Cholesterol’s Natural Enemies

[Guest guest]

Cholesterol is an important part of your body's natural function. You

can not live with out it. When your body starts producing too much of

it then it becomes your hearts mortal enemy. If you have high

cholesterol then you need to declare war. Anything less is not good

enough. When you fight any war you need to have weapons and the more

powerful they are the better. Modern medicine has given us some great

weapons for fighting cholesterol. Sometimes that is not enough and

unfortunately using them can come with severe side effects. I for one

have not found one yet that I can take. The good news is that nature

it self has provided us with weapons to fight cholesterol. With these

natural weapons against cholesterol many people can avoid drugs and

most of the rest can lower dose or improve the effect of their

cholesterol drugs.

 

Here is a list of some of nature's most powerful weapons against

cholesterol.

 

Exercise: Exercise especially cardiovascular exercise is one of you

body's natural ways of lowering your cholesterol. I list this first

because it can also strengthen your entire cardiovascular system, help

manage weight, lower you risk of many diseases such as diabetes and

cancer.

 

Weight Control: This is hardest weapon to use yet it is probably the

most effective at helping control your cholesterol. Being over weight

is not as much of a problem in most of the world. In Western Europe

and especially the United States our diets have become extremely high

in fat and simple carbohydrates. I saw a study that showed that now

the average American consumes more than 100 times as much sugar than

those who lived in the early 1900's. I know it is hard to do, I have

to fight this fight every day, but if you are serious about your

health it something you need to do.

 

Soluble Fiber: A diet high in high fiber foods will help you lower you

cholesterol. Soluble fiber absorbs stomach acid and caries it out of

the body. You body is then forced to convert cholesterol into stomach

acid. For those who are striving to lose weight taking a fiber

supplement before meals with help you feel less hungry. Fruits and

vegetables such as apples, citrus fruit, berries, carrots and cabbage

are high in soluble fiber and pectin both shown to be helpful in

lowering cholesterol. Oats and barley are also great sources of

cholesterol lowering fibers.

 

Soy Protein: This is a powerful weapon against cholesterol. To achieve

the benefit you need to consume about 24 grams a day of soy protein.

There are many companies that now make soy bars and shakes that can

help you reach this goal. People with high cholesterol have seen a

drop of 15 to 20 percent with this level of supplementation.

 

Plant Sterols: Plant sterols and stanols, are found in all plants. The

are similar to cholesterol in composition. Because of this they

compete with cholesterol for absorption. Leafy vegetable, nuts,

vegetable oils, corn and rice are high in plant sterols. You can also

find cholesterol lowering cooking oils and margarine's that have these

added to them. There are also a number of supplements out on the

market today to provide your body with higher livers of plant sterols.

 

Nuts: Several studies have shown that nuts such as pecans, walnuts and

almonds can help your body lower cholesterol. The combination of

monounsaturated or polyunsaturated and plant sterols are an effective

combination. I replace candy snacks with nuts and include them in my

cooking.

 

Olive Oil: Olive oil especially extra virgin olive oil is high in

mono-saturated fats that help the body lower cholesterol.

 

Flaxseed: Flaxseed is high in alpha-linolenic acid, which is a type of

poly-unsaturated fat that has been shown to lower cholesterol. You can

add flaxseed to your diet or there are many flaxseed and

alpha-linolenic acid supplements on the market.

 

I hope the information above can help you in your battle against high

cholesterol. I wish you much success it this battle.

 

Rusty Ford

Editor

http://arthritis-symptom.com/

 

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