How To Reduce Cholesterol In 3 Simple Steps

By Joe Dungait

If you're looking to reduce cholesterol levels and you go to discuss this with a physician, chances are that you will more than likely be put on medication such as statins. You need to be very wary before starting this medication because once you are on it, it is a lifetime prescription; and on top of that it does have some pretty nasty side effects too which include severe muscle pain and weakness, and let us not forget that your heart is a muscle as well. Fortunately there are natural ways to reduce cholesterol, so before getting started on medication you may want to give these three little steps to try first.

1.Exercise - Exercising does not mean torturing yourself in an aerobics class, or being stuck for hours on a treadmill machine. There is a direct link between exercise and it helping to reduce cholesterol levels, however it is not the intensity of exercise that is important but it is the duration. Therefore, if you do something as simple as briskly walking or swimming, for sake of argument, for 30 minutes a day everyday then you would be well on your way to reducing your cholesterol levels.

2.Diet - Quite often people think that the best way to reduce cholesterol is through the food that they eat. The truth of the matter is that although food can play a part it is only a small part as your cholesterol levels are really determined by the amount that you liver produces. However, even though the food is only a small part there are some foods that you want to avoid and some you want to include which will go some way to helping you balance your cholesterol. Foods you want to include are foods which contain omega3 such as nuts and oily fish as these are known to help reduce LDL and boost HDL. The other food to include is soluble fiber as this too is known to reduce LDL. Food you want to avoid is take away food and microwave meals because these often contain hydrogenated oils which raise LDL levels: you also want to cut back on the amount of foods that you eat that contain saturated fats such as meat and dairy.

3.Nutritional Supplements-- Something a lot of people are finding beneficial in helping them to reduce cholesterol is the use of nutritional supplements. There are lots of nutritional supplements available however if you want to use one, ideally what you are looking for it to do is to help your body create as much good cholesterol is possible, reduce the amount of bad cholesterol created and also at the same time any excess bad cholesterol that is not sent back to the liver to be reprocessed needs to be removed from the body by being turned into bile salts and excreted from the body. Your supplement should do all of this at the very minimum. When choosing a supplement you want to make sure that it has at least the following three ingredients policosanol, theaflavins and rice bran oil.

There are other things you can do as well these three steps, but ultimately this is a great place to start. And when you take into consideration that the alternative is a lifetime prescription of a medication that has some really nasty side effects including heart failure, then isn't it worth giving it a go anyway? - 30310

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Complex Carbohydrates Foods

By Marion Jones

When many of us make up our minds to follow a diet, we are overjoyed because we are finally going to lose those unwanted pounds. All we require is the correct diet info. However a few months down the road and not only have we not lost any weight, but we are also fed up with our diet.

Why does something like this occur you might ask with consternation? Well, the reply would be that we are not eating the right combination of foods to burn the excess fat away. Eating a diet that has complex carbohydrates foods which are healthy for you could be the key to your whole diet problem.

When you begin any of the diets, the first thing that you will be told is the diet info of what food you can eat and what types of food are bad for you. According to most low carb diet info, amongst the many bad foods will be many complex carbohydrates foods which you really must have for your body to work well. The most sensible approach to adopt with those diets is to understand the low carb diet info behind them and use the diet food lists that they provide wisely.

This way you will definitely lose weight, because the foods that you will be eating on your diet are the types of food that can make you lose your hunger cravings. By not desiring to eat lots of food, you won't be snacking on junk food and gaining pounds. According to most low carb diet info, complex carbohydrates foods for long lasting energy will release the amount of energy that you need, on average, throughout the day.

According to most low carb diet info, these foods also have the necessary dietary requirements that we need for our bodies to grow healthily. You should, however, remember the low carb diet info that the best way to develop a great looking figure is to maintain a healthy balance between all of the complex carbohydrates foods in the other groups and to incorporate regular exercise into your lifestyle.

When you go shopping for the foodstuff for your diet, wait a minute and look to see if the foods that you have planned for your meals, according to the low carb diet information that you have, will help you in the long run or if you will end up feeling worse than you do now. The reason is that many of the foods in these various diets don't take your body's health needs into account.

If you don't eat the right foods, you can end up with various illnesses and other complications that you had no trouble with when you used complex carbohydrates foods like fruit and vegetables that were part of your every day eating habits.

