High cholesterol can lead to problems with your heart and also your metabolism. If you have been diagnosed with high cholesterol, there are precautions you can take to avoid getting excess cholesterol from your diet.

There are three types of cholesterol in the body: bad LDL (low density lipoproteins), good HDL (high density lipoproteins) and triglycerides. Ideally you want your total cholesterol number to be below 150. High levels of LDL and triglycerides can be attributed to heart disease, stroke risk and even diabetes.

In people with high cholesterol, the LDL and/or triglycerides are too high to be safe. LDL plaque can be sticky. They adhere to the vessel walls, narrowing the lumen. The blood is under high pressure to get moved thorough those vessels and supply the body with oxygen. These plaques can break loose and lodge in other areas of the body, creating dangerous embolisms. Thrombosis can also stop blood from flowing to the extremities and can be very painful.

However, you can control your cholesterol with diet and medication. Even with medication, if your cholesterol numbers are still high, it may be due to your diet. Just because you are taking a medication, doesn’t mean that you can then eat anything you wish. And it is it not always a matter of what you do eat; sometimes it is matter of what you are not eating instead.

Here are some tips for eating and shopping that can help you to lower your cholesterol:

* Read the labels – Many of us trust that when the label says “low fat” that it is actually low fat. However, look at the composition of fat that remains. Higher levels of saturated fat are not good for the body. We already get too much of this in fast foods.

Also look at the serving size. If you are eating five crackers and getting eight grams of fat, then your percentage of fat to calories is too high and you should not be eating them. Look at the cholesterol amount. We often skip this because most foods have little to none. However, some foods have a fair amount of it per serving and need to be watched.

* Avoid animal protein – While animal products are one of the best sources of protein, they are not the only source. Choose lean poultry, or seafood which is high in healthy fats. There are a lot of saturated fats in red meat, chicken with skin and fatty pork.

* Watch whole milk – Milk contains milk fats. Skim is the ideal to drink since there are no milk fats in it. If you drink milk, a reduced fat milk is better than whole.

* Dairy products – Butter may be okay for cooking or sautéing food, but not as a main ingredient. This includes ice cream, heavy cream and cream cheese.

There are also foods that may not contain high levels of cholesterol, but can raise LDL cholesterol. These foods are high in saturated fat and trans fats and are best avoided.

Are you trying to lower your cholesterol? Read food labels and then, select your fresh foods and meats carefully to avoid adding more cholesterol to your diet.

If you are one who sees the glass as half empty, you should know that pessimism is not good for your health.

Pessimism is one way that we look at the world around us. Every situation has different points of views. Let’s think about running a race but not finishing first. You trained hard, but only one person can win. How will you look at the result? You can say that you did your best and will try again next time. Another view would be that you wouldn’t have won anyhow. The latter is the pessimistic view.

Studies have shown that pessimism has been linked to a decrease in physical functioning, mental problems, pains and chronic illnesses. One study at the Mayo Clinic followed patients for thirty years. Those who maintained an optimistic attitude had a lower incidence of medical problems than those who viewed the world in a more pessimistic light.

Pessimism, or a dim view of life, can lead to more than just negative self-fulfilling prophecies. It can lead to depression. Feelings that nothing will go well for you or that you are not worth anyone’s time or attention can lead to depressive thoughts. And depression can lead to physical pain, hostility, poor diet, sleep and many other problems.

The pessimistic way of thinking can also lead to other health conditions. While optimists tend to be younger, better educated and gainfully employed, they are also in better health because they care for themselves. High blood pressure, weight gain, high cholesterol and smoking are traits of a pessimistic view.

Heart problems are also common in less than optimistic people. Studies have shown a lower risk in those with a brighter view of life. There may be an explanation for this.

People who have a better outlook make better choices in life. Because they believe that they have a right to a fruitful life, they take better care of themselves. They exercise regularly, watch their diet and take preventative measures to ensure their health.

Cynical individuals are less likely to make these choices. According to their thought patterns, it wouldn’t make a difference anyway. So, they may smoke, eat unhealthy foods, live sedentary lives and avoid doctors unless they really need them, which mean a lower rate of preventative care. All of that can lead to heart disease, diabetes, a chance of stroke, obesity and other conditions that adversely affect their health.

