What To Eat To Reduce Your Cholesterol Levels

Posted by Owen Jones | Posted in weight loss | Posted on 04-05-2012-05-2008

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The Western world is under assault from a disease of our own making! Health officials in each Western country are ringing the warning bells about general public levels of obesity, high blood pressure and cholesterol. The foremost culprits of this are said to be over eating, eating junk food and not exercising sufficiently.

At one time, not so long ago, the majority of the sufferers of these issues were middle-aged Americans. That extended to middle-aged Europeans. Then to American children and now it is spreading to European children. None of the warnings concerning eating too much junk food and not exercising enough seem to be having any effect at all.

All of these three conditions are related and that is why heart disease is the primary killer of adults in the West. Cholesterol plays a big part in these conditions. However, not all cholesterol is bad. LDL cholesterol is generally known as the ‘bad cholesterol’ and HDL is called the ‘good cholesterol’, because it helps mop up LDL.

Small amounts of cholesterol are also necessary for the production of vitamin D and bile salts and it is also helpful in the balancing of hormones particularly in women. However, LDL cholesterol occasionally clings to the walls of the arteries and if it is permitted to mount up too much, can block them.

If the arteries become clogged, the heart will have to pump more to get enough blood to where it is required and this can lead to the first stages of high blood pressure.

The best way to get rid of excess LDL is to have high levels of HDL, because HDL captures LDL and takes it back to the liver where it is dealt with and excreted.. HDL cholesterol can be eaten by eating nuts, fish, fresh fruit and vegetables, soya and remarkable spreads that were designed to lower LDL.

However, the best way of reducing LDL is by not eating it in the first place. LDL is most prevalent in saturated fats and hydrogenated trans fats. Saturated fats are usually in red meat and full-fat dairy products like milk, cream, butter and cheese. Trans fats are mostly in junk foodstuffs like potato crisps, potato chips, pies, pasties, hamburgers and hot dogs. Cut these out and that is half the battle for a great deal of individuals.

Replace the red meat in your diet with soya products like tofu, of which 25% grammes a day is said to be able to lessen bad cholesterol by 15-30%. Walnuts and almonds have a similar reputation as do olive oil and rolled oats.

In fact, all grains, pulses and beans are friends in the fight against LDL. In general, the foods that will help you are those that contain plenty of fibre and roughage; fresh is better than tinned (which will contain a preservative such as salt); and white meat or fish is superior to red meat like beef and pork.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on several subjects, but is now concerned with low cholesterol diet recipes. If you want to know more, please visit our site at What Foods Lower Cholesterol?

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3 Recipes Involving Cantaloupe

Posted by Owen Jones | Posted in weight loss | Posted on 02-05-2012-05-2008

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The variety of melons called muskmelons consists of a juicy, edible fruit that is characterized by its round shape and a ribbed exterior. Cantaloupes are a type of muskmelons..

Considerable variation occurs in this fruit. Some cantaloupes are large yet others are small; some have pink or yellow flesh but others have white or light-green flesh. The flesh of these fruits contains a lot of water; therefore, their food value is not high, being just a little more than half as much as that of apples.

If melons suitable for the table are required, they ought to be selected with care. To be just at the right stage, the flower end of the melon ought to be a trifle soft while pressed with the fingers. If it is very soft, the melon is maybe too ripe; yet if it does not give with pressure, the melon is too unripe.

Various methods of serving cantaloupes exist. If they are to be served natural as a breakfast food or a luncheon dessert, cut them crosswise into halves, or, if they are big, divide them into sections lengthwise.

With the melons cut in the desired fashion, remove all the seeds but keep the melons on ice until they are to be served. The pulp of the melon can also be cut from the rind yet then diced and used in the formation of fruit salads.

Again, the pulp may be partly scraped out of the melon and the rinds then packed with fruit mixtures and served with a salad dressing for a salad or with fruit juices for a cocktail. The pulp that is scraped out may be diced and used in the fruit mixture.

Recipe 1

FRUIT IN CANTALOUPE SHELLS

During cantaloupe season, a delightful fruit salad can be made by combining a number of different types of fruit with the flesh of cantaloupe and serving the mixture in the cantaloupe shells. Such a salad is a fantastic one to serve if light refreshments are desired or when something unusual is required for a light lunch.

