Posts Tagged ‘cholesterol diet’

Copyright (c) 2007 Patrick Beaufay
Fundamental rules: Two types of foods have to be well known: the saturated fat and the foods rich in cholesterol . The saturated fat is your principal enemy. They relate to primarily animal fat (solid at ambient temperature) with an exclusion with the fish fat. But the sea food has a huge level of cholesterol. Sea food is good for a diet but not for people affected by the cholesterol. What a paradox!
The practice: Used fats are vegetables and are useful for cooking or accompanying foods (olive oil, grape pips oil, vegetable margarine).
The dairy products which you consume without restriction will be always with a very low fat level. The regular milk contains animal fats. Therefore, you only can consume skimmed milk. And the light cheeses have to be consumed with moderation.
Bread, pasta, rice, fruits and vegetables can be consumed without moderation.
White meats (with an exception with the pork) and fishes are the best friends.
A place of choice is reserved with the apple rich in pectin whose regular consumption cause a drop in cholesterol.
It is the same with the red wine. With moderated consumption (two daily glasses), it contributes to the reduction of the cholesterol.
Certain modes of cooking must be privileged (will be discussed in a future article).
A diet with your doctor must be checked and monitored, especially in the beginning. We advice you to meet your doctor at least once a month.
These regular visits have two essential goals. First of all, you have to control your results. You must make sure that the objectives to reach were obtained. With the control of your weight, you have to use all the time the same balance and if possible at the same time. You have to make a blood test at the end of two, four and six months.
Secondly, you will be better informed. You can put to your doctor all the questions which will not fail to be binding on you and and thus to make preciser certain particular points in connection with your personality.
In the event of insufficient results the doctor will ask you to fill a book or a notebook on which you will note each day the exact composition of all your meals. By reading this document, your doctor will be able to correct the large or small errors which you sometimes have done unconsciously.
Lightened butter and margarine: The regular butter is very rich in cholesterol (250mg for 100 grams). In comparison, a fish contains ten times less cholesterol. Also lightened butters with 41% fat initially appeared and at present with only 25% fat. Thus, that contains four times less animal fat and cholesterol.
The margarine consists of a homogeneous mixture (blending) of fat and water. One calls that an emulsion. It is clear that the margarine’s manufactured from animal fat are contra-indicated in your diet. Their only interest is their attractive price. The vegetable margarine is much healthier, easy to spread out on a piece of bread but there are more expensive.
A little revolution: The recent arrival on the market in margarine’s enriched with vegetable sterols represents a considerable progress in the field of fight against cholesterol. Indeed, these sterols are supposed to reduce the rate of bad cholesterol, cholesterol LDL. The manufacturers announces a fall from 10 to 15% of the cholesterol LDL for a daily consumption of 20 grams of the product for one month within the framework of a well followed diet.
More info about how you can end up with your cholesterol will be presented in the next articles with these subjects: fishes and sea foods, meats and fat materials, is the wine your enemy, 3 lists (good fats and the bad fats, false friends of the cholesterol’s and the black list of the foods very rich in cholesterol), best modes of cooking, ten rules to follow and test your future level of cholesterol with a list of questions.

Fundamental rules:

Two types of foods have to be well known: the saturated fat and the foods rich in cholesterol . The saturated fat is your principal enemy. They relate to primarily animal fat (solid at ambient temperature) with an exclusion with the fish fat. But the sea food has a huge level of cholesterol. Sea food is good for a diet but not for people affected by the cholesterol. What a paradox!

The practice:

Used fats are vegetables and are useful for cooking or accompanying foods (olive oil, grape pips oil, vegetable margarine).

The dairy products which you consume without restriction will be always with a very low fat level. The regular milk contains animal fats. Therefore, you only can consume skimmed milk. And the light cheeses have to be consumed with moderation.

Bread, pasta, rice, fruits and vegetables can be consumed without moderation.

White meats (with an exception with the pork) and fishes are the best friends.

A place of choice is reserved with the apple rich in pectin whose regular consumption cause a drop in cholesterol.

