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Lowering Cholesterol – The Ulitmate Diet Guide

November 7, 2010 By Admin Leave a Comment

Today, more and more people suffer from high cholesterol and obesity due to improper food intake, unbalanced diet, and unhealthy lifestyle. Whatever the reasons behind the certain condition such as having high blood cholesterol level, the first treatment any physician will recommend is a low cholesterol diet.

A Guide to Low Cholesterol and Cholesterol Diets

As defined, cholesterol is a complex alcohol constituent of all animals fats and oils. It is a sterol that is related to other sterols and is contained in many foods such as dairy products and meat fats. Other sources of cholesterol include eggs, poultry, fish, and shellfish.

Studies show that that people with high levels of cholesterol are more likely to develop heart attacks more specifically, atherosclerosis which is a disease involving blockage of certain arteries compared to those with lower levels.

Diet is indeed very significant in treating high blood cholesterol level. If you would want to lower your cholesterol levels, try eating foods that are less high-fat food especially those high in saturated fat while replacing part of the saturated fat in your diet with unsaturated fat. You should also eat less high-cholesterol foods.

Aside from veering away in eating high-fat foods, you should also learn how to choose foods that are high in complex carbohydrates like starches and fibers. By lowering your carbohydrate intake, you can also reduce your weight especially if you are overweight.

Although the basics of low cholesterol diet may seem easy to follow, more people who have high cholesterol are having a hard time sticking to a specific low cholesterol diet.

But, if the person is really determined to lower his/her cholesterol levels, a low cholesterol diet can be easy to follow given the wide variety of foods available. In fact, more and more food manufacturers come up with foods that have low cholesterol content so if you are out shopping grocery items, take the time off to look at the labels. Here are additional tips to make a low cholesterol diet successful:

1. Load on lots of fruits and vegetables because these are low in calories, cholesterol, and fat.

2. Lower your intake of saturated fats or the foods that contain these to lower the possibility of developing heart diseases.

3. Take note of “trans-fatty” elements that are usually found in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils like margarines and shortenings because they increases blood cholesterol levels the way saturated fat does.

4. Consume foods that use whole grain foods instead of those that contain white flour.

5. Compared regular, full-fat dairy products, opt for low fat or skimmed ones. These are not only good for your cholesterol level but also for your weight as well.

6. Choose lean meats like turkey and chicken meats instead of red meat because it is closely-associated with decreasing cholesterol levels.

7. Use olive and canola oils when cooking instead of using cooking oils because these are lower in monounsaturated fats that help lower cholesterol levels.

And since food and eating properly contribute so much to a healthy diet, people should focus more on considering the food their body needs especially on a diet. Experts remind that diet foods should contain the necessary vitamins and minerals that are quite essential for weight control and metabolism. These diet foods should include Vitamins B2, B3, B5, B6, Vitamin C, choline, inositol, chromium, manganese, and zinc. Here is a partial list of some of nutritious diet foods that can be taken by people who are on a diet plan or diet program.

1. Fruits. Studies show that the perfect diet food out there includes a wide range of fruits. Aside from being an all-natural product, fruits are low in calories, rich in dietary fiber that helps boosts satiety, and satisfies a person’s sweet tooth without worrying about weight gain.

Containing all the nutrients and vitamins it has, fruits are an ideal diet food for those who are into losing weight or weight reduction and those who are striving to maintain their weight. Other nutritional benefits of fruit include the prevention of vitamin deficiency, a rich source of dietary fiber and rich in folate.

2. Vegetables. Just like fruits, vegetables are also considered perfect diet foods especially for those who are controlling their weight control. Aside from being low in calorie-content, high in dietary fiber, and full of dietary nutrients that help maintain efficient metabolism, veggies in various preparations also make good and appetizing snacks.

Aside from being a rich source of important vitamins and minerals such as vitamin B-complex micronutrients, vitamins C, E and K that combat vitamin deficiency, vegetables are also excellent sources of the protective plant micronutrient called “phytochemicals.” Having vegetables as diet food also lowers the risk of heart disease, cancers, and high blood pressure while protecting the body from having illnesses caused by muscle degeneration.

3. Grains. Whole grains have a long history of being an effective diet food for excellent weight management. Aside from heir high energy content, carbohydrate-rich grains especially whole grains are rich in dietary fiber and a useful source of dietary nutrients that helps metabolism.

4. Meats. Lean red meats or lean chicken/turkey meats, and fish are also ideal diet food because these are rich in protein, essential minerals and vitamins, and micronutrients for excellent metabolism.

5. Nuts and seeds. Although these are not high in calorie-content, nuts and seeds great diet foods because these satisfy the dieter’s appetite especially if consumed during snacks. These also make for a good diet food because they contain large amounts of vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber for good metabolism.

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Avoiding Heavy Metals and Toxins in Your Fish Oil

November 7, 2010 By Admin Leave a Comment

Yikes! Mercury! You mean to tell me there might be mercury in my Fish Oil? Yeah, and PCBs too. If that’s the case, what’s a healthy consumer to do?
Wake up and pay attention is the first thing. Yes! Heavy metals, toxins and poisons in fish are a real concern, but only if you don’t know the source of your fish, the manufacturer’s practices, their scientific quality control and the commitment of the company behind the product (making a healthy difference vs. making a healthy profit).

You need to know that not all fish are created equal. Besides having varying amounts of important nutritional oils, they live in different places, have different feeding habits and react differently to captivity (as in “farm raised”).

