Tag Archives: Cholesterol

Simple basic changes to help with heart disease

When facing heart disease there are some things you need to sort out.

Making simple changes can help you beat the odds against heart disease which is, at the end of the day, a leading cause of death.

  • Get smoke-free
    Quit smoking and stay clear of cigarette smoke to lower your risk of a few types of cardiovascular disease
  • Watch what you eat
    Eat lots of fruits, vegetables, pulses, whole grains, fish, and avoid fats from meat, dairy, and processed foods high in hydrogenated oils
  • Stay active
    Couch potatoes have increased cardiovascular disease risk, so make sure you get regular exercise
  • Get tested
    See your doctor to find out if you have problems with high blood pressure or high blood levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, or glucose

It’s a good idea to chat with your doctor and get fully up to scratch on maintaining heart health with information from groups like The British Heart Foundation.

SUPPLEMENTS
When it comes to supplements various nutritional aids are thought to be helpful such as Co-enzyme q10, L-carnitine and Taurine.

Higher Nature, a group dedicated to providing the best, natural, most effective supplements have three products which are all, in some way, thought to help reduce heart disease.

  • First up there’s Red Sterol Complex which is made from red yeast rice extract, which contains lovastatin (or statins as they are popularly known). This can be used to help lower unhelpful cholesterol in the body. (See NHS report)
  • Next, there’s Organic Flax Seed Oil which in rich in Omega 3. Having a diet which is high in Omega 3 is recommended for a healthy heart.
  • Finally there’s Maxi Multi, a good old multivitamin and mineral. It should be noted that B vitamins, vitamin C, E and A and magnesium have all been thought to be beneficial to heart health.

Flaxseed could protect from breast cancer

Compelling evidence that consuming phytoestrogen-rich substances like flaxseed can reduce the risk of death from breast cancer by as much as 40%.

The study involved 1140 women who had been diagnosed with breast cancer.

It seems that foods like flaxseed and sesame seeds introduce plant-derived compounds called lingans into your diet (a type of phytoestrogen). Lingans in turn attach themselves to oestrogen hormones to prevent the growth of further breast cancer tumours.

Seeds of life?

Seeds of life?

This is interesting because the use of soya – also a phytoestrogen rich food is still controversial in its association with breast cancer.

So what can you do?

The introduction of flaxseed (aka linseed) into your diet could well be advised, however it’s useful to know that more studies have to be done before people start taking lingan supplements. There are outstanding questions about how lingans are digested in order to become effective in action against oestrogen.

So, as always, the best advice is to maintain a balanced diet. Flaxseed is healthy anyway. It is rich in omega 3 and is known to lower cholesterol and blood pressure and also prevent arthritis. You can try flaxseed with cereals, yoghurt or salads, mixed into mashed potato or baked with bread.

Got a heart for pistachios? You’d be nuts not to

Nuts used to be the bad guys. They were seen as high in fat and calories. Now they are recognised for their positive effect on the body, particularly as a likely preventative of heart disease.

People with diabetes replaced their carb calories with a similar calorie count of nuts and found that their blood sugar levels improved and their unhealthy cholesterol went down.

In a nut shell? Healthy

Interestingly no one in the diabetes test lost or increased their weight even though the nuts made up 20-30% of their calorie intake. But, after 3 months, blood sugar levels were better, indications of cardiac risk were lower and LDL cholesterol was down.

Conclusion: nuts are healthy.

The nuts used in the test were unsalted and mostly raw, with some dry roasted, and included almonds, pistachios, walnuts, peanuts, pecans, hazelnuts, cashews, and macadamias.

It’s best to eat nuts raw as this preserves the mono- and poly-unsaturated fats which are healtheir fats; eat them unsalted too. Eating nuts are will give you a boost of fibre, vitamin E, and a host of minerals like magnesium and selenium. But they are still high in calories so make sure they’re replacing something else in your diet – the fact that they help control your blood sugar means you’re unlikely to feel as hungry anyway.

Buying nuts in bulk
is the best way to source your favourite variety as nuts can be pretty expensive if you buy them in small bags.

