Archive | How to Lower Cholesterol

hdl Cholesterol Foods to Help Increase hdl Cholesterol

hdl Cholesterol Foods to Help Increase hdl Cholesterol

HDL cholesterol foods should be added to all of our diets. Even if the rest of your cholesterol numbers are fine, the HDL cholesterol works to rid your body of LDL (bad) cholesterol. There is a Top 10 Listof foods here that will help increase your levels.

In general to help increase your levels of hdl you need to increase your intake of the right kinds of fats. If you cook with oil, switch to Olive Oil. Add some soluble fiber to your diet, apples are an excellent source of soluble fiber. Instead of eating chips and popcorn, have a handful of nuts everyday. A handful of walnuts everyday is a great way to increase your hdl. Almonds and other nuts have a similar effect. Don’t eat too many though, since nuts are high in Calories.

There are also supplements that will help increase your hdl, Omega-3 fish oil capsules are a great way to add fish oil to your diet with having to eat the fish. Garlic is a great option as well, since it will help your cholesterol and your blood pressure. Garlic is a great anti-oxidant and makes your blood vessels more elastic.

Last but not least is to exercise 3 days a week. 30 minutes a day, 3 times a week can do wonders for your whole body. You will lose weight, lower your cholesterol, lower your blood sugar and lower your blood pressure. I can’t even think of a supplement that will do that. Good old exercise is the best method to help your overall body health and your well being. Start with walking 30 minutes every other day. Once you have done that for a month or so, try 1/2 hour on a exercise bike. Pull it out of the closet, dust it off and ride. Put the music on, forget the kids for 1/2 hour and lower your stress levels at the same time.

Cheers

Posted in How to Lower Cholesterol, UncategorizedComments (1)

How to Lower Cholesterol Through Diet

How to Lower Cholesterol Through Diet

So you want to learn how to lower cholesterol through diet. There are many foods and supplements that can assist you with your diet and help to lower your cholesterol through diet. I have created a list here of what I believe to be the top 10 foods to assist in reducing cholesterol.

The first thing you really need to do is get your head in the right place. Being mentally prepared for a lifestyle change was the biggest hurdle. If you were like me before, I ate pizza, ate out all the time, chips all the stuff that is bad for your cholesterol. My diet was awful, and I can’t believe I ate that way for the bulk of my life.

I have tried diets before, exercise, both and nothing ever seemed to help. I would lose a bit and then gain it back. I was never successful in keeping the weight off until I figured out I needed to change my lifestyle. I actually crave many of the foods on the top 10 list. I can’t stand eating out anymore, everything needs to be fresh too. I started making my own oven roasted potatoes and carrots, and when I open the container with my olive oil and spice mixture it has the best fresh smell going. I love making that recipe. I will add it to the recipe section, and it has no salt.

Once you have made the decision to change your lifestyle it will be time to learn how to cook all over. The foods listed on the top 10 page came from research on the Internet and my desire to create a resource I could use to help me with lowering my cholesterol. I think my favorite foods changes on a daily basis, but I always have a couple of apples a day which is number 2 on my list to help lower cholesterol though my diet. Apples are full of soluble fiber, which is great at getting rid of the bad fat before it gets to your blood. Check out the list and begin your journey of a life time, your life.

Cheers and Good luck!

Posted in How to Lower CholesterolComments (32)

No Cholesterol Diet

No Cholesterol Diet

Are you looking for a no cholesterol Diet or no cholesterol food.  Its really a low fat diet, but we can stick with no cholesterol diet for now.  There are many foods that are great for a no cholesterol diet.  Most are fresh fruits, nuts, fish and a couple of spices.   Garlic is my favorite so far for a no cholesterol diet, adds great flavor.  I keep reminding myself why the Italians are so healthy!