Cut cantaloupes in half crosswise, but, using the French cutter, cut some of the meat into round balls. Dice the rest yet mix with any combination of fruit desired. Place this in the cantaloupe shells after cutting points in the top edge. Garnish with the balls cut from the cantaloupe yet serve with any desired dressing. You can also sprinkle nuts on top to add a variation of textures.

Recipe 2

FRESH FRUIT COMPOTE

1 cup fresh blueberries 1 cup fresh strawberries, halved 1 cup sliced fresh peaches, peeled 1 cup fresh blackberries or raspberries 1 cup watermelon balls 1 cup cantaloupe balls 1 cup seedless grapes 1/2 cup sparkling wine (or sweet) wine, chilled 2 tbs thawed orange juice, frozen, concentrated, undiluted

Mix together all of the fruit in a large glass or ceramic bowl then gently toss to mix. Add the orange juice and wine and lightly stir again. Chill with a wrapping on it for at least 20 minutes. Toss again lightly before serving.

Recipe 3

ERDBEER BOWLE (Strawberry Wine Punch)

1/2 pt strawberries, stemless, rinsed, cut in half 1 tbs granulated sugar 1/2 bottle German Riesling, well chilled 1 tbs brandy (preferably Alsbach Uralt) 1/2 bottle German Sekt well chilled

Bowle is a classic German party wine punch. During the month of May, throughout Germany, bowle is served flavoured with fresh woodruff (Waldmeister), a sweet scented herb with white flowers, which grows especially well in wooded and shady fields away from hot sun. Later, during strawberry season, bowle is prepared with strawberries which grow abundantly everywhere. As German summer season progresses, bowle is willing with other fruits like peaches, chunks of juicy watermelon, pieces of bright orange cantaloupe, or plump raspberries.

Put the strawberries in a substantial covered glass jar (a sun tea jar is fine), sprinkle them with sugar and drizzle them with the brandy. Put them aside to marinate for two hours to allow the sugar to draw out the juice from the berries.

Add white wine, stir, and set aside for two more hours. When finished to serve, pour into a punch bowl. Add Sekt and serve chilled in wide champagne style glasses, making certain to dispense strawberries with the wine.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece writes on a variety of subjects, but is at present concerned with Recipes to Lower Your High Blood Pressure. If you want to know more, go to our website at Gourmet Recipes and Good Health.

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3 Delicious Vegetarian Main Courses

Posted by Owen Jones | Posted in weight loss | Posted on 12-04-2012-05-2008

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Here are three delicious vegetarian main courses:

No. 1: Portabello Mushroom Lasagne

6 Servings

1 pound ground soya 4 vegetarian sausages (mild or hot) 1 medium onion garlic salt to taste pepper to taste 6 large Portabello mushrooms 1 substantial container ricotta cheese 1 egg Plenty of grated mozarella cheese Canned spaghetti sauce (or make your own)

How to Prepare:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees Remove soya sausage meat from skins. Brown soya sausage and minced soya beef with onions, adding garlic salt and pepper to taste. Wash mushrooms and scrape out the black gills.

Beat egg into ricotta cheese. Spread a small amount of spaghetti sauce in a large baking dish or shallow roasting pan to prevent sticking.

Generously fill each mushroom cap with ricotta mixture and place in the baking dish or roasting pan ricotta side up. Top each cap with a handful of the grated mozarella. Then top every cap with a liberal amount of the soya meat/onion mixture. Top each cap with another handful of mozarella.

Pour spaghetti sauce on top of every cap and in the bottom of the pan. Top with the remaining mozarella cheese.

Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. Permit to cool for about 10

No. 2

Baked Tomatoes With Proven?ale Stuffing

4 Servings

4 md tomatoes – unpeeled, cored, pulp removed 1 T olive oil 3/4 c onions, chopped 2 cloves garlic, ground 1/2 T fresh parsley, chopped 2 t fresh basil, chopped 1 1/2 t fresh thyme, chopped 1/2 t salt 1/4 t black pepper 3/4 c bread crumbs 1/4 c plus 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

Bring the oven to 375F. Core tomatoes and scoop the insides out to leave whole skins.

