Category: Cholesterol (Page 7 of 7)

More Reasons to Stay Away from Statins.

Pharmaceutical companies continue to push cholesterol lowering drugs.? And doctors, who are brain washed, continue to prescribe them with a vengeance.? This, despite the fact, the evidence has never supported their use and continues to show how detrimental to ones health they are.

The following is taken from Wise Traditions, 2007; 8(3).

Most serious is the accumulating evidence that cholesterol lowering is bad for our brains.? One new study indicates that a decline in total cholesterol levels precedes diagnosis of dementia by at least 15 years (Archives of Neurology 2007; 64:103-107).? Evidence that low levels of LDL-cholesterol are associated with Parkinson’s disease have become so strong that a team at the University of North Carolina is planning to explore the link with clinical trials involving thousands of subjects (Reuters, January 15, 2007).? Cholesterol circulating in the bloodstream is unavailable to the brain-both LDL and HDL are too large to pass the blood brain barrier, so cholesterol needed by the brain must be manufactured in the brain.? Statins, however, do pass the barrier and enter the brain where they can interfere with cholesterol production and set the scene for cognitive decline.

8 Foods that may lower your cholesterol

MSN.com posted a recent article dedicated to the eight foods that may help lower your chlestorel.

The 8:

? Oats
? Almonds
? Beans & Lentils
? Blueberries
? Barley
? Avocadoes
? Alcohol

Beware of the last one listed, however. While the article preaches that drinking a glass of any alcoholic beverage has been shown to raise good-cholesterol levels and lower the risk of a heart attack, it also stresses that excessive drinking raises heart-disease risk.

Decoding food labels

A sad fact in the food industry is how companies are getting away with using complicated terms and numbers on labels. These companies are basically confusing or misleading the public by highlighting words like, “low fat!” or “less sugar!” when the truth of the matter is these food products are still hiding dirty little secrets.

Besides cutting out sugary sweets, sodas and fast food, we must go a step further in our quest for a healthy body and start learning how to read labels. Nearly two-thirds of adult Americans are overweight, meaning we’re choosing to eat unhealthy meals, or are being fooled by what is being called “healthy” food.

Check out Men’s Heath Nutrition Label Decoder. It’s an interactive tool to help you learn how to read a label and how to differ between insoluble and soluble fibers, fructose, glucose and lactose sugars, and why not all fats are bad for you.

Eat fat and forget about your cholesterol.

The lipid hypothesis states there is a direct link between the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol in the diet and the incidence of heart disease. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Before the mid 1920’s cardiovascular disease was literally unheard of and eggs, butter and lard were conumed in abundance. In 1900 when heart attacks were nonexistent, egg consumption was three times what it was in the mid 1950’s when cardiovascular disease was already the nations #1 killer.

Scientific data just doesn’t support the supposed benefits of reducing saturated fat and choesterol. 20 studies have shown that people who have had heart attacks haven’t eaten any more saturated fat than other people, and the degree of atherosclerosis at autopsy is unrelated to diet. On the contrary, saturated fats have been nourishing societies for millenia.

Below is a list of guidelines we can and should follow to be healthier and reduce our risk of the nations number one killer:

Read food labels.

Consume whole, unprocessed foods.

Don’t consume any product that contains trans fat.

Don’t be fooled by products that advertise “zero trans fat.” Always read the ingredient list and if “hydrogenated vegetable oil,” “partially hydrogenated vegetable oil” or “shortening” are listed, understand that it has trans fat. By law, companies can claim “zero” if there is .5 grams or less of trans fat per serving. There is no safe level of trans fat.

Don’t consume any product that contains vegetable oil, hydrogenated vegetable oil, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil or shortening listed as one of the ingredients.

Only use oils that are labeled “Cold Pressed,” “Expellar Pressed” or “Extra Virgin.”

Consume eggs laid by free range chickens. They are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, biotin, and vitamins A, D and E.

Use peanut oil, sesame oil or olive oil for cooking if you do not want to use animal fats. These oils can also be used for one-time frying.

Use coconut oil for cooking or frying. It’s very stable, and has strong antimicrobial properties.

Use butter, not margarine.

Don’t use trans fat-free spreads. They are still made with highly processed oils that are rancid.

Keep your consumption of polyunsaturated fats to a minimum. They are high in omega-6 fatty acids.

Consume meat.

Don’t eat like a vegetarian. We do not possess multiple stomachs, nor do we chew cud. Our stomachs produce hydrochloric acid, which is not found in herbivores. We are omnivores. There are essential nutrients in animal products that cannot be gotten in sufficient amounts by eating plants.

Don’t feed your children a low-fat diet. If they’re fat, it’s because they sit on their asses too much and eat too much junk. Not coincidentally, these are the same two reasons many adult Americans are overweight.

Supplement your diet with vitamins and other nutrients: A, D, E and C, CoQ10, fish oil (omega-3), selenium.

Don’t smoke.

Exercise at least three days per week.

Taken from, “Fats, Cholestarol and the Lipid Hypothesis

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