By David Reese
Obat herbal kolesterol What’s the nation’s No. 1 killer of men and women? Heart disease. It causes a single death every 35 seconds. Here we share with you 10 tips to reduce the cholesterol naturally to fight back against heart disease.
Cholesterol and Heart Disease
In your annual physical, the doctor pokes and prods you and send you off for a blood test to check your cholesterol levels. But what is cholesterol? And what do the those magic numbers say about your health? Cholesterol is a type of lipid or fat. In our bodies, it travels through our blood stream in particles called lipoproteins. Low-density lipoproteins (LDL) are bad because they can lead to a buildup of plaque in arteries. An accumulated mass of plaque can narrow your arteries and constrain blood flow – much like trying to sip a smoothie through a clogged straw. Eventually, the plaque breaks explodes and a blood clot forms, cutting off the flow of blood, oxygen and nutrients to the brain. Hello, welcome heart attack and stroke! High-density lipoproteins (HDL), on the other hand, are beneficial because they snag the LDL congesting your arteries and take it to the liver, where it’s processed and eventually flushed and excreted.
A total blood cholesterol level of 200 and above is cause for concern, according to the American Heart Association. So lowering your cholesterol reduces your risk of contracting heart disease and dying from a heart attack according to many experts.
What you consume can affect the amounts of HDL and LDL flowing through your bloodstream, and we have a cholesterol-lowering eating plan that’s tasty and effective. Here’s our list: Try these 8 super-foods. Aim to eat all eight day after day and pay attention to the two bonus tips.
1. Almond Joy (not the candy bar though) – one ounce of dry-roasted, unsalted almonds Almonds contain two powerful antioxidants – vitamin E and flavonoids – which prevent the oxidation of LDL, a precursor to plaque buildup. Eat almonds with their skins, which pack a hefty dose of flavonoids. Maybe stir a handful into yogurt or spread two tablespoons of almond butter on whole-wheat bread. No Almond flavored syrup in your morning coffee does not count.
2. Oatmeal – 3 grams of beta-glucan, found in a half cup of dry oatmeal or oat bran Oats are rich in beta-glucan, a soluble fiber that acts like a sponge to soak up cholesterol. Try this if your not a big oatmeal fan: Add cinnamon or dried cranberries/blueberries to your morning oatmeal for a flavor boost. Oat-bran is a highly concentrated source of beta-glucan and it’s easy to mix into homemade bread, muffin and pancake batter. Don’t forget about Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies.
3. Garlic – One clove and one Kyolic One Per Day Cardiovascular aged garlic extract supplement Garlic impedes the liver’s ability to make cholesterol. Here’s a couple ways to spice up your garlic. Chop garlic into small pieces to release its flavor. Sauté it with steamed spinach, add it to sauces and soups or purée roasted garlic with cooked potatoes and olive oil for a heart-healthy version of everybody’s favorite: Mashed potatoes.
4. Phytosterol-Containing Foods – 2-3 grams of phytosterols a day spread over two meals Phytosterols are a fat found in plant foods such as fruits, nuts, seeds and vegetable oils. They interfere with cholesterol absorption by blocking it from your intestinal cells. Even a vegetarian diet provides no more than 300-400 mg of plant sterols a day, so supplement this with foods containing added phytosterols – chocolate bars, margarine, cheese, granola bars and cookies, to name a few – but keep an eye on saturated fat and trans-fat content. Check out this Cranberry-Almond Granola. See and you thought cutting down cholesterol would require you to eat foods that taste like carboard.
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