Heat skillet with oil to medium heat and saute onion with garlic for around 3 minutes. Stir in tomato cores, herbs and seasonings. Saute for around 4 minutes or until the liquid evaporates.

Remove from heat and stir in breadcrumbs and a cup measure of the Parmesan cheese. Reserve the rest of the cheese for later.

Stuff the tomatoes with the mixture and sprinkle evenly with the remaining measure of Parmesan cheese.

Bake for around 15 minutes.

No. 3

Franconia Root Vegetables

6 Servings

6 lb potatoes, peeled 1 1/2 lb small carrots, trimmed and scraped (or substantial carrots, cut carefully in ovals) 1 lb small turnips, peeled, sprout end (or large turnips, trimmed 12 small white onions a little margarine 1 t dried thyme leaves, crumbled Salt and freshly minced pepper to taste 1/4 c parsley, chopped 1 large marrow, cored

Drop potatoes into a saucepan of cold, salted water. Over high heat, bring water to a boil, lower heat to medium |and cook potatoes for 12 minutes. Drain, let cool for a few minutes, pat dry, and cut into quarters (or halve horizontally and trim each half into ovals).

Meanwhile, drop carrots, turnips, and onions into boiling salted water to cover. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and boil until barely tender (10 to 15 minutes, depending on size). Drain, at once cool under running water, and set vegetables aside.

About one hour before marrow will be served, place potato quarters in margarine (at least 1/2 cup) and turn them to coat. (If you are allowed you can use a little unsalted butter).

Position in oven (wherever there’s room, including the bottom shelf) and roast for 45 minutes, turning each 10 minutes or so to brown all sides uniformly. Add carrots, turnips, and onions. Sprinkle with thyme, salt, and pepper.

Continue roasting and turning frequently until vegetables are tender and evenly browned (about 15 minutes or slightly longer). Using tongs (or a slotted spoon) and draining off excess fat, remove to serving dish and sprinkle with parsley.

Owen Jones, the author of this article writes on a number of subjects, but is at present concerned with Recipes to Lower Your High Blood Pressure. If you want to know more, go to our web site at Gourmet Recipes and Good Health.

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Methods To Reduce Cholesterol Without Medication

Posted by Owen Jones | Posted in weight loss | Posted on 11-04-2012-05-2008

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Most individuals think that cholesterol issues just affect older individuals, but this is not true. High degrees of cholesterol can also be discovered in the young. In one study, 75 % of those checked had a yellow waxy substance in their blood – LDL cholesterol – it is considered to be a reliable indication of future heart problems. The surprising thing about this study was that they were all fit American soldiers with an average age of just 21.

Now we do need some LDL cholesterol because it is used by the body to control some important functions and we definitely need HDL cholesterol because it assists regulate LDL cholesterol. The only issue is the volume of these substances. High levels of LDL have been linked to atherosclerosis, which leads to heart disease.

If you would like to begin working on your cholesterol levels in a maintenance type of way, you can do so with the aid of exercise and diet. The exercise element does not have to be arduous. Walking for an hour a day will do the trick if it is in conjunction with healthy dieting.

The diet ought to include plenty of fibre and roughage because not only will it lower LDL cholesterol, but it will also help your bowels to function properly which reduces your chance of acquiring bowel cancer, the rate of which is rising these days.

Foods that are rich in fibre and roughage are fruit and vegetables, particularly greens; beans, pulses and grains, particularly oats as in porridge; nuts and soya. It is quite easy to raise your intake of these foods without drastically changing you normal diet, although it is wise to substitute skinless chicken and fish for beef and pork.

For example, you could eat porridge for breakfast and add a handful of barley to your soup. You could add a few leaves of lettuce to your sandwich and eat fruit as snacks throughout the day. You could have beans on toast every now and again. Whole grain bread, obviously.

Some foods have a particularly healthy reputation for lowering cholesterol levels. Avocado is one because it contains a great deal of mono-unsaturated fats which raise the degree of HDL and HDL counteracts LDL. Raw carrots are another one. Raw carrots contain lots of pectin, which reduces LDL. Pectin is also there in substantial quantities in citrus fruits, apples and berries such as strawberries, raspberries and red and black berries.