Alternatives to milk

Possibly 75% of people around the world are lactose intolerant – which might go some way to explaining why there are so many alternatives to milk.

But there are numerous other reasons too, it might be simply be beneficial to health, or autism related, or asthma, or galactosaemia, or a sensitivity to casein or one of many other problems with drinking milk.

Whatever your reason it’s important to make sure you’re still getting the calcium, iodine and vitamins that you need.

Here are some of the alternatives…

Goat’s milk
Rich in nutrients and easier to digest (even though it still contains lactose). It has less casein but almost as much fat and calories as cow’s milk. However, it can cause a vitamin B12 deficiency in children.

Sheep’s milk
Sheep’s milk has twice as many minerals, eg. calcium, phosphorus and zinc and the vitamin B-complex, as cow’s milk. But it is also higher in calories and fat. Like goat’s milk, it is easily digested. And it’s also a good source of iodine, which helps if you suffer with thyroid problems.

Camel’s milk
Five times as much Vitamin C as cow’s milk. Helps with diabetes. Contains some lactose. Not easy to source.

Buffalo’s milk
Higher in calcium, protein and iron and contains more vitamins and minerals (including calcium and iron) and 43% less cholesterol than cow’s milk. But it also has twice as much fat and still contains lactose. Not easy to source.

Hemp milk
Half the amount of protein of cow’s milk, and calcium is often added. Rich in Omega 3, minerals and vitamins, hemp milk also has a creamy consistency. No lactose.

Quinoa milk
Quinoa is a very digestive food and nutritionally well balanced. It’s protein contains all essential amino acids and it is rich in unsaturated fatty acids. No lactose.

Spelt milk
A good source of fibre and B-complex vitamins. Cholesterol free. No lactose.

Oat milk
Rich in fibre, lowers cholesterol and low-GI. It’s actually the preferred energy drink of many athletes. A pleasant milky taste. No lactose.

Barley milk
Has a higher phosphorus and potassium content than regular milk. Helpful in repairing the body, though it doesn’t contain calcium. No lactose.

Kamut-wheat milk
Highly recommended for its milk-like taste. No lactose.

Millet milk
Lower in fat, higher in fibre and less calories than cow’s milk. Rich in protein and minerals. No lactose.

Rice milk
Compared to soya, rice milk is considered closer to cow’s milk in taste and texture. It is naturally sweet, low in fat and high in fibre. But it’s also low in calcium and protein. No lactose.

Soya milk
Soya milk is high in protein so it’s useful for cooking with. It is also comparatively cheaper than other milk alternatives due to its ubiquity. However, some avoid it because it can raise estrogen levels. No lactose.

Almond milk
Tastes great, and has some of the lowest calorie counts of all milk alternatives. No lactose.

Hazelnut milk
A thicker consistency. It also provides calcium and sulphur. No lactose.

Coconut milk
Lots of phosphorus, iron, magnesium and fibre makes coconut milk a superfood. It’s low in calories, boosts immunity and has a distinctive creamy taste.

Cashew nut milk
Delicious but not easy to find. Just as well it’s easy to make… Cashew’s are a good source of copper and magnesium.

Raw milk
The argument is that pasteurisation destroys some of the goodness in milk which would actually make it digestible for people with gut problems. It remains to be seen whether ‘green top milk’ is actually helpful for people with psoriasis and high blood pressure.

UV milk
Possibly the milk of the future: milk that is treated by UV instead of pasteurisation?

Lactose-Free milk
Or, of course, you could take the lactose out of the milk

You can also make milk from peas, peanuts, or seeds!

7 out of 10 people over 45 have high cholesterol

All Cholesterol is not equal

Cholesterol cannot disolve but is carried around our blood stream by lipoproteins, it is these lipids which determine wheather the cholesterol is good or bad.  We know that not all cholesterol is equal, and to make it clear, in cholesterol terms LDL (low-density lipoprotein) is bad and HDL (high-density lipoprotein) is good cholesterol.  So if you are suffering from high cholesterol levels (Hypercholesterolemia) in your blood it is the LDL’s you want to reduce.

