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America’s Nutrition Coach, Dr. Ro joined Roland Martin on NewsOne Now for this week’s installment of Fit!Live!Win! to discuss the importance of managing our cholesterol levels so that we can lower the risk of heart disease, stroke and heart attacks.

Dr. Ro, who teamed up with the Make Your Move Across America campaign, told Martin that “74 million Americans are walking around with high cholesterol, many of them do not know and the reason that they don’t know is because there’s no signs or symptoms — there are no clinical signs or symptoms” of high cholesterol.

“Having a high cholesterol level puts you at risk for heart attack, heart disease and stroke,” said Ro. But, there is good news. If you have high cholesterol, Dr. Ro says there is something you can do about it.

First you need to know what your cholesterol levels are. Dr. Ro has also partnered with AstraZeneca to provide free cholesterol screenings in 21 cities across the United States so that people can find out where they stand.

There are two types of cholesterol present in the human body; one is considered the good kind (HDL) and the other the bad kind (LDL). According to Dr. Ro, the optimal HDL cholesterol level should be 60 and below and your LDL cholesterol should be between 100 and 129. Your total cholesterol should be 180.

“If it gets over 180 you start getting into dangerous territory … by the time it gets to 200 — if you have a total cholesterol of 200 you need to be talking to your doctor.”

If you find yourself diagnosed with having high cholesterol, Dr. Ro says you can start to move your levels in the right direction through diet and exercise.

Dr. Ro suggests increasing your intake of fruit and vegetables because the chemical compounds that give fruits and vegetables their pigment “protect you from heat disease and from high cholesterol.”

Ro listed the following foods aid in lowering your cholesterol

  • beans
  • red or green apples
  • oats (oatmeal)

Dr. also suggested exercising 30 minutes per day, five days a week

Watch Roland Martin and Dr. Ro discuss how to lower your cholesterol levels in the video clip below. For more of Dr. Ro’s nutrition tips and to obtain more information about healthy cholesterol levels visit www.verythingro.com and www.makeyourmoveacrossamerica.com

Be sure to watch “NewsOne Now” with Roland Martin, weekdays at 9 a.m. EST on TV One.

Subscribe to the “NewsOne Now” Audio Podcast on iTunes.

SEE ALSO:  

Fit!Live!Win!: Your Favorite Snacks Could Contain Dangerous Toxins