Then there are other famously healthy foodstuffs like garlic and shitake mushrooms which are also considered to ward off cancer and boost the immune system as a whole. Ginger is another healthy food that is easily incorporated into dishes.

Nuts, particularly walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans and almonds are high in Omega 3 fatty acids which has a beneficial impact on LDL cholesterol. Sesame seeds contain phytosterols, which also lowers LDL. Other foodstuffs containing phytosterols are: celery, lettuce, asparagus, spinach and tomatoes.

You ought to strive to eat mono- and poly-unsaturated fats as they will improve your HDL. You can find these fats in cannola, safflower, soya bean and olive oil. They also contain Omega 3. Other sources of Omega 3 are fish, especially the fatty fish like tuna, salmon and mackerel.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on numerous topics, but is now concerned with food that lowers cholesterol. If you want to know more, please visit our site at What Foods Lower Cholesterol?

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Foodstuffs You Should Avoid To Lower Cholesterol

Posted by Owen Jones | Posted in weight loss | Posted on 10-04-2012-05-2008

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Cholesterol is a colossal difficulty in Western countries and the problem is spreading from older individuals to younger people and from Westerners to Easterners. Health authorities all over the world are warning of the heart disease time bomb that is ticking away. That is all well and good, but the difficulty is is that not many individuals are taking any notice until it is too late.

One of the biggest problems is that individuals do not think before purchasing a meal or a snack – if they are hungry, they will simply buy a hamburger or a pie. Another big problem, is that the generation born in the Seventies did not learn how to cook, but instead depended on junk food. They have also passed that on to their children and so it goes on.

This state of affairs has led to the increase in heart disease. So, what can be done about it? Well, the best thing would be for individuals to go back forty or fifty years and begin again, but since that is not possible, it is useful to look into that earlier lifestyle and see how we differ these days from it.

Forty or fifty years ago, there were junk foods, but most people consumed them just very infrequently. They went home to a cooked meal prepared either by their mother or their wife or they cooked it themselves. It is not important who cooked it, the fact that it was cooked at home is the significant bit.

How often do you eat take-aways and how frequently do you eat home cooked meals – meals that were made from fresh, raw ingredients?

There were fewer labour-saving devices in those days, so individuals worked harder. ‘Harder” I said, people probably work longer hours now, but they do not expend so many calories. In those days, individuals walked further and worked more strenuously and ate meals prepared from raw ingredients.

We do not do that now and those are the foremost reasons why we are all having problems with heart disease. OK, you have to be pretty far gone for it to be too late. You can make lifestyle alterations now and you will recover or you can take tablets and help to make the pharmaceuticals even richer.

If you want to do something about your circumstance, it is quite simple. The first thing to do is avoid red meat, full-fat dairy produce like milk, cream, butter and cheese and stop eating junk food, such as hamburgers, store-bought pizzas, hot dogs, pies, pasties, crisps and chips entirely. This will vastly reduce most people’s sources of the prime culprits of high cholesterol – namely, saturated fats and hydrogenated,or trans, fats..

The second thing to do is raise your intake of fresh fruit and vegetables. You should also eat more peas, beans, lentils, grains and nuts. Soya is also very (very) beneficial for you.

Avoid eating animal skin of all kinds, because a lot of the fat content is in the skin and try to replace red meat dishes with those made using fish, chicken and tofu.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on numerous topics, but is now concerned with low cholesterol diet recipes. If you want to know more, please visit our site at What Foods Lower Cholesterol?

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Being A Vegetarian – Pros And Cons

Posted by Owen Jones | Posted in weight loss | Posted on 09-04-2012-05-2008

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If you are considering becoming a vegetarian, then you have to be asking yourself about the pros and cons of doing so. There are different methods of looking at this. On the macro or global scale, you as an individual, by giving up eating meat, will personally save the lives and distress of all the animals that you would have consumed, if you had not given up.

