Posts Tagged Cholesterol
Natural Way to Reduce Cholesterol
Posted by TheRedPillGuide in Health, News, Vitamins & Supplements on July 17, 2012
via: NaturalSociety
Elizabeth Renter
July 16, 2012
Looking for a natural way to reduce cholesterol? Changing your diet is the single best way to do so. Nuts in particular have repeatedly been shown to be great for reducing cholesterol, according to numerous studies that were reviewed by Loma Linda University. On average, eating a small bag of nuts (67 grams) each day could reduce cholesterol levels by 7.4%, according to the BBC.
Consuming Nuts a Natural Way to Reduce Cholesterol
We aren’t talking about honey roasted peanuts or chocolate covered almonds here, but raw or roasted plain nuts.
Numerous studies have been done on the positive effects of nuts, but this latest review looked at many of them, establishing hard numbers rather than just a casual link.
According to the BBC:
The people involved ate 67g of nuts a day on average, over a period of three to eight weeks.
As well as improving cholesterol levels, it also reduced the amount of triglyceride, a type of blood fat that has been linked to heart disease.
However, the impact was least pronounced among the overweight.
It is not yet clear why nuts have this effect, although one suggestion is that it is down to the plant sterols they contain, which are thought to interfere with cholesterol absorption.
It’s important to note that the study was done by independent researchers but was funded in part by the International Tree Nut Council Nutrition Research and Education Foundation.
Obviously, not all nuts are the same. And even when the sugar and salt is removed, some are more nutritionally potent than others. If consuming nuts as a natural way to reduce cholesterol, try sticking with this selection:
Walnuts are good because they contain plenty of omega 3 fatty acids. They also contain ellagic acid, a powerful antioxidant.
Almonds are loaded with magnesium and calcium. They also contain vitamin E and selenium.
Brazil nuts are also rich in vitamin E, but also have much copper, niacin, fiber and protein.
A handful of nuts when you need a snack is much better than chips and satisfies the same cravings. Throw them in a salad or crushed on top of your main course.
Another natural way to reduce cholesterol in terms of eating is to consume tea, fish, beans, and use olive oil.
Additional Sources:
Beat gallstones naturally
Posted by TheRedPillGuide in Health, News, Vitamins & Supplements on March 20, 2012
NaturalNews
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
by: Dr. David Jockers
[NaturalNews] Gallstones are crystalline formations of cholesterol and calcium formed within the gallbladder and biliary tracts. These stones can vary widely in size from as small as a grain of salt to nearly the size of a golf ball. Gallstones are a sign of incomplete liver detoxification and pose a significant threat to the body. Beat gallstones naturally with an anti-inflammatory diet and cleansing cycle.
The gallbladder serves as a reservoir for the bile that is produced by the liver. Bile is necessary to digest and metabolize fatty acids. The extra bile storage allows the body to effectively metabolize fat-rich foods such as steak and eggs. When the liver and gallbladder get congested with toxins they are not able to secrete bile effectively. This can cause bile material imbalances that lead to gallstone formation.
Gallstones are typically a combination of cholesterol and calcium. Most individuals do not experience any outward signs or symptoms. As the stones get larger they hamper digestion and can cause mild to severe pain in the upper right abdomen area. These painful episodes usually occur at night after eating a fatty meal. Other symptoms include abdominal bloating, belching, gas, fatty stools, low energy after eating and diarrhea.
GallBladder infections
Gallstones can also lodge infectious organisms such as E Coli and Bacteroids and cause further inflammatory stress to the liver and gallbladder. These infections can create life threatening issues and must be addressed. Fermented foods and probiotics work to both inhibit these infectious bacteria and reduce the severity of any infection.
An anti-inflammatory diet and lifestyle is necessary to inhibit gallstone formation. This diet consists of phytonutrient rich organic fruits & vegetables, grass-fed animal products and healthy fat sources such as avocados, coconut & olive oil. Raw cheese from grass-fed cows and goats is an important food due to its rich content of omega 3 fatty acids, vitamin K2 & D3. The synergy between vitamin K2 & D3 helps regulate calcium metabolism to inhibit the formation of gallstones.
Foods that are rich in organic acids and natural enzymes are especially important for the entire digestive system including the liver and gall bladder. These foods include apple cider vinegar (ACV), fresh squeezed lemon/lime, kombucha, kimchi and red cabbage sauerkraut. Probiotic enriched, raw dairy products such fermented whey, kefir & amasai are extremely beneficial.
Liver health is dependent upon a regular fasting cycle to effectively cleanse and detoxify. A 12-hour fast between dinner and breakfast is a great daily habit. If one were to finish their final solid food meal at 8 p.m. they should not attempt another solid food meal until at least 8 a.m. This gives the body four hours to digest and metabolize the food and then 8 hours for the liver to cleanse.
Once you incorporate this 12-hour daily detox cycle into your lifestyle you can choose to increase this period of time. Two to three 16-hour liquid fasts each week and/or a 24 hour liquid fast will keep the liver well flushed.
These fasting periods are much easier than most people believe. Many individuals will drink fresh vegetable juices, functional beverages made with fermented whey, kombucha and water with lemon. The fluid and nutrients supply the body with very clean energy that enhances the liver’s ability to purge toxins and facilitate bowel movements.
Anyone with pronounced and symptomatic gallstones should go on a liquid diet with lots of water & lemon, ACV, fermented whey, coconut kefir and fresh organic vegetable juices. Try to limit solid food to one meal per day with very moderate portions of anti-inflammatory foods.
Cholesterol scam: Disinformation slowly unraveling among health professionals
Posted by TheRedPillGuide in Health, News on February 22, 2012
Via: Natural News
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
By: Paul Fassa
[NaturalNews] The idea of cholesterol creating cardiac problems has caused obsessive cholesterol count blood testing for decades. Another outcome of this scare was obsessively avoiding fat, especially saturated fats.
The food industry responded with low and no fat foods from milk to cottage cheese and more. Processed foods promoted their low or no fat contents as though they were the healthiest foods in the freezer.
Healthy fats such as coconut oil and palm oil were spurned and replaced by very unhealthy trans-fat, processed and heated cooking oils. Relatively healthy whole butters were replaced by plastic margarines.
However, this myth of cholesterol dangers lurking in saturated fats waiting to clog your arteries and cause you to die of cardiac arrest is beginning to unravel.
Unraveling the myth of cholesterol
A meta-analysis of properly performed previous studies on heart health and saturated fats concluded there was no association between cardiac issues and saturated fats. This was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN) on January 13th, 2010. (1)
Meta-analysis is a statistical method of proving or disproving varied epidemiological studies within a set topic. The AJCN meta-analysis covered studies involving 350,000 subjects who were followed for 5 to 23 years.
The trend set by the saturated fat high cholesterol disinformation a few decades ago has resulted in many Americans eating less fat and showing lower blood cholesterol levels. Yet, heart disease rates have continued to rise along with diabetes, pre-diabetes and obesity. (1)
Dr. William Davis explains in his article “A Headline You Will Never See: 60 Year Old Man Dies of Cholesterol” that cholesterol doesn’t kill “any more than a bad paint job on your car could cause a fatal car accident.” (1)
He explains the cause of most heart attacks and coronary problems is atherosclerotic plaque in the coronary arteries, which can build up and rupture or clog the arteries. He goes on to describe other factors that can cause plaque ruptures, including inflammatory pneumonia.