It is the same with the red wine. With moderated consumption (two daily glasses), it contributes to the reduction of the cholesterol.

Certain modes of cooking must be privileged (will be discussed in a future article).

A diet with your doctor must be checked and monitored, especially in the beginning. We advice you to meet your doctor at least once a month.

These regular visits have two essential goals. First of all, you have to control your results.

You must make sure that the objectives to reach were obtained. With the control of your weight, you have to use all the time the same balance and if possible at the same time. You have to make a blood test at the end of two, four and six months.

Secondly, you will be better informed. You can put to your doctor all the questions which will not fail to be binding on you and and thus to make preciser certain particular points in connection with your personality.

In the event of insufficient results the doctor will ask you to fill a book or a notebook on which you will note each day the exact composition of all your meals. By reading this document, your doctor will be able to correct the large or small errors which you sometimes have done unconsciously.

Lightened butter and margarine:

The regular butter is very rich in cholesterol (250mg for 100 grams). In comparison, a fish contains ten times less cholesterol. Also lightened butters with 41% fat initially appeared and at present with only 25% fat. Thus, that contains four times less animal fat and cholesterol.

The margarine consists of a homogeneous mixture (blending) of fat and water. One calls that an emulsion. It is clear that the margarine’s manufactured from animal fat are contra-indicated in your diet. Their only interest is their attractive price. The vegetable margarine is much healthier, easy to spread out on a piece of bread but there are more expensive.

A little revolution:

The recent arrival on the market in margarine’s enriched with vegetable sterols represents a considerable progress in the field of fight against cholesterol. Indeed, these sterols are supposed to reduce the rate of bad cholesterol, cholesterol LDL. The manufacturers announces a fall from 10 to 15% of the cholesterol LDL for a daily consumption of 20 grams of the product for one month within the framework of a well followed diet.

More info about how you can end up with your cholesterol will be presented in the next articles with these subjects: fishes and sea foods, meats and fat materials, is the wine your enemy, 3 lists (good fats and the bad fats, false friends of the cholesterol’s and the black list of the foods very rich in cholesterol), best modes of cooking, An enemy not to be underestimated: sugar, ten rules to follow, test your future level of cholesterol with a list of questions, the eight sauces accompanying the meats and fishes, medicine against cholesterol is not the ransom of glory, the sport: an essential complement with your sport), Breakfast, One week of menus, Desserts and Receipt of Christmas eve.

Cholesterol buildup in the coronary arteries leads to the condition known as Hridaya roga in Ayurveda, which literally means heart disease. This is similar to atherosclerosis. When the cholesterol collects in the arteries leading to the heart, their lumen becomes narrow and the amount of blood entering the heart is insufficient. Due to this the heart needs to pump harder, causing several kinds of cardiovascular diseases, the worst of which is the fatal angina pectoris.

Cholesterol is present in fatty acids. Some cholesterol is needed for the proper utilization of foods in the body, formation of the hormones and the bile, etc. This is known as the high-density cholesterol, or simply, the useful cholesterol. The rest of the cholesterol simply builds up in the arteries without any apparent function. This is the low-density cholesterol, or the bad cholesterol.

The buildup of cholesterol can be reduced by several Ayurvedic treatments. Cholesterol reduction means safety from the various cardiovascular diseases, which are the leading causes of deaths in the world today.(1) Useful Herbs in the Treatment of Cholesterol

- Alfalfa (Medicago satina) Alfalfa is effective in treating problems of the arteries. It helps in clearing arteries congested with cholesterol.

- Arjuna (Terminalia arjuna) Arjuna has been used since centuries in the treatment of heart related problems such as heart attacks. The bark of the arjuna when taken in powder form has beneficial properties. This can dissolve the cholesterol that accumulates in the coronary artery and reduce the possibility of heart attacks.

- Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) Coriander is a very good diuretic. It makes the kidneys perform their functions of excretion better. Therefore the kidneys flush out the excess unneeded cholesterols from the body.