Remember that, according to most low carb diet information, you must take into account the health needs of your body as well. Including fantastic tasting complex carbohydrates foods that you would normally enjoy eating anyway, make dieting more fun, especially since you are not really dieting. What you are doing is making a permanent change for a healthier future. - 30310

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What You Can Do About Cholesterol And Heart Disease

By Dr. Sam Robbins

Your body builds new cells, insulate nerves, and produces hormones with the help of cholesterol. The liver normally makes all the cholesterol the body needs. However, cholesterol enters your body from food, like animal based foods such as milk, eggs and meat. A major risk factor for heart disease is too much cholesterol.

When there is too much cholesterol in your blood, it builds up in the walls of your arteries, causing a process called atherosclerosis, a form of heart disease. The arteries become narrowed and blood flow to the heart muscle is slowed down or blocked. The blood carries oxygen to the heart, and if enough blood and oxygen cannot reach your heart, you may suffer chest pains. If the blood supply to a portion of the heart is completely cut off by a blockage, the result is a heart attack.

There are two forms of cholesterol that most Americans are familiar with: Low-density lipoprotein (LDL or "bad" cholesterol) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL or "good" cholesterol.) These are the form in which cholesterol travels in the blood. LDLs have little protein and high levels of cholesterol and HDL has a lot of protein and very little cholesterol.

LDL is the main source of artery clogging plaque. HDL actually works to clear cholesterol from the blood.

The bloodstream has other fat called triglycerides. Research has shown that high levels of triglycerides are connected to heart disease.

High cholesterol itself does not cause any symptoms; so many people are unaware that their cholesterol levels are too high. Therefore, it is important to find out what your cholesterol numbers are because lowering cholesterol levels that are too high lessens the risk for developing heart disease and reduces the chance of a heart attack or dying of heart disease, even if you already have it.

It is recommended that everyone over the age of twenty get their cholesterol levels measured at least every five years. Lipoprotein profile is the blood test that is performed. - 30310

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Diabetic Neuropathy - Making Diabetes Worse!

By Ned Dagostino

Our modern lifestyle has made diabetes a commonplace disease. Diabetes leaves the patient vulnerable to many other complications. Diabetic neuropathy is one such extremely dangerous complication. Neuropathy indicates damage to the nervous system, and that is due to, in this particular case, the elevated blood glucose level that occurs in diabetes.

In the war against diabetic neuropathy, information is the only way to vanquish it. What is diabetic neuropathy, what are its symptoms and how it can be controlled, those are the questions we're going to answer here.

Diabetic neuropathy occurs in three forms: focal, peripheral, and autonomic. Focal neuropathy affects the nerves on an individual basis. Generally, but not exclusively, the nerves of the lower limbs are affected. Peripheral diabetic neuropathy affects the entire network of nerves comprising the peripheral nervous system. Autonomic diabetic neuropathy damages the nerves of the autonomic nervous system.

The predominant symptoms of diabetic neuropathy are given here for your information.

Temperature fluctuations, ranging from shivering to profuse sweating, and, sometimes, very rarely, even a simultaneous occurrence of both.

Loss of control over the bladder, with embarrassing incidents of accidental urination.

Severe indigestion symptomized by flatulence, eructations, regurgitation, and vomiting.

Sexual disorders, exhibited in men by premature ejaculation or erectile dysfunction, and in women by sexual insensitivity and vaginal dryness.

Erratic heartbeat, poor blood circulation, and heart seizures.

Loss of sensory functionality is a very dangerous side-effect of diabetic neuropathy. The patient's very ability to know about his environment is gone. He won't know whether he's been cut on his foot, or whether a scorpion has stung him. This could lead to grievous physical harm and even more potentially life-threatening situations.

Symptomatic relief of diabetic neuropathy is possible in a number of ways. Symptomatic relief does not imply relief of the underlying condition causing the symptom. The condition will remain, but its attendant side-effects can be relieved.

The only way to control diabetic neuropathy is by ensuring that blood glucose remains within the prescribed norms, and this requires careful monitoring. Besides monitoring the blood glucose level, there are a number of medications which provide symptomatic relief of the problems experienced by the patient. The frazzled nerves generate pain signals which border on the intolerable. This can be alleviated by pain relievers. Blood chemistry modifiers are given to reduce the impact of the elevated blood glucose level. Normal sexual functionality can be restored by the topical application of creams and lubricants. Above all, the patient should realize the criticality of diabetic neuropathy, and should never attempt to self-medicate or do anything without his doctor's knowledge and consent. - 30310

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What's the Best Diet For Diabetes?