Lets look at the goodies first -  HDL. Just over a quarter of blood cholesterol is carried around our blood stream by high-density lipoprotein. High levels of HDL seem to protect against heart attack, whereas low levels of HDL (less than 40 mg/dL) also increase the risk of heart disease. Medical experts think that HDL tends to carry cholesterol away from the arteries and back to the liver, where it’s passed from the body. Some experts believe that HDL removes excess cholesterol from arterial plaque which in turn slows its buildup. I think we will all agree that that does sound good.

On the other hand -   LDL carries cholesterol in the blood, depositing it on the inner walls of the arteries that feed the heart and brain. Together with other substances, it can form plaque, a thick, hard deposit that can narrow the arteries and make them less flexible. This condition is known as atherosclerosis. If a clot forms and blocks a narrowed artery, heart attack or stroke can result.

So how can we reduce LDL?

What you eat can have a significant effect on your cholesterol levels.  There are 5 main food groups that have been identified as being able to help reduce LDL cholesterol.  These are Oatbran or other soluble fibre, walnuts and almonds, oily fish with omega-3′s and plant sterols.  The first 4 are often mentioned so I wanted to tell a little more about plant sterols.

Plant Sterols may lower bad cholesterol by as much as 9%

Phytosterols may lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol by as much as 9%, according to a new study reported on by Dr Jane Hart.

Such plant sterols or phytosterols are naturally found in some vegetable oils, fruits, nuts, grains and vegetables, but in such small amounts that it would be difficult to get the sterols you need to reduce your LDL cholesterol just from a normal balanced diet. In fact it would take about 100 pounds of fruits, vegetables or nuts to get 2 grams of natural plant sterols. So some large margerine and dairy drinks manufacturers have added plant sterols to their wares.  This is commendable and does go some way to answering the problem but such foods containing at least 0.4 grams per serving of plant sterols would need to be eaten twice a day with meals for a daily total intake of at least 0.8 grams, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol,and that may well reduce the risk of heart disease.

Another way to make sure you get enough phytosterols often enought and consistently enough to make a difference is to take them as a food supplement.

Lestrin

walnuts

walnuts

- a food supplement containg Beta-sitosteral a naturally cocurring plant substance.. Lestrin delivers plant sterols in a unique tablet form, meanig you do not have to uptake your diary intake to contribute to your sterols intake. Lestrin contains free sterols as opposed to chemically changed sterols and is suitable for vegetarians. Whereas most dairy products on offer with sterols contain  chemically changed sterols which have been shown to be less effective than ‘free’ sterols. Not only do plant sterols reduce LDL levels but also increase HDL levels and so bring relevant imporrovements in health.

Lestrin definitely offers an easier way to control cholesterol levels without having to uptake intake of certain food groups and maintain these changes long term.

By lowering chelesterol levels, improvements in health are attained and heart protecion offered for the future.

Read more about lowering cholesterol

Quorn, the good food people

What’s in a name

The unique ingredient in all Quorn foods is Mycoprotein – a nutritious member of the fungi family. There are around 600,000 varieties of fungi to be found around the world. Many, like mushrooms, truffles and morels or those found in veined cheeses, are familiar and amongst the most desirable, but Quorn’s is one of the less well-known.

Eminent mycologist, Malcom Clark, the man responsible for introducing Shiitake mushrooms to the West, talks bout the many medicinal benefits of fungi:

“There is a whole world of fungi that encompasses many health benefits and medicinal properties, yet it is often underestimated.

Fungi have been at the centre of medical breakthroughs over the last century.

Quorn foods are a fascinating example of the ‘taming of the ‘shroom’. This type of fungi, as well as tasting great, provides many health benefits as it contains high quality protein, is rich in fibre and zinc and a source of magnesium as well as being low in fat.”