- Garlic (Allium cepa) Garlic is very beneficial to people with cholesterol problems that affect the heart. Eating two to three cloves of garlic a day helps to reduce or even completely eliminate the harmful cholesterol in the blood. Garlic can disintegrate the blood cholesterol and hence free up the arteries.

- Guggulu (Commiphora mukul) This is a traditional Indian herb which has become very popular in the Ayurvedic treatment of cholesterol-related heart problems. It contains guggulsterones which have been proven to reduce the levels of cholesterol on regular use. 25 mg of these guggulsterones are prescribed for intake thrice a day.

- Holy Basil (Ocimum sanctum) Holy basil has the capacity to dissolve the accumulated cholesterol from the arteries into the person’s bloodstream. From here they are eliminated by the kidneys.(2) Dietary Treatments for Cholesterol

The various dietary regimes which will help you to reduce the buildup of cholesterol in the arteries are as follows:-

- Keep a careful watch on the amount of calories you are consuming. Say no to chocolates, ice creams, red meats and all such foods that can increase the calorie count.

- Sources of fats such as fried foods are to be avoided. Groundnut oil must be strictly prohibited. But fat sources such as cow’s milk, cow’s ghee and cow’s butter are recommended. Buffalo dairy products are to be avoided.

- Consume more fresh vegetables and fruits. Green leafy vegetables are needed since they would provide roughage for the elimination of the waste materials.

- Soy and soy products are very beneficial for the proper utilization of cholesterol.

- Drink lots of water. Water will help to remove the toxic buildup in the arteries.

- Smoking and alcoholism must be avoided as they interfere with the proper utilization of cholesterol in the body.(3) Ayurvedic Treatment for Cholesterol

Ayurvedic treatment for high level of cholesterol is to prescribe the various herbs that have properties to reduce the buildup.

One popular herb in Ayurvedic medicine is arjuna. It is prescribed in several forms such as Arjunarishta and Arjuna Ghritam. Other popular medicines are Hridayarnava Rasa and Prabhakara Vati. If the cholesterol amount is very profuse, then Mrigamadasava is prescribed.

Yoga is also very beneficial in proper circulation and elimination of the cholesterol buildup in the body. Some of the useful asanas are:- a) Ardhamatsyendrasana b) Shalabhasana c) Padmasana d) Vajrasana(4) Home Medications

- Drinking coriander in water everyday helps in the reduction of cholesterol in the body. This regime must be continued for about a month. Then the cholesterol levels must be checked again.

- Boil a glassful of milk with a piece of garlic in it. This will reduce the cholesterol and take care of cardiac pains. It has to be continued for a few days before the method begins to show its effects.

- Have cold hipbaths twice daily. These have been shown to have positive effects in the reduction of cholesterol when taken on a regular basis.

- A simple remedy is to have a single piece of garlic every morning. This takes time to show results, but the results are positive.

- Consume some almonds and walnuts on a daily basis.