I have done extensive research on the web and came up with what I thought would be the top 10 on cholesterol diet foods. This list is not all encompassing of course, but it is a great start.  I started over a month ago and got my blood taken today so we will see if it has helped.  Might need more time, but we will see if the no cholesterol diet has helped out or not.  I know I have lost over 15 lbs in the last month and a half.  This is because of this life style change as well.  Truly unbelievable, I did not think it would be that easy to lose the weight. But then again you just need to set your mind to it.

I will report back once I get the results from the blood work in a couple of weeks.

Top 10 list of foods to help in lowering Cholesterol.

What foods do you eat to help reduce your overall Cholesterol?

Cheers

Posted in How to Lower CholesterolComments (33)

Foods For High Cholesterol

Foods For High Cholesterol

There are many foods for high cholesterol.  What I really mean to say is to reduce high cholesterol, there are many foods. Finding foods for high cholesterol is as easy as clicking here. Many of the foods for high cholesterol are very tasty too.  My favorite food off the list is Walnuts; Almonds are just as good too.  Although Gala Apples are really good right now.

I began eating the foods for high cholesterol a couple of months ago.  I think I was the typical person in a western society.  Ate out too much, work too much, not enough sleep, snacked on chips ice cream, etc..  all the bad stuff.  Now that I have been eating these foods, I am amazed.  I actually crave nuts and fruit now.  I could not believe the other day, I had a craving for a Fuji Apple, one of my favorites as well.  I could not eat anything else until I got the apple, truly amazing. The even better part of this is, its rubbing off one the kids.  They are now eating foods off the list as well, nuts, they love, apples, I doubt I will ever be able to get them to eat bean curds, but only time will tell ;-)

I feel better too, I have lost 15 lbs in the last couple of months and I am healthier then ever.  This change in life style is way over due.  I have been overweight most of my life and I am probably a walking heart attack.  Well not any more, I hope to start walking again next week and with the list of foods for high cholesterol I think I have a winning combination.

What foods do you eat/do to help lower your High Cholesterol?

Cheers

Posted in How to Lower CholesterolComments (54)

Cholesterol Diet Lowering – a diet to lowering Cholesterol Naturally

Cholesterol Diet Lowering – a diet to lowering Cholesterol Naturally

A Cholesterol diet lowering fat is easy to do naturally.  Diet tips to lowering your cholesterol, all natural diets to lowering your Cholesterol.  All of  these helpful steps taken together will in lowering your total and bad cholesterol.

First I would begin eating a diet that is high in soluble fiber.  Adding fiber to your diet will allow your body to naturally remove excess LDL(bad) Cholesterol from your body.  Once this occurs your HDL goes up and that also helps rid the body of excess LDL too.  A diet in lowering Cholesterol also includes whole grains as another source of fiber.

Click here for a great page on the top 10 foods to help kick start your Cholesterol Diet Lowering regime.

Second I would begin to exercise.  This alone has all kinds of benefits.  You add this to a Diet that is designed to help you rid you body of harmful Cholesterol and you have a winning combination.  Start will walking 1/2 hour per day.  If that works out then walk longer, or start riding a bike.  Any and all exercise will help.  Even if its a little.  Just don’t be afraid to start.

Third is stress.  While this is unproven I fully believe that stress can cause many issues in your body.  Pain, weight gain, increased cholesterol, skin problems, digestive problems etc….  Stress can be the biggest factor sometimes I think for many of the problems we have in our society today.

So in summary I would say start today, pick up an apple, get a hand full of grapes.  When was the last time you had a yummy bowl of oatmeal topped with cinnamon.  These all have great benefits.  Don’t forget to check the top ten list of Heart Healthy foods and the best part is.  They are all natural and yummy.

One last note, since I have been eating these foods I began to notice something I did not see coming.  I now crave an apple of a banana instead of chips or popcorn.  Its truly remarkable, who figured I would ever crave an apple.  My wife brought home McDonald’s the other day, the JR chicken sandwich.  I took about 3 bites and thought I was going to throw up it had so much grease in it.  I went and got an apple instead.  I can’t believe I use to eat that stuff, yuk.  Never again.  Well maybe just a fry or two ;-) .