Some fish live and feed in cold waters and are much richer in omega 3 fatty acids. Some fish are bottom feeders and have higher levels of toxins and heavy metals than open water feeders. Some fish feed predominantly in estuaries where industrial pollution flows down rivers. While still other fish are raised in collective tanks, ponds and pools with little to no efficient fresh water circulation, increasing the likelihood of contamination with things like PCBs.

So, my first recommenation is that you want to choose a company that uses specific fish (salmon, for example) that live and are caught in cold, open waters.

Then there’s the selecting of fish and processing of fish oils. How can you be sure a company that sells fish oils aren’t using the garbage fish, diseased fish or fish graded for cat food and fertilizer?

This brings us to my second recommendation. Only buy fish oils from companies that use health screened fish, graded for human consumption and listed on the label. This last point is important because otherwise you’d have no way of knowing what fish are being used.
And finally, how can you be certain their processing doesn’t include pressing the fish organs, which are high in Vitamin A, D, heavy metals and toxins?
My third and final recommendation is to buy fish oils from a company that only presses the oils from the flesh – not the organs. This is the only way you can be sure there are no heavy metals and toxins and no hidden Vitamin A and D. Not that there’s anything wrong with A and D, but it’s important to know how much you’re getting, because too much can be harmful for certain people.

Follow these tips and you won’t go wrong. You may have to ask the company who supplies your omega 3 fish oils if they follow these practices too. If you get unfavorable or evasive answers then you need to get online and do more research.

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The Role Of Omega 3 And Eczema

November 5, 2010 By Admin Leave a Comment

The essential fatty acids that are found in fish oils have become main stage in the treatment of eczema, as there is an ever growing connection between omega 3 and eczema. In fact, not only are Fish Oils containing omega-3 popular for only helping in heart health, they are also recommended for such skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema. Many research scientists and medical professionals are now under the belief that it is from a deficiency in these essential fatty acids that are contributing to omega 3 and eczema, psoriasis and other skin diseases.

Omega 3 and eczema, psoriasis and other skin disorders have been conclusively connected in many studies that have been done throughout the world. The deficiency in omega 3 and other essential fatty acids is thought to be caused by the over processing and steroid induced foods that are typically consumed in today’s society. When our foods are over processed they lose much of their original nutrition content and this directly correlates with the deficiencies found in today’s society and the connection between omega 3 and eczema.

Omega 3 and Eczema Facts

There are a few factors that play a role in the connection between omega 3 and eczema such as the fact that our bodies are incapable of creating omega 3 and the essential fatty acids that our bodies require. For that fact is the very reason that we have to introduce these fatty acids through our diets and unfortunately most of our foods are completely saturated with the fatty acids that are not healthy for us.

It is believed that over 100 million people in the United States alone suffer from eczema an overwhelming 25 million more suffer from psoriasis and another 5 million more suffer from some form of allergic skin reaction from unknown sources. That is an astonishing number of people that clearly suffer from a deficiency in omega 3 essential fatty acids. In order to maintain healthy skin it is imperative to recognize the importance of omega 3 and eczema because once you see the connection, you can typically begin to reverse it.

In order to correct and stabilize the deficiency of omega 3 and eczema skin problems, it is recommended that you consume a healthy balance of omega 3 and omega 6 and as a generality, today’s society consumes on average 20:1 ratio. That means that we are consuming 20 parts of unhealthy fats to one part of essential fatty acids.

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Avoid Heartburn Food

November 5, 2010 By Admin Leave a Comment

You may not believe it, but your heartburn may not be caused by stress and strain. This is especially true if you feel an unpleasant contraction below the ribs in the left side of your body and in addition often have diarrhea. Below the ribs is where the pancreas and the spleen are located, and it is the spleen that we are concerned with in this case.

That feeling of contraction could be that your spleen is working too hard. The function of the spleen is to filter the blood, and something has created the need for extra blood filtering in your body. While this is happening, your stomach reacts by over producing extra gastric juice, which then brings on your heartburn.

The reason for this has happened is that you have eaten something your body can not handle well and recognizes as harmful to you. If you recognize the above symptoms, then it’s highly likely that your digestion doesn’t handle wheat and cereals very well. However, it does not necessarily mean than you are gluten intolerant only that your body may have problems producing certain enzymes necessary to break down wheat products. Therefore, the over production of stomach acid could be an attempt of your body to compensate the lack of these enzymes.

Here are some steps you can take. The first thing is to stop eating wheat and cereals altogether and eat more fruits and nuts instead. Fruit fibers have the same function as cereal fibers and are much healthier for the body anyway.

The next thing you can do is eat less carbohydrates. You can continue to eat rice, corn and potatoes, but reduce these foods to be a much smaller percentage of your food intake. You can swap wheat-based pasta for rice noodles and naturally gluten-free pasta.

Another thing you can do is reducing the amount of salt you are using. You can always use instant bouillon powder instead of ordinary salt.

Try eating more fat fish and small animals from the sea. Mankind’s step from being monkeys and the development of our brains began during a period when we started to hunt small animals along the beaches in Africa. Our nails are flat today because we had to pry open clams and nuts. Our nervous systems need Fish Oils in order to work properly.

You must never stuff yourself while eating. This is especially true for grown men who have grown up with the idea that they have to eat up everything which is put on their plate and that nothing should go to waste.

Avoid being without food for long periods of time. Eat small amounts often and slowly. You can treat yourself to a pizza if you really want one, but see to that the dough is well baked, preferably close to being burned.

Forget the myth that sugar is dangerous. Pretty much everything we eat is broken down into simple sugar molecules – glucose – in our digestion and the brain’s fuel is almost 100% glucose. Artificial sweeteners such as aspartame could be harmful since they pass through the membranes of the brain where only glucose would normally pass, but sugar is only dangerous if it’s not used up by the body.

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