Changing your pessimistic ways may be able to help you increase not only your health, but also your life expectancy. Who knew that seeing the glass as half full could save your life? Combat unhealthy habits with a new attitude.

Broccoli is an excellent superfood almost everyone will enjoy in both its cooked and raw forms.

What are superfoods? They are foods that are perfect in the nutrition that they provide you. Broccoli looks like a small tree with a thick trunk that happens to be green and not brown. The head is made up of tiny tight projections that form the florets. All parts of broccoli are nutritious. Broccoli is classified as a cruciferous vegetable along with cauliflower. It smells bad when it is cooking (due to the sulfur compounds it contains), but it tastes good with a little low-fat butter spread and salt and perhaps a dash of vinegar. Broccoli is versatile, too, since it can be eaten raw, or lightly cooked as part of a stir-fry.

Broccoli is an antioxidant which fights the damage to your body caused by free radicals. Free radicals come from the environment, cigarette smoke, toxins in the air, stress and eating the wrong foods. Over time, they can increase the incidence of cancers and other age-related diseases, and make you act and feel older than your years.

Eating broccoli can help reverse that process before it even begins to be a problem. Here are some of the other benefits of this superfood.

* Broccoli contains flavonoids – These are a particular type of antioxidant. In broccoli they help shield you from lung, breast and gastrointestinal cancers.

* Broccoli can help preserve your memory – Broccoli contains substances that can help to reduce the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease. It inhibits the enzyme acetylcholinesterase from doing its job which is to break down acetylcholine. This is a brain neurotransmitter that is responsible for memory pathways. Eating broccoli performs the same action as some drugs that are given to Alzheimer’s patients to retard that process. Other foods – apples, oranges and even potatoes – also help, but not as much as broccoli.

* Broccoli cleans out the liver – The liver is a filtering organ that helps get rid of impurities in the body. Thanks to our modern lifestyle, it can become overwhelmed. Eating broccoli helps to clean out the liver so it can function better.

* Eating broccoli raw or steamed will give you the most nutrients of all. The less amount of processing done, the better. And remember to eat both the stalk and the florets.

If you want one single food that can fight disease, slow the aging process, restore your memory and give you a great deal of antioxidants? Try broccoli today.

(Note: You may be one of a small percentage of the population whose DNA causes you to experience broccoli and similar foods as very bitter. For more information, see: http://www.thetech.org/genetics/ask.php?id=87

Butter or margarine, which one is the healthier option for you?

For many years, it has been assumed that margarine was better for you, because of less saturated fats. However, trans-fats have been discovered to be dangerous, so much so that there is a ban on them being used in restaurants in certain parts of the country, like New York City.

There have been many recent debates about which is the better of the two in terms of overall health, and especially when someone is trying to lose weight. Both of them have advantages, and disadvantages. In this article, we will compare them so you can get the facts and decide for yourself which one is the best choice for you.

Mankind has been making butter in one form or another for thousands of years. It was originally made from the milk of water buffalo or camels. Today it’s made from cow’s milk, but the process is exactly the same as it has been for over six thousand years. The full fat milk is churned until it forms a solid. Salt is usually added as a preservative.

One of the reasons why some people say to stay away from butter is that it contains saturated fat. Saturated fat raises the bad form of cholesterol, known as LDL cholesterol, (think L for lousy, as compared with HDL (H for healthy). Saturated fat also raises the total blood cholesterol levels.

What most people don’t understand, however, is that the cholesterol in the food you eat has little to no effect on the blood cholesterol levels of most people, since the body produces cholesterol naturally itself. In addition, there are foods that naturally lower cholesterol in the same why that it is thought meat and eggs and so on can increase it.

As a way to combat the problems believed to be caused by butter, margarine was created toward the second half of the last century. However, margarine didn’t live up to all the claims made about it either. Margarine was laden with man-made trans fats, which are created during hydrogenation, the process of taking liquid vegetable oil and making it into a solid which is then spreadable like butter, or used for cooking or frying.

Why Beans Can Help You Lose Weight 2
Fiber is a substance severely lacking in most people’s diets. Men need at least 30-38 grams each day and women 21-25 grams. Eat one cup of cooked beans, which has almost 12 grams, and you’ve come a long way towards meeting that need for the day. Meat doesn’t contain fiber, even though it does have other nutrients the body needs.