By Kim Allarie

At the present time there are no proven cures for either Type 1 diabetes or Type 2 diabetes, both of which are deadly. Even so, sufferers of either version of diabetes are generally able to enjoy a high quality of life with proper treatment. Perhaps the most important factor in managing Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes is following a nutritious and appropriate diet.

Type 1 diabetes is a form of the disease in which cells of the pancreas produce little or no insulin. This leads to a build up of glucose in the bloodstream and renders the body unable to use it to produce energy in the normal manner. At some point, the internal systems are not putting out any insulin. While those with Type 1 diabetes have no choice but to take daily insulin injections, they can further improve their management of the disease by making dietary adjustments in addition to the insulin treatments.

Dietary changes can also create a situation where more insulin is required and the blood sugar becomes more difficult to maintain, for example consuming food that are high in carbohydrates will create a situation where more insulin is needed. There is a balance that must be maintained between the amount of carbohydrates consumed, insulin, and physical activity that is necessary for maintaining the proper levels of glucose (blood sugar). When diet, insulin and activity are out of balance, there will be large fluctuations in glucose levels. Therefore, people with Type 1 diabetes who take fixed doses of insulin every day should make sure that the carb content of their daily meals and snacks is consistent as well.

With Type 2 diabetes, the problem lies not in the body's production of insulin, but in it's response to insulin. Type 2 has been shown to be at least partially connected to a sedentary lifestyle and obesity. Therefore, nutritional goals for those with the Type 2 form of diabetes are somewhat different as well. With Type 2 diabetes the primary focus becomes losing weight and being sure not to gain it back. Of all Type 2 diabetics, an astounding eighty to ninety percent are overweight. Meal planning for these people should involve reducing their calorie intake, eliminating or cutting down on foods high in saturated fat, an even distribution of carbohydrates, and the replacement of some carbohydrates high in saturated fat with healthier monounsaturated fats like peanut butter, almonds, and other types of nuts. In addition to helping with weight control, this will also help with maintaining proper blood sugar levels.

Following this diet along with increasing the level of physical activity will reduce insulin resistance, and improve glucose control as well as aiding in weight loss. Generally, the best carbohydrate foods to eat would be the high fiber types of grains, pasta, fruits, and vegetables, rather than simple sugar items. On occasion, one still might eat foods with a lot of sugar, such as birthday cake, for example. But make sure when you enjoy a day like this, you regulate your intake of the quality carbs as well, thereby guaranteeing that the balance is maintained which will keep sugar levels stable. By doing this, you will preserve the correct healthy ratio between sugar and total calories. - 30310

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The Atkins Diet and the Desire for Food

By Gail Jones

A very common, but nevertheless unexpected results of 'doing' the Atkins diet is the suppression of appetite. Many advocates of the plan report that the inter meal hunger pangs they used to have just fade away and very quickly too. This factor makes it a lot easier to stay on the diet and continue to lose weight. While other diets leave their followers starving between meals, the Atkins dieters obtain relief from constant hunger. The Atkins diet, with its specific recommendation of foods and ingredients, has powerful appetite suppressing qualities.

The main component is the amount of protein in the Atkins diet. Protein, more so than carbohydrates, has the capability to assuage hunger. If you've ever eaten a carbohydrate heavy meal and then felt hungry a few hours later, you know that carbohydrates don't have much staying power as a satisfier. Protein, on the other hand, when combined with a small amount of healthy fats, can keep you feeling satisfied for much longer periods of time.

One of the most powerful appetite suppressant foods in the Atkins diet is the egg. Eggs are a great sort of quick and easy protein. A recent study showed that having eggs for breakfast would actually stave off hunger pangs throughout the remainder of the day. The research concerned two groups of women. One group ate eggs for breakfast and the other had a breakfast of bread and cream cheese.

The calorie count for both types of breakfasts was exactly the same. The participants noted down what they ate for the rest of the day and answered questions about their hunger and satisfaction levels throughout the day. The results of the study showed that the women who ate the eggs for breakfast felt more satisfied throughout the entire day and they ate less at each meal than those women who were in the bread group.