Our ingredient is produced by fermentation, in a similar process to beer-brewing or yoghurt making. The resulting paste has a similar structure to animal muscle fibres and when combined with the egg and other ingredients gives us a product that is meat-like in texture. This product is then combined with other ingredients to make the different foods in the Quorn range.

Food for thought

We’re faced with lots of conflicting information in our daily lives about what is nutritious, what is healthy and so on.

But some things are clear. The British Nutrition Foundation recommends that we all reduce the amount of saturated fat in our diet, increase the amount of fibre and eat more fruit and vegetables.

They also encourage us to enjoy our foods and to eat a variety of them.

And if you’re looking for an easy way to follow their advice, and you want to make the healthy choice, take a good look at Quorn foods.

Why eat Quorn foods? Well, they’re undeniably good for you. The British Nutrition Foundation recommends 5 food groups which combine to form a healthy diet – cereals, fruit and vegetables, dairy, meat and fish and foods containing fat. The Quorn ingredient can add positively to every one.

Quorn ingredient products, mince, pieces and fillets, are an excellent source of high quality protein, but unlike many others, they also contain fibre, helping to maintain a healthy digestive system.

The Quorn ingredient products are low in fat, especially saturated fat. Studies have indicated that a meal made with Quorn ingredient products, mince, pieces or fillets, can not only make you feel full up on fewer calories. They have also shown that if you have a Quorn meal at lunch time you will reduce hunger and calorie intake in the evening. Perfect for helping people who are managing their weight.

Studies have also shown that the unique ingredient in Quorn foods can help to maintain normal cholesterol levels by helping to reduce LDL cholesterol levels and increase HDL cholesterol levels when eaten as part of a balanced diet.

Too much LDL is considered to be ‘bad’ because it can build up on the walls of the arteries that feed the heart and brain. HDL cholesterol is considered ‘good’ because it seems to protect against heart attack. Experts think that it is responsible for moving cholesterol away from the arteries to the liver, where it is processed.

In addition Quorn ingredient products are a source of zinc, required for growth and tissue repair, and magnesium, both of which are essential for health. They contain no GM ingredients. But above all, they taste good – and everything else is a bonus.

The good food people

You may ask that angels preserve you from any company with a Mission. But we believe we’ve got something special with Quorn foods, and our aim is to spread the word to as many people as we can.

Quite simply, we see ourselves as The Good Food People. And that not only includes Looks Good and Tastes Good. It also includes Does You Good.

The Quorn range is a choice of everyday foods that everyone can enjoy and benefit from. You don’t need to be any sort of -arian, you don’t need to be on a particular diet, you don’t have to choose it specially because you’re eating healthily. You just have to like nice food that’s a bit better for you. And, let’s face it, that’s not hard.

But the values inherent in Quorn foods, and the way we produce them, are also the values of Marlow Foods itself. So you’ll find us professional and ethical, with integrity and our good reputation scoring higher than profit. We work hard at being open and honest in everything we do, we’ll tell it like it is. We encourage an ethos of success, strive to bring out the potential of our people, and celebrate when we succeed. We don’t operate on ‘might do’ or ‘could do’. We’re a ‘can do’ bunch of people and we always aim to do our best.

And finally, we concentrate above all on earning the respect and loyalty of our customers.

Full of Fresh ideas

There’s such a wide range of Quorn products opening up a host of delicious possibilities. You can buy Quorn products opening up a host of delicious possibilities. You can buy Quorn pieces, mince or fillets which you can grill, saute or bake and enjoy in a casserole or lavish your favourite sauce on. They’re convenient, especially good at complementing herbs and spices and they can be cooked from frozen.

And you can also buy ready-prepared Quorn products or ready meals from the chiller or freezer which are simplicity itself to prepare.

And now you know everything there is to know about Quorn foods, there’s only one thing left to do. Try some!

Paterson’s OatCakes – Delicious and Versatile!

The versatility and great taste of OatCakes ahs helped to dramatically widen their usage – with new consumers proving especially adventurous in their choice of both toppings and eating occasions. Whether sliced apple and brie or mozzarella and roasted peppers, OatCakes are now being enjoyed with a wide variety of toppings throughout the day.