Cheers

cholesterol diet lowering

Posted in How to Lower CholesterolComments (11)

Foods to Help Lower/Reduce High Cholesterol

Foods to Help Lower/Reduce High Cholesterol

Top 10 Foods to Lower Cholesterol

The first step for creating a Heart Healthy diet is to reduce your intake of bad (LDL) fats. Trans fats and saturated fats should be the first thing you cut out.  Bad fats include, but not limited to red meat, whole milk, butter, cheese, coconut oil.  If after cutting out bad fats, your total Cholesterol is still not improved then it time to increase your good (HDL) fat and that will assist in lower you total Cholesterol as well.  I have included a list of what I think are the top 10 food that will help you in lower your cholesterol.

1. Walnuts and Almonds
Walnuts and Almonds are high in polyunsaturated fats.  These kinds of fats significantly reduce the bad cholesterol in your blood. These kinds of nuts also help keep blood vessels elastic.  This elasticity helps actually reduce your blood pressure as well, so you get double benefit.  Eating these kinds of nuts should show results in as short as 4 weeks.  Eat about 1/4 to 1/3 cup a day and that should do it.

2. Apples
I probably should be Apples as #1 but since the nuts work so well and so fast I thought I would rank that #1.  The benefits of apples is the pectin found in Apples.  Pectin is a soluble fiber that helps reduce cholesterol by flushing it out of the system. The pectin is able to suck out the bad Cholesterol before it reaches the blood stream.  Apples also have a powerful anti-oxidant called Quercetin (also know as flavonoids).  The Quercetin stops the process that leads the LDL(bad) cholesterol before it has a chance to settle in your blood stream.

3. Garlic
I love Garlic, this stuff is so powerful for many things. Garlic helps kill fungi and bacteria in body. Its a great Anti-Oxidant. In some studies it has shown to lower LDL and in others it has not. My opinion on garlic is that it has so many benefits on total that taking it for lowering your cholesterol is a great thing.  It also help to lower your bloods clotting ability, so that will assist if you ever do have a heart attack.

4. Beans
Beans are an excellent source of soluble fiber and high in protein. By ading beans to a properly balanced Diet you will reap the rewards by lowering your overall Cholesterol.  Combining Beans, fruit and vegetables will increase your overall body fiber.  Fiber is an excellent way to remove cholesterol from your body.

5. Cinnamon
Cinnamon, there are published studies in the journal for Diabetes Care and they found that half a teaspoon of cinnamon a day significantly reduces blood sugar. It reduces LDL (bad cholesterol) and your total cholesterol level.  In my opinion this is wonder food of 2010.  Like nuts, it has more then one benefit.

6. Grapes
Grapes, have lots of flavonoids like apples.  Grapes prevent the oxidation of LDL cholesterol. The darker grapes, have more of the anti oxidation chemical it has.

7. Oats
Oats, contains soluble fiber, which reduces your LDL(bad) cholesterol. On average 5 – 10 grams of soluble fiber/day decreases LDL cholesterol by about 5%.

8. Salmon
Salmon, we have been hearing about salmon for a long time.  Salmon in general is a much better meat then read meat since the fat in Salmon is Omega 3 fatty-acid. The Omega 3 components have a favorable cardiovascular effect. This is one food where I believe the more the better.  Salmon has a great flavor and in the non smelly fish, once again Omega’s have been proven in studies to remove LDL cholesterol in the blood.

9. Soy Products
Soy product are great as a meat substitute.  Since it is high in Fiber and low in any fats it makes a great combination to remove LDL.  Soy is also full of protein, hence why it is a great meat substitute.

10. Brown Rice
Brown Rice, has an oil that other rice does not have.  It the oils that lowers cholesterol and not the fiber like many believe. Beans and brown rice in combination make an inexpensive meal that is a great protein low in saturated fat. Also, whole grains like brown rice also provides a good doses of fiber, magnesium and B vitamins.

What do you eat to help reduce your LDL(bad) Cholesterol?

Posted in How to Lower CholesterolComments (32)