Eggs contain about 6 grammes of protein each, which helps to even out blood sugar and produces a feeling of satisfaction. Both of these factors help to curb cravings. Egg yolks also contain lutein and xenazanthin. These nutrients have been shown to have incredible effects on eye health. So it's important to eat the whole egg, and not just the white. Eggs contain choline which is important for maintaining brain function and memory. These nutrients are just an added benefit to the appetite suppressant qualities.

Broccoli and cauliflower, two of the most suitable vegetables on the Atkins programme, also have appetite-suppressant effects. These vegetables are very bulky and they help make your stomach feel full. When your stomach is full, it will actually create a chemical response in your body. Your body will reduce its appetite because it assumes that your stomach is full of high calorie foods. This will happen regardless of what is in your stomach. You can achieve the same results with water and psyllium husk fiber. Both broccoli and cauliflower provide bulk in your diet and are essential vegetables on the Atkins plan.

The Atkins diet recommends eating small, protein packed meals a few times a day. This will help maintain your blood sugar level in a stabilized state and avoid carbohydrate-induced cravings. With high carbohydrate diets, you are riding a roller-coaster of carbohydrate highs. After you have eaten, you feel fantastic and full. Then after a few hours, you come crashing down and are hungrier than you were before eating the carbohydrates. This cycle continues ad infinitum and, over time, you will eat more and more and eventually gain weight.

The protein, fat and vegetable meals of the Atkins diet put your blood sugar back in balance. They provide just enough of each type of food, with the correct amount of carbohydrates (from the vegetables). The vegetables provide quick carbohydrate energy, and the protein gives the meal its sustainability. This combination suppresses your appetite effectively throughout the day.

The Atkins diet is actually a craving control plan that suppresses your appetite. If you've had a problem with carbohydrate cravings before, this new way of eating will help control those cravings. The more you eat on the plan, the better your cravings will be controlled and the easier it will be to follow the diet - the more you practice the diet the easier it gets. - 30310

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The Atkins Grapefruit Diet

By Joy Mitchell

The Atkins Grapefruit diet is a diet plan, not endorsed by the estate of Dr. Atkins, that plays on the fame of the grapefruit diet and the Atkins diet name. A closer look into this diet shows that it may not be all it claims to be.

Firstly, it's pretty difficult to find information on the Atkins grapefruit diet plan. Smart people know that when someone is perpetrating a deception, or a con, they will usually gloss over facts. This is exactly what the Atkins grapefruit diet appears to do: it tries to get people to associate it with two supposedly effective diets.

Is the Atkins Grapefruit Diet part of the Atkins Diet or endorsed by the estate of the late Dr. Atkins? The answer is no, not only is there no mention of the Atkins Grapefruit Diet on the Atkins website, but there is no fruit of any kind mentioned in the list of allowed foods in the Atkins diet Induction phase.

The induction stage includes the following foods:

Fish of any species; any fowl such as turkey and chicken; any shellfish; any meat such as beef or pork; eggs cooked in any style, including fried; cheese; vegetables; herbs and spices; fats and oils; low carbohydrate beverages, including diet sodas.

Notice something? No fruit is on that list. Later phases of the Atkins diet do recommend small amounts of fruits such as cantaloupe and even lemon juice, and the pre-maintenance and maintenance phases even specifically permit limited quantities of grapefruit. But when compared to the amount of Grapefruit recommended on the Atkins Grapefruit Diet, again there is a disagreement.

The Atkins Grapefruit Diet advocates a cup of grapefruit juice or a cup of grapefruit sections, with 8 and 18 carbs respectively. Even the most generous stages of the Atkins diet advocates restricting grapefruit consumption to less than 8 carbs a day. That's an exact contradiction of one diet with the other

Most reasonable people would take a look at the Atkins website itself the moment they heard about the Atkins Grapefruit Diet. When they saw no mention of that diet on the site, a red light would go off and an alarm bell would ring.

Generally speaking, you should remember this: any diet that recommend very much on one foodstuff, such as grapefruit on a grapefruit diet, is unhealthy for any but extremely short periods. The Atkins Grapefruit Diet is not associated with the Atkins diet, and may disrupt with the results of the Atkins diet in its early stages. - 30310

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