Do you need to lower your cholesterol? Is it possible to lower cholesterol naturally? Hmmm, a perplexing question. And one which a huge number of people need an answer to as so many people have high cholesterol and need to lower their levels.The question “can you lower cholesterol naturally” is one which needs to be preceded by another question. When you ask can you lower cholesterol naturally what do you mean by “naturally”?Lowering cholesterol isn’t easy, and there are a number of options to lower cholesterol and achieve better overall heart health. Some involve risks.You can try drugs, statin drugs are the common cholesterol lowering drugs that are regularly prescribed by doctors. Or you can try a diet to lower cholesterol. Or you can try other methods like natural nutritional supplements and natural products which utilize active ingredients that are not “drugs”, that are naturally occuring and are known to be safe. There is no clear answer to what is a “natural’ way to lower cholesterol. So for the purposes of this article I shall assume that “naturally” lowering cholesterol is lowering cholesterol levels without the use of drugs.Because it’s the use of drugs that scares so many people. Maybe they’ve had a heart attack or their doctor says they need to pay more attention to their heart health, and next thing they’re on statin drugs which they will, it is assumed, take for the rest of their lives.Statin drugs have their problems and have been linked to various health problems. Many people are very wary of going onto a drug long term that is linked to health problems.The first thing to do then, when you seem to have high blood cholesterol levels or your doctor has suggested that you need to be more heart smart and pay more attention to your heart health, is to try a natural approach.Just about everyone can benefit from a better diet, and a diet to lower cholesterol is one of the most important steps you can take in a “natural” (ie non drug) approach. We all eat too many processed foods and foods high in bad fats and so we should pay more attention to our diet.Plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables is the key when looking for a diet that helps lower our cholesterol. Avoid too much meat and diary high in saturated fats, and substitute this with grains, vegetables and fruits.And get plenty of exercise, exercise helps a lot in lowering cholesterol as well as with our overall health, and heart health is also a factor of overall health as well as total cholesterol levels.But often a change in diet, and incorporating exercise into your daily routine isn’t sufficient to reduce cholesterol levels significantly. This is often because your body manufactures it’s own cholesterol, and changing your diet doesn’t stop this.So if you’re looking for a natural approach you need to consider natural cholesterol lowering supplements as well. The best natural supplements are those which tackle the problem from a range of angles. The very best natural cholesterol lowering supplement helps lower your LDL cholesterol, the bad one, and raise your HDL cholesterol, the good one.It also helps lower your body’s production of cholesterol, and also helps reduce your body’s absorption of it in your gut from your food. On top of this it increases the excretion of bile acid, and bile acid carries cholesterol, so this too helps reduce your overall levels.And it has other natural ingredients that offer more wide ranging benefits to your cardiovascular system generally, so giving you a boost to overall heart health. And as this product is made from totally natural ingredients you don’t risk nasty side effects to your health that you risk if you elect to take statin drugs.So yes, there is a way to lower cholesterol naturally. It involves a total natural approach including diet and exercise, and the use of natural cholesterol lowering supplements. It works and you don’t take any risk to your health from unwanted side effects that may result from prescription drugs.

When is too much cholesterol in your arteries a problem?  Is it before or after your arteries become clogged and you have a heart attack?  Or is it too much when your doctor tells you your cholesterol levels are too high?  Surprisingly for many people neither time seems to worry them but, not you.  You know when enough is enough, that’s why you are reading this article right now

Am I being a little harsh? Yeah because I want you to realize you can prevent that heart attack building up in your arteries and heart by taking a few simple steps.  What steps you ask?  First decide that you have had enough already and stop ignoring the chest pain, shortness of breathe, your extra weight, your poor eating habits and lack of exercise.  Second, commit to making some lifestyle changes today.  Lastly, take some time to educate yourself about the various ways you can improve your health.

Now I know when I mention the word “educate” some people cringe.  But be honest you have got to learn for yourself what is going on with your body and how you can help to fix the problem.  Notice I said learn for yourself and not by yourself.  Seek out those individuals who can help you to learn more than you currently know.

Who can help you lower your cholesterol?  You should probably start with your doctor, a nutritionist, a health coach, friends who are health conscious, basically anyone who is health conscious and can give you useful advice.  Now is not the time to go solo, seek out the counsel of others to help you achieve your goal.  Remember your life may just depend on their support and encouragement so get the additional help they may provide.

Educating yourself about how to lower your cholesterol and your heart attack risk has another important benefit you may not think about.  It decreases your fear level.  Remember how you felt when you found out your cholesterol level was high?  Did you think, “I’m going to die”, or “I’m going to have a heart attack”, etc.  If so that is a normal reaction lots of people have felt the same way.

But, here is the thing to remember, fear can paralyze you or it can motivate you to take action.  Which fear reaction did you experience the day you found out about your high cholesterol?  The cool thing about fear is that it tends to decrease as your knowledge increases.  If you learn the correct information your cholesterol and heart attack risk will go down as well.

There is a clever phrase to remember regarding the word F.E.A.R you should remember it.  It is F.E.A.R (False Expectations Appearing Real).  Here is your game plan, increase your knowledge about how to live a healthier lifestyle, eliminate your fear and you will not have to worry about, “when is too much cholesterol bad for you” because you will have a lower cholesterol level sooner than you think.