On the other hand, a few hundred animals during quite a few years will not make much difference to the animal population. What is more, with the Chinese and Indian populations becoming richer, it is almost certain that they will be eating more and more meat in the near future. You will be doing your bit though.

However, on the micro, or personal level, becoming a vegetarian will transform your life. Those who have faith in detox diets say that lots of the toxins that they say build up in our bodies come from the hormones, pesticides and antibiotics that are in meat yet ought not to be.

Meat, eggs and dairy products are a Westerners foremost sources of cholesterol and fat and cholesterol and fat are blamed for being the foremost contributor to the West’s biggest killer – heart disease.

It is a fact that there are other reasons for heart disease, but it has been estimated that vegetarians have about a quarter of their meat-eating compatriots’ chances of having a heart attack. This appears significant, yet the difference between vegans and meat-eaters is even more glaring at one tenth the likelihood.

So, it seems to count what kind of vegetarian you become, because lots of vegetarians still eat fish, eggs and cheese and drink milk. However, by giving up meat alone, you will miss out on lots of the chemicals that farmers pump into their meat and poultry.

For instance, preservatives are thought to be connected to some cancers; growth hormones given to animals affect our own hormones and a lot of people just cannot digest milk, which causes the production of mucous and can give rise to digestive problems

On the negative side, you will need to learn a complete new system of supplying your body with the nutrients and vitamins that it needs. Meat is a concentrated kind of food so only eating a normal western meat and two vegetables type meal without the meat will soon become boring and land you in very hot water.

Malnutrition is the risk that greenhorn vegetarians have to become suspicious of. Obviously, it is not so a problem to be hold of information to help you be your vegetarian diet right as it used to become yet there is a vast choice of foodstuffs accessible to the contemporary vegetarian, but they are not all cheap, so cutting out meat will not to get expected save you any money.

At the end of the day, becoming a vegetarian is a highly personal affair. It is between you and your conscience, and doing the correct thing will make your life more of a problem, as does attempting any lifestyle change, but you will find it simpler as you get into the swing of things.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece writes on a number of subjects, but is at present concerned with Recipes to Lower Your High Blood Pressure. If you want to know more, go to our web site at Gourmet Recipes and Good Health.

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Adapting Examples Of Low Cholesterol Diets

Posted by Owen Jones | Posted in weight loss | Posted on 07-04-2012-05-2008

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Although more and more people are becoming aware that they should follow a low (er) cholesterol diet as they get older, they may not be aware of how to do this. People eat out a lot more now than ever before or they have food delivered.

Regrettably most of the food eaten at or from these places has a poor record when it comes to controlling cholesterol. You will find it difficult to impossible to follow a low cholesterol diet and eat junk food at the same time.

There are plenty of examples of low cholesterol diets on the Internet and it would be a useful thing for you to look at some of these until you find a chef’s recipes that match your tastes.

For example, one cook might prefer vegetarian cooking and so would create a collection of low cholesterol recipes containing vegetarian food, whereas another chef might favour fish and so would create plenty of low cholesterol recipes with fish.

Naturally, if you have more varied tastes then the world is your oyster and you can mix and match recipes from all around the world. There are a number of cultures that do not eat meat at all, for example, the Hindus. There are thousands of Hindu recipes which are naturally low in cholesterol or which could be easily modified by substituting olive oil for ghee as the oil in which to cook.

Or you might like the Japanese style of cooking, which uses a higher proportion of fish than people eat in the West. Fish is a very useful source for example of HDL, or good, cholesterol. Japanese meals can be of a number of different styles. an unusual one of which is sushi, which has become favourite with the trend-setters.

Chinese and Thai food also contains far less meat that traditional Western recipes. They also tend to cook using soya oil, which is a substance known to lower the level of LDL or ‘bad’ cholesterol. If, when you look at traditional recipes from these countries, you see something you could improve on then go ahead and modify it.

For instance, if you go to a Chinese restaurant, you always get white rice. Why not substitute brown rice? The same goes for Thai food. Brown rice is fed to prisoners in Thai gaols, so it is coupled with low class, hence Thais eat white rice. But you do not have to.

If you enjoy barbecues, you may have to lay off the steaks, chops, sausages and burgers, but you can still barbecue all kinds of fish, crabs, prawns and lobster. Eels are good for a barbecue too and so is unleaven bread and some vegetables such as sweet corn.

