Control your Cholesterol Levels today with some useful tips

Diet is the weapon you need to Control Cholesterol levels in your body.  You need to eat in a way to lower LDL and at the same time boost your HDL 

Our bodies need cholesterol to manufacture Vitamin D hormones, which we in turn need for the normal functioning of the nervous system as well as bone growth and bone density.

And as usual on this website we are going to explain this to YOU in simple "layman" terms.

• Cholesterol needs to move through the body to perform it's duties, and it does so by hitching a ride with molecules called lipoproteins.
• Now this is where the fun starts because there are two types of lypoproteins in the body.
• Low Density Liproproteins (LDL) which is the "bad" cholesterol. They are the major transporters of cholesterol in the blood.
• The High Density Liproprotein (HDL) is the good cholesterol which  carries all the unneeded cholesterol away from cells to the liver where it is broken down and escorted from the body.
• So, in a nutshell, the more HDL and the less LDL you have in your blood, the safer your arteries.
• In a perfect world these two would work together as a team and there would be a balance in the levels of cholesterol we carry in our body.

What are the causes of high Cholesterol?
There are two causes:

• The body automatically manufactures too much cholesterol due to the genetic messages that have been left behind by Mom or Dad.
• We eat too much of the modern foods, which in itself contain cholesterol.

Symptoms of High Cholesterol

There are NO Symptoms of high cholesterol, so in order to control our levels we would have to take a test at least one a year to determine this.

What will happen if I do not control cholesterol levels in my body?

If your LDL levels become too high they are then made available to free radicals for oxidation.

When oxidation occurs they become sticky and gooey and start latching onto the artery wall causing a gradual narrowing of the coronary arteries, atherosclerosis and heart disease.

This can be very dangerous when combined with High Blood Pressure.

Hard Lumps of cholesterol can also form stones in the gall bladder or bile duct.

HOW TO CONTROL CHOLESTEROL LEVELS

What to Eat

• Use Olive oil instead of other oils.   Olive oil is one of the richest sources of monounsaturated fatty acids which helps defuse bad type cholesterol rendering it less capable of destroying arteries.
• Avos are also high in monounsaturated fats.
• Oranges and apples significantly help to reduce LDL oxidation.
• Barley water literally soaks up cholesterol.
• Beans  contain at least 6 cholesterol cutting  compounds; the main one been solid fibre.
• Oats have been used for ages because of their anti-cholesterol power.
• Garlic which is good for just about anything also helps to control cholesterol levels.
• Onions help to boost beneficial HDL Cholesterol, and is also well known as a natural anti-biotic.
• Salmon or any fatty fish also helps to hike up beneficial HDL cholesterol.
• Ostrich very low in fat and and contains low levels of cholesterol.
• Seeds i.e. pumpkin, sunflower and sesame seeds are high in unsaturated fats.
• Cranberries
• Black or green Tea
• Cinnamon

What Not to Eat

• Beware of the saturated fats, this includes all fats of animal origin.
• Eliminate all hydrogenated fats such as margarine, lard and butter.
• Avoid all fried and fatty food.
• Alcohol.
• Cakes and fizzy drinks.
• Processed and refined foods.
• White bread.
• Coffee.
• Coconut oil is high in saturated fats.
• Offal is very high in cholesterol.

Herbs to help control Cholesterol

• Arthichoke leaf -  increases HDL
• Ginger -  reduces total cholesterol levels
• Ginseng - lowers Total Cholesterol
• Green Tea -  lowers LDL while raising HDl
• Hawthorne - helps the liver convert LDL into HDL
• Milk Thistle - helps the liver convert LDL into HDL.  
• Maintains general liver health
• Shiitake Mushrooms -  lowers LDL and raises HDL