Raspberries at the BBC

Had quite a long day today but very interesting. Had a phone call from BBC Radio Solent over the weekend to see if, as a Daisy Dieter I would come into the studios and talk about cholesterol. I didn't know much about cholesterol let alone how to spell it!!

My niece very kindly, at a time that doesn't register with either of us, came to take me to Southampton. We had a chat to the lovely Jon Cuthill on the Breakfast Show and discussed the pros and cons of using advertised, branded products which claim to help lower your cholesterol level.

We were supposed to have a cholesterol test done there and then but the test didn't arrive so that can be done soon. In the studio someone had brought in a carrier bag of food that may help lower cholesteral levels. Porrridge Oats, Garlic, Orange, Raspberries, Benecol Yoghurt drinks and spread, Flora Pro Active Spread, Nuts and Raisins. I think the Benecol and Flora products are quite expensive and can be used as part of a diet but often contain a lot of sugar and additives. For instance Lucy was saying Olivio spread would be very good but in it's original state it would be green and that wouldn't sell, so it is processed to become the accepted colour. All of us in the studio Jon, Lucy Warhurst(Radio Solent Presenter and Weather Info), Ken and I hadn't eaten for 9 hours, as required before taking a cholesterol test, so - talking about all this food was quite hard. As soon as we were off air we tucked into the punnet of raspberries. Ken is another Daisy Dieter and we have decided to perservere with natural healthy foods like fruit, veg, oats, virgin olive oil, seeds, nuts, wholemeal pasta and rice and bread and raspberries!!

I found this information on a BBC Health site. it gives basic info on cholesterol.

What is cholesterol?
Without cholesterol your body wouldn't work: it's vital to ensure the body's normal function. Like specialised bricks, it forms part of the outer membrane which surrounds every cell. It's used to insulate nerve fibres (and so make nerve signals travel properly) and make hormones, which carry chemical signals around the body.
Too much cholesterol in the blood, however, increases the risk of coronary heart disease and disease of the arteries.
Cholesterol and food

One of the biggest misconceptions people have is that food is packed with cholesterol. In fact, very little cholesterol is found in foods, the main culprits being eggs, offal and shellfish.
What's important in your shopping basket is the type of fat in the food you choose, especially saturated fat. Once inside the body, the liver turns this fat into cholesterol.

Lipoprotein levels
Knowing your cholesterol level isn't, on its own, enough to tell you what your personal risk of heart disease is. You also need to know about lipoproteins. These are special molecules that carry or transport cholesterol around the body.
There are three main types:

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) - often known as bad cholesterol. It carries cholesterol from the liver to the cells and, if supply exceeds demand, can cause harmful build-up of cholesterol.
High-density lipoprotein (HDL) - or good cholesterol. This takes cholesterol away from the cells and back to the liver, where it's either broken down or excreted.
Triglycerides. The greatest danger is when someone has high levels of cholesterol and trigylcerides, and low levels of HDL.

What are healthy levels?
What should be accepted as healthy is controversial, even among doctors. The average total cholesterol level in the UK is 5.8 mmol/l, which is over the normal level, so does that mean that most people need to take anti-cholesterol drugs?
In recent years, we've come to realise that to decide whether an individual's cholesterol levels are dangerous, those levels need to be considered in the light of the person's overall risk of heart disease.
Cholesterol: healthy range
total cholesterol: less than 5.0mmol/l
LDL cholesterol: less than 3.0mmol/l
HDL cholesterol: more than 1.15mmol/l
triglycerides: less than 1.5 mmol/l
This overall risk is determined by a combination of factors, including age, gender, family history of heart disease, and whether they smoke, are overweight, have high blood pressure or diabetes. The higher the risk of heart disease (for example, a male smoker with high blood pressure and diabetes has a very high risk), the greater the need to get cholesterol levels down.

and from another site...
Cholesterol in the body comes from two sources. Most cholesterol is made by the liver from various nutrients and especially from saturated fats. The liver makes just about all the cholesterol the body will ever need. Since all animals can make their own cholesterol, some cholesterol in the human body comes directly from eating animal products. These foods include meats, egg yolks, organ meats, whole milk and milk products. This cholesterol is absorbed through the intestines and added to what the liver makes. It is also known that a diet high in saturated fat seems to increase cholesterol production in the body. Therefore, reducing dietary cholesterol and fats helps to keep blood cholesterol levels within a healthy range.

After work I hopped onto a train and made my way the Brockenhurst and the Spa. Had a great session in the gym with Wil. He has designed a circuit of exercises to do a head to toe work out. It was hard work, but I am loving the challenges.
My 'Itis' has almost gone and I can more or less that hand normally.

After the gym a lovely swim. There are coloured lights under the water line of the pool and it's really pretty as you swim to watch the patterns the water makes with the coloured lights.