Cholesterol’s Natural Enemies

[libertyman56]

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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