Lower Your Cholesterol!!

Eating an apple a day can keep the doctor away.  Apples can lower your cholesterol if you eat they regularly.  They are fat free, low in calories and a good source of fiber.  Apples are the only fruit you can mix with vegetables when juicing.  Some experts believe apples can improvement your memory, and keep your skin from wrinkling and may even promote hair growth on the scalp.  Avocados are another food that helps decrease your cholesterol levels.  Avocados are high in fat but it’s good fat.  However, do not eat the pit or skin.  The seeds of soybeans which grow in pods are edible.  

We commonly know these as edamame,  which are found in the frozen food section of the grocery store.  They are easy to heat, pour a little soy sauce and sprinkle with a little sea salt and they make a great snack.   Scientists have reported that soy protein lowers blood cholesterol levels while animal protein causes blood cholesterol to raise.  Soy protein also helps to lower blood pressure and so protects us against heart disease and stroke.  Soy beans are high in fiber and help reduce the risk of certain cancers.

We all know that our bodies are made of cells.  When large numbers of our cells start to malfunction it leads to disease.  The two reasons our cells malfunction is either deficiency, the cells are not getting the nutrients they need; and toxicity, the cells are being poisoned by something they do not need.   There are pathways between health and disease through which our cells  become healthy or sick. 

Nutrition:  You really are what you eat.  Your body is a processing machine.  Learn how to eat healthy.  Toxins:  These are substances that cause your cells to break down and cause disease.  Find out where toxins are and how you can avoid them.  Psychological:  Your body and your mind are connected and are not separate.  How you react to life affect your cells directly.  Physical:  Our cells and bodies need to be maintained just like your car. 

Are you getting enough exercise, rest, sunlight and fresh air?  Genetic:  Genes affect our cells but not so much as medicine tells us.  Learn what the genetic problems are in your family and find out how to manage these problems.  Medical:  Modern medicine kills and injures millions of people every year.  Learn about medicines before you take them.

Medical practice today is not about health care; it is about disease care.  The mindset is that you are healthy until you have a diagnosable disease, and then it is the task to decide what the disease is and then treat its symptoms.  This is like waiting for disease to appear instead of considering the effects of nutrition, toxins and behavior and doesn’t even take into account our body’s self-healing abilities.  The patient feels as though they have no power and the personal financial costs are outrageous expensive. 

Modern medicine does great when it comes to treating emergencies and doing surgery but does not do much at preventing or healing disease.  We should not be waiting to get sick and then doing something about it.  We need to start working on preventing disease by taking a look at what is causing it in the first place.  What we don’t heal on the inside is projected to the physical.  We have not been taught that it is okay to feel our feelings and express them in an appropriate way.  It has been said what we think about we bring about.  Prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Did you know that cholesterol can’t dissolve in the blood.  It has to be taken to the cells by carriers called lipoproteins.  LDL stands for low-density lipoprotein or “bad” cholesterol.  “Good” cholesterol is called high-density lipoprotein.  These two types of lipids plus a couple of other things make up your total cholesterol count which you get by having a blood test.  When you have too much “bad” cholesterol it can slowly build up in the inner walls of the arteries that feed the hear and brain. 

When it forms with other substances it can form plaque than narrow the arteries and makes them less flexible.  If a clot forms and blocks a narrowed artery, you can then have a heart attack or stroke.  High levels of  “good” cholesterol can protect you against having a heart attack.  It can also carry bad cholesterol away from the arteries and back to the liver where it can be disposed of.  It is necessary to have your cholesterol checked often if you suspect you have high cholesterol.

Your body needs a certain amount of cholesterol which is made by your liver.  All the foods you eat that contain cholesterol is more than you need and can make you unhealthy.  Cholesterol is a waxy substance that your body needs to protect nerves, make cell tissues and make certain hormones.  Too much cholesterol can put you at risk for a heart attack or stroke.  When your body can’t use all the extra cholesterol then it may be stored in your arteries which can cause them to become narrow and harden.  Then you risk the chance of having a blocked artery. 

You may be at risk if you have already had a heart attack,  a man older than 45 or a woman older than 55, a woman who is going through menopause, a immediate family member who has had heart disease, smoking cigarettes, being overweight, having diabetes or high blood pressure or being inactive.   If you have any of these a few or all of these then you ought to be seeing a doctor and taking medication.  Why wait until you have a heart attack or stroke to begin doing the things you need to do to reverse these conditions.

If you want to take a step further in protecting your health, start by watching what you eat.  You can take medication and such, but it also helps a lot to moderate the cholesterol-foods you intake.  Here are some that can help lower your cholesterol.

1. Oatmeal/oat bran – A source of soluble fiber, this helps you lower your LDL cholesterol levels.  You can also find soluble fiber in kidney beans, apples, pears, and barley.

2. Nuts – Not all nuts mind you.  Try eating walnuts and almonds.  The FDA announced that eating 1.5 oz of almonds a day can help lower the risk of heart disease and cholesterol.  Lucky me – I love almonds!

Since nuts contain oils and calories, you should remember to eat only a handful a day.  Eating more can counteract the positive benefits and cause weight gain.

3. Omega-3 – Recent health rave, omega-3 was found to be helpful in protecting the heart and lowering cholesterol.  Omega-3 can be found in fish.  Doctors recommend eating 2 servings of fish a week.  Try incorporating it into your dinner menus reap the benefits!