The human body produces oils and other substances that circulate in the bloodstream. An example is insulin, which is secreted from the pancreas in response to the increase in the amount of sugar coming from the food that the person eats. The cells then absorb this, which gives the individual calories that are used as energy.

Another substance that the body produces naturally is cholesterol. This is also ingested in the food people eat. There are two types of cholesterol namely LDL and HDL.

LDL is better known as bad cholesterol. The reason why it is bad is because too much of this in the system may put the person at risk of suffering from either a heart attack or a stroke.

HDL in simple terms is good cholesterol because its job is to regulate the flow the bad one so this can be filtered out of the persons system. There must be a balanced between the two so the individual is healthy.

Whenever people get a blood test, the patient will see a breakdown of the LDL and HDL in the system. Though not that significant as the first two, doctors pay attention to two other figures namely the total cholesterol and the triglyceride level.

In order to be given a clean bill of health, the patient must stay within a certain range. Those who have less than 200mg/dl in total cholesterol are safe. The same goes for someone who has less than 150mg/dl in the triglycerides.

So what happens if the person goes beyond the limit? In simple terms, the individual is at risk of developing high blood pressure or a heart disease. The good news is that the person can still prevent such a thing from happening.

There are four simple ways to do it and this must be done gradually before something bad really happens to the individual.

The first is to change the diet. This means eating less of those that are high in saturated fats such as red meat and dairy products. This should be changed for fish, fruits, nuts, oatmeal and vegetables.

Studies have shown that those who eat oatmeal regularly are able to reduce the LDL and trigylecerides level in just 2 weeks. Imagine what could happen if this is done even after just a month?

The second is exercise. The body has stored fat after how many years of not engaging in any physical activity. Changing the eating habits can only go so far and sweating it out will increase the metabolic rate thus helping reduce the patients cholesterol levels.

The third, which doesnt happen often, is for the individual to take supplements to aid in the reduction of cholesterol. Examples of these are bible acid resins, ezetimibe, fibric acid, niacin and statins.

These are available in different brands and studies have proven this can lower the cholesterol from 15% to 30% when this is taken in regularly.

Should exercise and dieting not work, the patient must remember that the intake of these drugs has certain side effects. The doctor should explain this before even prescribing this so the individual can choose from the wide range of drugs that can be used to lower ones cholesterol.

Prevention is the best way to combat any disease. A regular checkup at the doctors office will surely save money instead of being confined in the hospital.

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There is a saying that goes. “We are what we eat.” This is so true as the food being consumed may affect the cholesterol levels inside the persons system. This makes this makes the person prone to high blood pressure or heart disease through age, which could leave the patient, paralyzed or dead.

The only thing to do before it is too late is to make some changes in the individual’s diet. While many of the good stuff that people love to eat have high concentrations of LDL better known as bad cholesterol, this can all change by consuming those that have HDL or good cholesterol. Here are a few examples.

A good way to start a healthy diet is to have a breakfast. Instead of eating bread, the individual can consume oatmeal instead. Studies have shown this can lower the cholesterol in the body by more than 20% after just two weeks of use. This figure can go down some more if this becomes a habit before going to work.

It is tough to just have oatmeal in the morning. Sometimes, the individual can have a fruit. An example could be an apple.

Studies have shown that people who eat at least 2 full apples a day or drink 12 ounces of apple juice are able to reduce the chances of heart diseases by 50%. This can be purchased at the supermarket and eaten during anytime of the day such as dessert after a light meal or as a snack.

During lunch or dinner, the person must have some vegetables in the meal. Those who order can have fish or poultry instead of eating red meat. Such dishes are not high in saturated fats, which are healthier.

Those who love to cook at home can try mixing some healthy things ingredients in the meal. One example is garlic that has natural properties that can declog the arteries and again lower the odds of succumbing to heart disease.

Having a can of pork and beans is also good for the diet. This is because it contains soluble fibers that can combat the bad cholesterol in the person’s body. There are not that many people who will do this but those who are able to eat even a half an onion daily will be able to increase the HDL and lower the LDL.

People are often told that fats are not good for the diet. This isnt entirely true because this comes in many forms. There are fats that are healthy such as unsaturated ones and omega 3 fatty acids.

Monosaturated and Polysaturated ones are also effective since these are usually found in cooking oils. This means food preparation also plays a big factor in reducing lowering ones cholesterol levels.

The individual should read the label at the supermarket and read the ingredients to find out if this is healthy for cooking.

Being a bit overweight or noticing a lot of bulges in the body is one way of knowing that the person is potentially at risk for succumbing to disease to high levels of cholesterol in the system.

If the individual is unable to make a proper dietary plan, a specialist can help make one so all the person has to do is follow it.

Tags: Apple Juice, Apples, Arteries, Bad Cholesterol, Cholesterol, Cholesterol Levels, Eating Habits, Fruits And Vegetables, Good Cholesterol, Good Stuff, Hdl Cholesterol, Healthy Diet, heart disease;, Heart Diseases, high blood pressure;, Lower Cholesterol, Oatmeal, Pork And Beans, Poultry, Red Meat, Saturated Fats, Soluble Fibers —

There is no doubt about, the Perricone 3 Day Diet is one of the hottest eating plans to come along in quite some time. To stand out from the crowd, a diet needs to be different than other diets, and it also needs to offer a benefit that others aren’t offering. The Perricone Diet’s biggest advantage is that it helps people to look younger.

