Eat fewer egg yolks and
less organ meats such as
liver and kidney. You can
choose either 1 egg yolk
or 3 oz. of organ meat
3-4 times a week.
After choosing lower fat
foods, you can then look at
the amount and type of fat
you add to food.
Fats and Oils
➼ Limit the amount of
added fats and oils to 6
teaspoons or less a day
including the amount
used in baking and
cooking.
➼ Use oil-free, fat-free, or
low fat salad dressings
and gravies.
➼ Use soft non-
hydrogenated margarines.
➼ Some oils are better than
others. Use canola oil,
olive oil, or safflower oil.
➼ Try 1-2 tbsp of ground
flax daily. Sprinkle over
yogurt, cereal and salads.
Add when cooking or
baking.
Think twice when adding
extra fat to your food: if you
do not need it, leave it.