There are so many examples of low cholesterol diets that eating in this way does not have to become monotonous. In fact, it may just open your eyes to some of the other ways of cooking going on in the world. You may just end up realizing that most of the meals in your life up to now have been pretty similar.

When you are looking for examples of low cholesterol diets, bear in mind that adaptation and substitution are the best strategies – be flexible and enjoy your new, healthier diet.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on numerous topics, but is now concerned with lowering cholesterol without medication. If you want to know more, please visit our site at What Foods Lower Cholesterol?

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Cholesterol Decreasing Vitamins And Drugs

Posted by Owen Jones | Posted in weight loss | Posted on 26-03-2012-05-2008

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A high level of LDL cholesterol or high combined degree of cholesterol is perilous because it can clog your arteries, causing your heart to have to work more to pump oxygenated blood to where it has to go.This in turn raises blood pressure and high blood pressure is one of the foremost causes of heart disease, which can lead to a heart attack.

That is why your medical doctor will advise you to implement lifestyle changes to reduce your degrees of cholesterol as soon as he or she is aware that there is a problem. These lifestyle alterations normally involve giving up smoking, dieting and taking more exercise.

However, most people have a lot of trouble implementing lifestyle changes – altering the habits of a lifetime, quite literally – but the medical doctor cannot allow the situation to continue. If after a while, you have been unsuccessful in your attempts to reduce your cholesterol naturally, your medical doctor will eventually prescribe tablets and / or drugs in a bid to help you live longer.

There are a few of main drugs used to combat cholesterol: the statins and the bile acid sequestrants.

Statins are effective by blocking the enzyme HMG-CoA, which is vital in the process of converting fat into cholesterol. Statins are the most successful drug in the fight against cholesterol and are very commonly used in the West.

In deed, some countries and some doctors are accused of giving them out like candy. However, they will work quickly if drastic action is required, which is one of the reasons why they are prescribed so frequently.

Bile Acid Sequestrants work by binding with the bile made by the liver and preventing it from interacting with fat. Bile is used in the digestion process, so if it cannot deal with the fat, the fat passes through the body digested.

The most important vitamin in the battle against cholesterol is Vitamin B3, which is called Niacin. Niacin is one of the water-soluble B vitamins which help the body change carbohydrates into glucose which it uses for energy. The B group vitamins are also involved with the breaking down of fat and protein.

The vitamin B group plays an important function in keeping our liver and nervous system working well and our external features looking decent: the eyes, hair and skin. Niacin in particular is helpful for getting rid of the toxins tha build up in the body.

However, before you rush out and buy bottles of Niacin tablets, be warned that too much Niacin can have disagreeable side effects, so only make certain that you consume the recommended daily amount (RDA.

Other vitamins that will help are Lecithin and Vitamins C and E. These vitamins help by protecting LDL from becoming damaged. This sounds strange because we are told to think of LDL as ‘bad cholesterol’. However, many cardiologists are of the opinion that only damaged LDL is dangerous to our heart.

So, once again, it is a question of experts not all agreeing with each other leaving us stuck in the middle hazarding a guess as to whom to have faith in.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on several subjects, but is now concerned with lowering cholesterol without medication. If you want to know more, please visit our site at What Foods Lower Cholesterol?

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Exercise And Cholesterol Reduction

Posted by Owen Jones | Posted in weight loss | Posted on 26-03-2012-05-2008

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Cholesterol is something that many individuals are frightened of, but most individuals do not understand. Individuals are scared of having ‘cholesterol’, but they do not understand that there are two sorts of cholesterol and that they have to have some of both sorts.

The difficulty comes if you have more cholesterol than you require. This is because cholesterol is a waxy, fatty substance that can stick to the walls of arteries, build up and result in obstruction.

This means that the heart has to work more to send enough oxygen and nutrients to where they are required. This in turn means that a rise in blood pressure, which often leads to heart disease, which in turn leads to heart attacks and strokes.