Fiber helps keep you regular, feel full, and promotes overall digestive health. It helps relieve constipation, which is believed to be a contributing factor in colon cancer. Fiber also helps regulate blood sugar, important for people concerned about diabetes.

Beans also contain the hormone cholecystokinin (CCK) which is necessary for the gastrointestinal system to work properly. It is needed to stimulate the system when digesting proteins and fats and is needed for the gall bladder and pancreas to function. Some reports state the CCK also acts as a hunger suppressant which would explain why beans make you feel full.

Recent studies have had groups of test subjects eat the same things, except for the addition of beans to one group’s diet. Scientists found the people who had eaten the beans weighed up to seven pounds less than those who didn’t eat them. They also noted the difference in the calories from the foods eaten. Because beans were added to their diets, those subjects were able to eat more calories and still maintain the benefits of lower weight and slimmer waists.

Which beans should you eat? The U.S. Department of Agriculture suggests eating small red beans and red kidney beans to get the most antioxidants. You may also want to add black beans, navy beans, and black-eyed peas so you’ll have a variety of beans to choose from.

Bananas may be called the “perfect” food, but it’s not the only one. Beans provide a great source of protein and fiber which are so important for people trying to lose weight. They also contain antioxidants and cholecystokinin which is why beans are good for losing weight and for good health. Finally, the fiber helps you feel regular and promotes good digestion. All the protein in beans is from a non-animal source, and is not genetically modified, and will be hormone free.

So pound for pound, beans are a great way to lose weight. Why not try a meatless chili or tex-mex meal today, and see how great you feel, and watch your weight go down at the same time.

Chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer are more prevalent than ever before these days, despite all the information we have on healthy eating and how food is linked to disease prevention.

Some experts believe the prevalence of these diseases is because so many people are overweight, and carrying extra pounds can increase your chances of developing these and other chronic conditions. To reduce the likelihood of developing a weight-related disease, many people are trying to shed extra pounds.

Extra weight is not just inert fat, it has been shown to produce certain substances in the body which can cause inflammation, which can lead to arthritis, heart disease, and more.

So how can a person eat right and still lose weight?

People trying to lose weight are constantly looking for foods they can enjoy but that are also good for them. If they can find something to eat that will aid in their weight-loss efforts they think that’s even better. To that end, some experts say you should eat more beans. But why are beans, such as kidney and navy beans, good for losing weight?

Part of the reason beans are good for helping a person lose weight is that beans are comparable with meat as far as protein is concerned. They also provide fewer calories than meat, to get you through the day without feeling run down.

The biggest difference, however, is that beans contain much more fiber and water content than meat, which helps you to feel fuller faster. If you feel full, you’ll be less likely to overeat, and you won’t feel like you’re getting uncontrollable cravings while dieting.

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What to eat on the alkaline acid diet

Changing your diet is the way to combat an acidic internal environment. Most of your diet will be composed of alkaline foods. One of the most alkaline types of food is vegetables. You already know that vegetables are good for your body due to their low caloric content and high fiber and water content.

Other alkaline foods are fruit and grains. It’s no coincidence that all of these foods are also good for you. Early settlers survived on these types of foodstuffs long before processed foods came into existence.

Let’s look at some of the alkaline foods you have to choose from to help get your body back into balance:

* Tomatoes

* Lettuce

* Legumes

* Watermelon, lemon, lime and avocados

* Olive oil

Foods to avoid

On the other side of the pH scale are the acidic foods. These foods cause an imbalance in the delicate internal environment of your body. If you eat them (and unfortunately, many Americans can’t seem to do without them), try to at least eat then in moderation, and in combination with mostly alkaline food.

You’ll be surprised at what is on the list and how much of your diet it already makes up. This is only a partial list but you will soon get the idea of how common they are in your own diet:

* Red meat

* Milk and other dairy products

* Saturated fats

* Sugary Drinks

* Processed foods

The alkaline acid diet attempts to restore the neutral pH of your body. Many foods we eat contribute to a more acidic environment which can lead to disease. The theory to this diet, therefore, is that eating alkaline foods in abundance can help you return to a normal balance.