Delicious and Versatile!

Breakfast
Try paterson’s OatCakes with a light topping of marmalade or cottage cheese
Lunch
One or two Paterson’s OatCakes with a bowl of soup gives a more satisfying eat.
Dinner
Paterson’s OatCakes make an ideal replacement for bread alongside a main meal.
Entertaining
OatCakes make an ideal carrier for both sweet and savoury toppings and are a ‘different and enjoyable alternative to cream crackers.
Lunch Box
Each Paterson’s OatCakes carton contains 4 freshness packs – one of which makes an ideal snack or lunch with a suitable topping or spread.

Healthy!

More and more people are beginning to realise the healthy properties of OatCakes. However, OatCakes aren’t all the same and ONLY Paterson’s OatCakes offer ALL of the following:

Less than 3% Saturated Fat
Saturated fat is the type of fat found in biscuits, cakes, cheese, butter and whole milk. Nutritionists caution us to monitor and control our intake of saturated fat as the liver uses the saturated fat in food to produce cholesterol. Mono and poly-unsaturated fats are the healthier fats found in vegetable oils, oily fish and soft margarine.
The entire Paterson’s OatCake range has less than 3% saturated fat levels and is approved by Scottish Slimmers as part of their Positive Eating Program.

A Low-Sugar Food
Consumers have become increasingly concerned about their level of sugar intake recently – the entire range of Paterson’s OatCakes is low in sugar.

Slow Release Energy
Oats are rich in complex carbohydrates which release their energy more slowly than sugars – therefore providing sustained energy and delaying hunger pangs longer.

A High-Fibre Food
Fibre is an essential nutrient for the body. Roughage greatly helps digestion and general ‘gut-health’ while evidence suggests that eating a high fibrediet may also help reduce cholesterol levels in the bloodstream. All Paterson’s OatCakes are high in fibre.

Contains Olive Oil
Olive oil is often cited as one of the reasons the Mediterranean diet is healthier than our own. Paterson’s OatCakes use only olive oil rather than highly saturated palm fruit oil.

Wheat-Free Recipe
It is difficult to quantify exactly how many people in the UK have intolerance to wheat but estimates vary from 1 in 200 to 1 in 500. Paterson’s OatCakes are made from a 100% wheat-free recipe.

Cholesterol-Lowering Properties of Oats
Oats are widely accepted as helping to reduce cholesterol levels in the body. Cholesterol is the fatty substance produced by the liver and various cells, that when deposited around body tissue leads to build-up and blockages in the arteries. Oat Soluble Fibre (beta glucan) helps control blood cholesterol levels by acting as a sponge and soaking up cholesterol. This allows the body to remove harmful cholesterol naturally, therefore reducing ts occurrence in the body.

How good is soya?

Soya is a versatile, nutritious food that offers a wide range of health benefits and does not contain saturated animal fat, animal protein, cholesterol, animal hormones or growth factors which have all been linked to many illnesses and diseases.

It contains all eight essential amino acids and is a good source of polyunsaturated fatty acids including omega 3, disease-busting antioxidants, B vitamins (including folate), iron and is free from cholesterol. Calcium-fortified soya milk and tofu provide a valuable source of this important mineral.

Many soya foods also contain fibre which is important for good bowel health and can lower cholesterol.

Health benefits associated with soya are thought to be caused by the action of soya isoflavones which are a type of phytoestrogen or plant hormone. Many studies show that soya foods can reduce the frequency and severity of hot flushes and other menopausal symptoms. Because the Japanese diet is rich in soya the women suffer less from menopausal symptoms which suggests it may be an alternative to hormone replacement therapy. Post-menopausal women with the highest intake of soya foods also have the highest bone mineral density. Human trials in other parts of the world have shown that soya protein may reduce the risk of osteoporosis.

The UK government’s ‘Joint Health Claims Initiative’ has approved the health claim that ‘the inclusion of at least 25 grams soya protein per day as part of a diet low in saturated fat can help reduce blood cholesterol’.

