Hello World!  Hope your world is great today!  The sun is shining & it’s

warmer here! Everything’s still soaking wet, but it’s great to see the sunshine!!!  They’re predicting more rain, but I need to enjoy the sunshine while it’s here… Good thing I have some walkways in my backyard so I don’t have to walk in the Very wet grass.

Today I’m going to share some info with you about something I found interesting – Cholesterol Levels. I’ve never had an issue with this, but maybe that’s because I eat many of the things they tell you to, to control your levels.

Natural Ways to Balance Your Cholesterol Levels

The topic of cholesterol has increasingly become confusing for most people. First, we’re told that HDL cholesterol is good while LDL cholesterol is harmful. More recently, many people have been reporting that cholesterol is fine and no longer a factor in heart disease. What’s a person to believe? Well, there’s truth in both sides of this story.

First, we need cholesterol. It’s involved in the repair of arterial walls as well as the formation of hormones, both of which are essential to our  health. But, the reality is that we still need to maintain a healthy balance of cholesterol, rather than toss out our healthy diet altogether. Many people turn to statin drugs, but they are replete with many nasty side-effects (such as weakness, dementia & muscle Pain to name a few) but in some cases dietary changes have been shown to be just as effective as the drugs. Here are some of the best ways to restore & maintain balanced cholesterol levels:

Apples: In a study funded by the USDA, postmenopausal women who ate dried apples daily experienced a 23% reduction in LDL cholesterol (the one known as “bad cholesterol”); a 4 percent increase in HDL cholesterol (“the good cholesterol”) within 6 months. Another study published in the BMJ showed that eating just one apple a day resulted in an equivalent reduction of mortality from heart attack or stroke as taking statin drugs, without any of the drug complications.

British scientists estimated that if 70% of the 50+ population ate one apple daily, 8500 deaths every year due to heart attack or stroke would be averted in the UK alone. And, if 90% of the British population over fifty ate a daily apple, the number of lives saved would climb to 11,000 annually.

Beans: Simply adding a ½ cup of cooked beans like kidney, pinto, black, black-eyed, garbanzo, or other, to your daily diet can help reduce harmful cholesterol & keep overall cholesterol levels in check. That’s easy to do when you add them to a salad, soup, stew, curry—or  enjoy hummus, chili or other bean dishes in your daily diet.

Garlic: Eat more garlic. It can lower high blood  pressure, prevent hardening of the arteries & lessen cholesterol buildup in the heart.

Vegetables: Eat more vegetables. We hear it all the time, but the reality is that a plant-based diet offers many health benefits, including balanced cholesterol levels. It really isn’t difficult to increase your vegetable intake & find new ways to enjoy vegetables if you’re not a fan.

Cilantro: Fresh cilantro may grace the dishes of Mexico & India, among others, but it also offers impressive protection against heart disease. That’s because it helps to keep arteries free of fatty deposits & plaque that build up when low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol molecules are oxidized by free radicals. It is also high in the flavonoid quercetin, which slows the oxidation of LDL cholesterol & potentially protects artery walls from damage.

Red Clover: That weed growing on your front lawn, replete with small purple, pink or white flowers, is more than just a nuisance, its potent natural medicine in the prevention & treatment of heart disease. According to research published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, it reduces high levels of LDL cholesterol, while also improving the elasticity of arteries. Red clover is available in dried form (use one heaping teaspoon per cup of boiled water for tea).

Ginger:  Not just good for gingerbread cookies, ginger has been shown to reduce cholesterol levels, according to research cited in the book Healing Spices by B. B. Aggarwal & D. Yost. The study dose was 1000mg of dried ginger daily, which is available in capsule form. Alternatively, you can also add a tablespoon of freshly-ground ginger to your soups, stews, curries, baked goods or other foods to reap its health benefits.

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This is useful info for those with this issue; & if you don’t have a problem, then eat healthy so you don’t develop unhealthy cholesterol levels.

Tomorrow I’m going to talk about something more fun – what we do for recreation & enjoyment…

Today, I also want to share some Vintage Books that I have for sale (along with many other items) at http://www.bonanza.com/booths/allix999

 

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