Prevention is always, always better than cure. As an observant person, I have seen friends and relatives who suffered tremendously just because they felt invincible back then—not caring if sometime in the near future they will eventually get it. I saw my grandfather withered his life away just because he couldn’t stop smoking. Then there’s my dad who loves eating so much he doesn’t care what it can do to his body—and did I mention, no exercise since birth?..

My mom, on the other hand, is a different story altogether. As soon as she hit her 40th birthday, she adopted a somewhat healthier lifestyle—watched what she ate, exercise whenever she can, best of all, she stopped smoking, claiming she’s doing it for her grandkids. Maybe it was what saved her life, since her genes are trying its damndest to put her on a hospital bed for quite sometime now.

For me, the most unpredictable to monitor is cholesterol level. Maybe it has something to do with the food we eat, or perhaps the lifestyle we lead or the easy choices we make everyday. Keeping my cholesterol levels in check has been an overwhelming task for me eversince as I can never be certain if it’s low or high now. That alone forced me to maintain a heart-friendly lifestyle just to be on the safer side. Here are my favorites:

•    Anything “fried” is out, no matter how tempting they are!
•    Eat in healthy portions. Take note, I said “healthy” not “hearty”. Do this by strategically spreading your meals althroughout the day. 8 small meals are enough to get you going.
•    Trail mixes work for me. I don’t usually go for those you can easily buy in supermarkets, I mix my own. There should be berries and nuts there but less or no salt at all, not sweet either.
•    Fresh fruits for snacks. I used to love donuts and coffee for snacks and had a hard time switching from donuts to fruits. Overtime, I learned to like it.
•    Less red meat, more fish. Preferably steamed. My suggestion is get a good fish cookbook and get ideas from there.
•    Skip the bacon, eat a bowl of oatmeal—everyday! I swear by oatmeal, it can really do wonders in keeping your cholesterol levels in check. I also go for muesli, they are a favorite.
•    Walking it off. I like walking. I do it every chance I have.
•    Stay away from fastfood chains. You should know why.
•    Be an inspector. Examine closely those labels when buying your groceries. They should be no saturated fat, if possible.
•    Lose excess weight. It raises cholesterol levels.