The diet gets its name from the famous dermatologist, Dr. Nicholas Perricone. His specialty is making people look as healthy and young as possible. He received a noticeable increase, as did his 3 day diet, when he appeared on Oprah. While Oprah may now be off the air, people are still realizing the benefits of Perricone’s diet.

How the Perricone 3 Day diet achieves this is by reducing inflammation. Most people only think of inflammation when they experience an injury, but the truth is that inflammation has an impact on many different parts of the body, and we are often completely unaware of the inflammation. If you twist an ankle, then what you will experience is acute inflammation. It hurts, but it is usually temporary. The bigger health risks stem from chronic inflammation. One of the results of chronic inflammation is visible aging.

What Dr. Perricone realized was that our diet plays a large role in the level of inflammation in the body. Therefore, if you eat a diet that limits or reduces inflammation, then it stands to reason that you would start to see positive effects; such as younger looking skin. One thing that surprised people on the diet was that they not only looked better, but they also lost weight; even though that was not the primary purpose of the Perricone 3 Day Diet.

To see the best results, it is vital that you stick to the program exactly. That means no skipping items, no substitutions and no additions.

When you first wake up you drink 8 to 12 oz. spring water.

For breakfast, you will have:
1 egg, plus 3 egg whites ; or 4 to 6 ounces broiled salmon
4 oz. cantaloupe
1/2 c. cooked oatmeal
1/4 c. fresh or frozen berries
8 to 12 oz. spring water.

For lunch you will enjoy:
4 to 6 oz. of grilled salmon; or a can of tuna (in spring water)
2 c. romaine lettuce topped with 1 T. extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice
4 oz. cantaloupe
1/4 c. fresh or frozen berries
8 to 12 oz. spring water.

Afternoon snack:

2 oz. sliced chicken breast (low sodium)
4 raw hazelnuts (unsalted)
1 medium green apple
8 to 12 oz. spring water.

For dinner you get:

4 to 6 oz. grilled salmon
2 c. romaine lettuce topped with 1 T. extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice
1 c. steamed spinach, asparagus or broccoli drizzled with a bit of olive oil
4 oz. cantaloupe
1/4 c. fresh or frozen berries
8 to 12 oz. spring water.

After dinner snack:
2 oz. turkey or chicken breast (low-sodium)
1/2 green apple or pear
3 to 4 olives or almonds
8 to 12 oz. spring water.

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Bad cholesterol nestles stubbornly in the body. This common fact causes great amount of effort to afflicted ones. If only cholesterol can be passed out or rinsed easily with water, then the fear accompanying its effects will not be gruesome to prepare about. The sad thing about bad cholesterol is its presence in the minute-diameter of the veins, where the life-giving flow of blood must not be trafficked even for a second.

Don’t take it wrong. The presence of good cholesterol is an important ingredient in our vital processes. It is the bad cholesterol, which has to be prevented from clogging the arteries. Usually it takes years of careless consumption of high cholesterol foods to find out one day it is too late to eliminate the disadvantage.

Cholesterol and weight gain go together, the main reason why obese or simple overweight people are prone to having high cholesterol levels. The main factors affecting the levels are some drugs, hereditary traits and food diet. This is the reason why there are normally weighing individuals who get surprised knowing their levels are high.

Usually there is less information about preventing cholesterol from rising and the only time they learn is when they get assessed clinically. It means one cannot simply trust personal diagnosis in claiming safety on future dilemmas with cholesterol.

Keeping a healthy lifestyle is a must in preventing health troubles in the first place. While this is commonly said everywhere, the most practical precaution to be watched over is the food consumption. Avoid fats.

In the meantime, there are food groups that are helpful in lowering cholesterol levels. It means foods with antioxidants help prevent the accumulation of bad cholesterol.

Here are some of these helpful foods to consider:

OATMEAL and other FIBERS – Oatmeal is a nutritious fiber with the reputation for its capability to reduce cholesterol. This benefit became an important issue based on expert’s studies sometime in 1980’s until 1989. This eventually lost popularity and became another issue again in 1997 after the Food and Drug Administration declared how it can prevent heart disease if regularly taken with the practice of good diet low in fat. Other than oatmeal, fibers of the same kind such as bran, wheat, brewer’s yeast, breads, rice, beans, legumes and other cereals help boost and improve the level of good cholesterol.

VEGETABLES AND FRUITS – vitamin rich and full of anti-oxidants, fruits and vegetables rank highest in the food pyramid group. Human beings are required to eat more of this than any other kinds of edible foods, especially processed ones. These have cleansing properties and do not contain a single fat, particularly citrus fruits rich in vitamin C. Cucumber, rich in vitamin E, is one of the best anti-oxidants good for fighting free-radical elements causing different kinds of disease and discomforts in the body.

FISH – tuna and other fish with white meat are good choices for healthy diet. Fish is low in saturated fat.

SELECTED LEAN MEATS – chicken and turkey without the skin, liver, extra lean beef. Without the fat, these protein rich foods are important part of low cholesterol diet.

YOGURT – very good in the regulating the acids in the stomach which is a good way to balance the digestion of food. Yogurt is healthy in regulating cholesterol levels because of this quality, while at the same time it is low in fat.

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