Studies from China (and of Asian-American women) indicate that having a high soya intake can reduce the risk of breast cancer. Similarly, a large scale study in 59 countries found that overall soya products did protect against prostate cancer. Evidence suggests that a moderate amount of soya is much more likely to be of benefit to health rather than harmful, both in terms of breast and prostate cancer risk and other chronic diseases.

A great many people ask if it safe to give soya-based infant formulas to babies. Studies on adults raised on soya showed no detrimental effects to their health. A publication in the Nutrition Review found that growth, sexual development and reproductive ability was normal in people who consumed soya formula as infants and concluded that it continued to be a safe, nutritionally complete feeding option for most infants.

Another fantastic bonus is that several studies indicate that soya isoflavones may improve both short- and long-term memory, mental flexibility and planning. This benefit may be restricted to those under the age of 65.

Faye Axford © GoodnessDirect 2007

The Big Question: Are statins really a wonder drug, and should we all be taking them?

Telegraph:

Why are we asking this now?

Statins, the cholesterol-lowering drugs, are known to cut the risk of heart disease and are already prescribed to millions of people at high risk. This week a trial of rosuvastatin, whose brand name is Crestor made by AstraZeneca, was shown to dramatically reduce the risk even in people whose cholesterol level was normal or low.

Researchers had expected a reduction of around 25 per cent but the actual decline in risk among the treated group was almost twice that (47 per cent). The results, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, were so clear that the trial of 18,000 patients in 26 countries was stopped early so that all those on placebo could be offered the drug.

Flaxseed – the benefits

Flaxseed has hit the newspapers, TV and Hollywood. It is credited with improving hair, skin and nail quality, aiding weight loss and preventing conditions such as arthritis, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. With such claims as these in the media one might expect to pay exorbitant prices, but that’s not the case!!

Other items of interest

The Healing Power of Flax

Dr Herb Joiner is a Naturopath and the world’s leading expert on Flaxseed. The fifty year-old from Seattle has been studying the seed for the past thirty-three years and has recently written a book on the subject called “The Healing Power of Flax.” Dr Herb teaches at the University of Boston where his specialist areas are nutrition and Western herbal medicine. He has lectured here in the UK on the benefits of Omega 3s.

Omega 3

Omega 3s are the essential fatty acids found in fish oils. However, the richest source of Omega 3s is the flax plant, and in particular flaxseed oil. We are told to eat oily fish three times a week, but most people don’t meet this quota and therefore need to get Omega 3 from other sources.

What is Flaxseed?

Flaxseed is claimed to benefit every molecule in the body! It improves the quality of hair, nails, and skin, as well as helping to regulate bodyweight, lower cholesterol and blood pressure and prevent arthritis and cancers.

The flax plant, an ancient crop, yields the fibre from which linen is woven, as well as seeds (linseed or flaxseed) and oil. The oil, also called linseed oil, has many industrial uses – it is an important ingredient in paints, varnishes and linoleum for example.

Like olive, canola, and most other plant oils, flax seed oil is highly unsaturated and heart-healthy. Lignans and other flax seed components may also have antioxidant properties, which means they may reduce the activity of cell-damaging free radicals.

How can I take Flaxseed?

Flaxseed or Linseed has a pleasant, nutty flavour and can be sprinkled on cereals, yoghurts and smoothies. Alternatively, it can be taken as a supplement in capsule or as flaxseed oil. It can be used in cooking and has a much richer flavour than other cooking oils.

Flax tips

  • Grind the seeds or else chew them very well to get the most benefit – whole seeds simply pass through the body. Grinding the seeds just before using them best preserves flavour and nutrition, but pre-ground seeds are more convenient.
  • Keep them refrigerated
  • There are no nutritional differences between brown and yellow seeds
  • Combine flaxseed flour with wheat flour for breads and pancakes
  • The oil can degenerate quickly; keep refrigerated or in a dark place. It usually comes in dark bottles to extend its shelf life
  • Flaxseed oil cannot be used for frying or sauteing.
  • Pregnant or lactating women should not eat lots of flax