Natural Supplements For Cholesterol, Blood Pressure And Heart Disease

A high-fat diet will raise cholesterol to a high-risk level, while a low-fat diet will lower cholesterol. Heart disease risk starts to rise at a cholesterol level above 168 mg/do.

Regular exercise yields high levels of high-density lipoproteins (HDL) the good cholesterol which actually remove excess cholesterol from the surfaces of the arteries.

Oxidation is the key factor that causes atherosclerosis. If you do not control oxidation,, then you are going to lose the battle of controlling cholesterol. Oxidation is the same thing that causes an apple to turn brown or a car to rust.

The cells of your immune system which are called monocytes adhere to the arterial wall of your blood vessels and then pass through them, turning into scavenger cells called macrophages to devour all the waste product that can cause atherosclerosis.

The problem that causes this process to fail are the excess amounts of free radicals that you are exposed to. Pollution, toxins, pesticides, or even many prescription drugs can cause excess free radicals. Exercise is another source of free radical exposure because of the extra air you breathe in.

The excess free radicals will oxidize the cholesterol, which is called low-density lipoproteins (LDL). The immune system identifies this as being toxic to your system and will send out defenses to dispose them.

If there is an excess amount of these free radicals, your immune system becomes overwhelmed and foam cells will start to form which can cause the start of atherosclerosis.

All these excess free radicals are the body's challenge on how to combat high cholesterol. The evidence you need to know lies in the hundreds of studies that point to the way antioxidants can protect you from this excess free radical damage.

There are fat-soluble antioxidants and water-soluble antioxidants that will get inside the LDL particles to protect your body from oxidation.

Beta-carotene, vitamin E, and coenzyme Q 10 are the best known fat-soluble antioxidant nutrients to prevent this oxidation from occurring.

Vitamin C, which is a water-soluble vitamin, will work in synergy with vitamin E to defend against atherosclerosis caused by these free radicals. You need both the fat-soluble and the water-soluble nutrients to protect you from this free radical oxidation.

How can you lower elevated cholesterol levels?

Simple lifestyle changes like watching what you eat, undertaking some form of regular exercise, shedding extra kilos, reducing alcohol intake, cutting down on smoking can help reduce the cholesterol levels.

These measures cannot alter your genes or sex, but are nevertheless critical. Medications to lower elevated cholesterol are available on prescription and should be resorted to if there is a definite need.

Herbs and natural products have been around for quite some time and interest in them have been renewed, especially in the light of some prescription medications coming under the scanner for detrimental side effects. Following is a list of natural products that are proven to reduce elevated cholesterol levels.

vitamin B Complex: These reduce the oxidization of LDL cholesterol, which is the first step in the formation of plaques in the arterial walls.

Carnitine increases HDL levels and reduces total cholesterol levels.

Chromium: Reduces LDL and increases HDL.

Coenzyme Q 10: Reduces total cholesterol.

Fiber: Fiber in the diet binds to cholesterol and decreases their intestinal absorption.

Garlic: Has been widely used for its cholesterol-lowering potential.

Panto thine: Reduces total cholesterol and increases HDL.

Grape seed extract, Soy and vitamin C: Reduce total cholesterol levels.

Royal jelly: Reduces cholesterol levels by blocking the cholesterol-elevating effects of Nicotine.

Having high cholesterol doesn't offer any outward symptoms that would lead to an alarming problem. But, along with high blood pressure, it's a major risk factor for heart attack and stroke.

What would Doctors do?

Doctors would often prescribe medications called statins to lower cholesterol. Unfortunately, while these can be beneficial, they come along with unpleasant side effects such as muscle pain, lethargy, headaches, digestive issues and even liver damage.

Aside from these medications, doctors would frequently recommend exercise and dietary changes to patients to improve their cholesterol levels. Adding at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise three or more times a week can increase your “good” (HDL) cholesterol by 5-10 percent and lower triglycerides.

Three Division of Fats

Fats, which raise cholesterol. These are the saturated fats found in meat, butter, cooked meats, cheese, lard and milk products.

Fats which have very little effect on cholesterol, These are the ones found in shellfish, eggs and skinless poultry.

Fats which lower cholesterol These are the vegetable oils: olive oil, rapeseed oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, etc.

Foods that Help Improve Cholesterol Levels.

Certain foods can also help improve cholesterol levels such as avocados, barley, fish, fresh vegetables and fruits (especially blueberries), beans and lentils, oats and other whole grains, garlic, nuts, and seeds (especially walnuts and almonds), olive oil and fish oil.

As for fish oils, they play no real part in cholesterol metabolism, but help prevent cardiovascular disease by bringing down the level of triglycerides and helping avoid thromboses. Consuming oily fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, herrings, sardines) are highly recommended.