Luckily, there are three ways out of this difficulty: diet, exercise and medication. The medication would have to be taken daily and for life, so most individuals would rather try to reduce their levels of cholesterol without taking drugs. However, this does require lifestyle alterations.

A lot of individuals have tried dieting to lose weight and failed. Dieting to reduce cholesterol is not quite the same, but there are similarities and a weight loss diet could be linked with a low cholesterol diet fairly easily.

However, there is another method and that is exercise. You can either exercise a great deal and eat more or less what you like or exercise a bit and be wary with what you eat as well. If you choose to exercise a lot, the manner that it will work for you is by raising your rate of metabolism and strengthening your heart.

Before embarking on an exercise programme, you should talk to your medical doctor, especially if you have not carried out much exercise for a long time. Your physician will almost certainly advise you to do mild types of exercise such as walking for an hour a day (two times thirty minutes) until you are within a stone or so of your intended weight. Swimming in a swimming pool is another useful alternative.

Exercise can have a fairly rapid effect on your cholesterol levels. In fact, it will have a faster effect than dieting, but the best way to go is to eat less HDL (saturated fats, trans fats and hydrogenated fats) and exercise too.

Whilst you are exercising a lot more, keep in mind to hydrate your body by drinking plenty of water. Water, not soda or caffeinated drinks or beer. Just water and at least two litres a day, which is roughly eight tumblers full.

You can also drink water by eating watery fruits like watermelons and other fruits, which would kill two birds with one stone as eating fruit is seen as a way of warding off cancer.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on numerous topics, but is now concerned with food that lowers cholesterol. If you want to know more, please visit our web site at What Foods Lower Cholesterol?

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High Cholesterol Levels and Diabetes Is Dangerous

Posted by Owen Jones | Posted in weight loss | Posted on 21-03-2012-05-2008

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Diabetes is a chronic disease which can have many side effects. The condition (usually) comes about as a result of the pancreas not creating enough insulin, which you need to handle the sugar level in your blood. Having diabetes, or too much sugar in your blood can have serious consequences such as cataracts (treatable blindness), bad teeth and an elevated danger of general infections.

However what lots of people do not comprehend is that there is a link between high cholesterol levels and diabetes. This link is known as macular edema and it affects eyesight. If you have diabetes and high cholesterol levels, you ought to be paying particular attention to your diet in order to avert macular edema

Macular edema is frequently a painful, non-reversible kind of blindness.

In case you are uncertain about cholesterol, it would be best if we talk about this topic in order to clarify. Individuals talk of ‘cholesterol levels’ because there are three measurements that are important. HDL cholesterol is frequently called ‘good cholesterol’ and LDL cholesterol is known as bad cholesterol.

It is important to have LDL because it helps in the generation of bile and vitamin D and it assists regulate hormones, but too much of it can block arteries and cause heart issues. HDL is ‘good’ because it mops up LDL and takes it back to the liver where it is got rid of.

Those are the two main levels. You might be forgiven for thinking that it is best to have as much HDL as you can, and this is the case, to a certain extent, because you do require LDL as well, but the total of both of these levels is also important. You must not have a high level of both together either.

The additional reason why these levels are more relevant to diabetics is because diabetics with a high level of LDL run approximately three times more risk of developing macular edema than non-diabetics. Therefore the danger of high cholesterol for diabetics is imperative.

This is such a significant difficulty that diabetics are warned to check the levels of their cholesterol very frequently. The good news is that diabetics will already be following a diet and the decreased cholesterol diet is fairly comparable and is simple to integrate into your current routine.

The foods that you ought to avoid to reduce your level of LDL cholesterol include saturated fats such as are found in red meat and dairy products like full-fat milk, butter, cream and cheese. It is also present in trans and hydrogenated fats, which are present in junk foods and cheap margarine.

The foods to eat in order to increase your level of LDL are in essence mono- and poly-unsaturated fats, vegetarian foodstuffs such as fresh fruits and vegetables, soya products, fish, nuts and grains, particularly whole grains. Roughage and fibre are what you ought to be searching for. Fish and olive oil are also useful in the fight against LDL cholesterol.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on several topics, but is now concerned with lowering cholesterol without medication. If you want to know more, please visit our site at What Foods Lower Cholesterol?

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