Your Other Healthy Option

A healthier diet and regular exercise can definitely help your cholesterol levels. But most people fail to follow this lifestyle prescription. They may solely rely on medication that sometimes still doesn't lower cholesterol enough.

An easy way to further improve cholesterol levels is through nutritional supplements. Soy and fiber each have been proven to improve lipid abnormalities and, in turn, benefit heart health. One of fiber's key heart benefits is in reducing cholesterol.

Metabolism Boosting Foods:

For breakfast:

Before you proceed, you must never forget to have your breakfast! When you start your morning with breakfast, it provides you with higher energy levels, which mean you can burn more calories while working.

When you work with an empty stomach, your body burns fewer calories because it needs to conserve and burns only when it is necessary until food is available.

So if you want to lose your weight, start your day with a healthy breakfast! It will fuel your body and amplify metabolic rate. It also reduces the chances of overeating the rest of the day.

Milk-Be sure to have milk every day. Milk is a healthy source of calcium. Calcium provides increases in body's core temperature which boost metabolism that further helps your body burn extra fats.

The group of dieters who consumed about 1,200 mg of calcium daily was reported to lose about twice as much weight as the other group who consumed fewer amounts of calcium, as the research studies shows.

Milk also contains complex carbohydrates, which keep the insulin levels low. Low insulin levels mean a boost in metabolism, which is acquired when they send signals to your body that it needs to store less.

Eggs-Including eggs in your breakfast is one of the tastiest and healthiest way to fuel metabolism. Egg contains a healthy dose of protein. All protein foods help in kicking metabolism into high gear. Protein takes more energy to be digested than carbohydrates or fat.

So higher is the protein intake, the harder your body works to digest it, burning more calories. Egg also contains Biotin (One of the least well-known of the B-complex vitamins) which is involved in the metabolism.

Oatmeal—It contains numerous healthy proteins, vitamins and complex carbohydrates. Not only that! It also fights against bad cholesterol. A bowl of oatmeal daily can lower down blood cholesterol because it contains good amounts of fiber.

Fruits and vegetables that boost metabolism.

Apples and Pears—When it comes to increasing your metabolism, apples, and pears are your best friend. They are both are rich in the soluble fiber pectin, which lowers down cholesterol and other body fats through several mechanisms. Plus, they help you stay full longer and prevent you from eating much.

The helpful role of apples and pears is proven when a Brazilian study reported that a group of women who were given three apples or 3 pears daily to eat for 3 months lost more weight than those who consumed oats each day during that time.

Grapefruit—Certain foods fire-up your metabolism. Grapefruit is one of them. Grapefruits are loaded with good amounts of fiber. Fiber is very hard for the body to break down—to do so, you must burn extra calories that would result in weight loss. It also reduces insulin levels that prompt your body to store fat.

Other Foods That Boost Metabolism.

Peppers—Spice up your meals -speed up your metabolism, by spicy hot peppers! They don't add taste and color to your foods, but also prevents you from overeating. They contain an alkaloid substance called capsaicin which is responsible for the strong, hot taste and acts as an Appetite Suppressant.

According to the Journal of Biological Chemistry, capsaicin stimulates certain chemical processes within the body that induce thermogenesis, by which the body produces energy in the form of heat, which in turn increases body temperature, following that, metabolic boost occurs.

Honey—While Pooh may not exist in the real world, there is nothing false about the nutritional benefits of his favorite food: Honey. The natural sweetener has been reported to curb your appetite.

It contributes to a healthy metabolic rate by enabling you to eat less, causing your body to burn excess body fat for energy. Having a mixture of two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar with a small amount of honey (add garlic if you can bear the taste) will help increase the metabolism to quite helpful rate.

Green Tea—Looking for some really effective and easy way to have a youthful and slimmer body? Here we give you a natural, economical and tasty solution. Now you can give your body green tea to shed off some unnecessary pounds!

Green tea contains caffeine and a catechin called EGCG, both of which are involved in thermogenesis by which the body burns calories for energy.

The percentage of fat that your body burns for energy also increases by up to 16% by the intake of green tea. So don't forget to have a cup of Great Tea every morning or any time of the day.

Olive oil - Olive oil is used for cooking and in salads. It has a number of antioxidant compounds which possess anti-inflammatory properties. Olive oil is a rich source of the monounsaturated fatty acid: oleic acid which may help boost your metabolism.

Olive oil is very effective when used in a calorie-reduced diet. But keep in mind, olive oil contains a lot of fat and calories, and it should not be used in excess amounts.

You can use olive oil and other polyunsaturated/monounsatured oils in preparing the recipes of The Metabolic Cooking, which contains very easy to cook fat burning recipes.

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