Tag Archives: Cholesterol

Experience the Incredible Health & Weight Loss Benefits of the Premier Coconut Oil

Posted on 5 November, 2008 by | Leave a comment

Why should you be using coconut oil versus any other type of oil? Because it can:

Other items of interest

Help you lose weight, or maintain your already good weight

  • Reduce the risk of heart disease
  • Lower your cholesterol
  • Improve conditions in those with diabetes and chronic fatigue
  • Improve Crohn’s, IBS, and other digestive disorders
  • Prevent other disease and routine illness with its powerful antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal agents
  • Increase metabolism and promotes healthy thyroid function
  • Boost your daily energy
  • Rejuvenate your skin and prevent wrinkles

In short, after unjustly getting lumped in the “no-fat” craze of past decades, coconut oil is now starting to get the respect it deserves as not only the healthiest oil you can consume, even superior to olive oil which contains trans-fat, but as one of the most nutritious of all foods.

Coconut oil’s benefits have been covered extensively on [www.Mercola.com, but now it’s benefits are finally reaching the mainstream. For example, the May 20, 2003 edition of Women’s World, a very popular and wide-reaching magazine, called coconut oil a “miracle food” and particularly touted its ability help the body burn unwanted fat, triple your energy, and greatly help those with thyroid problems.

You should be absolutely certain, however, of the quality and effectiveness of whatever coconut oil brand you choose. There is a very wide variance in terms of the types of coconuts, the manufacturing processes used to make the oil, and more, which will have a major impact on the healthiness and effectiveness your coconut oil.

Dr Joseph Mercola © Dr Joseph Mercola

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Posted in General

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Good fats, bad fats and trans fats

Posted on 28 October, 2008 by | Leave a comment

Our bodies need some fat, but which fat is a good fat? Our body’s cells need some fats to function, but the type of fat we consume makes all the difference. Trans fats are the baddies, now renowned for their contribution to poor heart health and high cholesterol.

In brief, trans fat is the common name for a type of unsaturated fat with trans-isomer fatty acids. Trans fats may be mono-unsaturated or poly-unsaturated. In general they are created by the hydrogenation of plant oils. We hydrogenate oils to make margarine and other soft spreads, or to get a creamy texture in processed food, or to increase a food’s shelf life. However trans fats are best avoided if you want to look after your arteries.

Don’t be daunted, avoiding trans fats is as simple as focusing on simple food.

For example, choose whole foods. The closer a food is to its natural form, or what it looks like when it comes out of the ground or off the tree or vine, the less likely it is to contain harmful fats. Avoid foods that contain the words “partially hydrogenated” in the ingredient list. Trans fat intake should not exceed 1 percent of total calories each day. For a 2,000 calorie diet, this means eating no more than 2.2 grams of trans fats per day.

Generally speaking, healthier fats – specifically the mono- and poly-unsaturated types – are often liquid at room temperature. By comparison, the less healthy trans and saturated fats are typically solid at room temperature. To get more good fats in your diet, cook with oils, such as olive oil, and choose foods such as nuts, avocados, and fatty fish over well-done red meats. For spreadables, select non-hydrogenated margarines or fully saturated fats like butter.

It is thought that people at risk from obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer should consume no more than 30% total calories from fat. For a 2,000 calorie diet, this means eating no more than 67 grams of total fat per day. Though this may vary from person to person, it is a good basic guide.

For more technical info on trans fats see the full transfats article.

In general, the same principles that support heart health support the health of your gut as well. If you stick to unprocessed items such as vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds, whole grains, and beans (legumes) you probably won’t have to give trans fats a second thought.

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Posted in Diet

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Edamame

Posted on 22 July, 2005 by | Leave a comment

Ever heard of edamame? No, it’s not a cheese, but a type of baby green Soya bean. In Japan edamame (which, I’m reliably informed is pronounced ed-ah-MAH-may) is a popular snack eaten straight out of the pod and often accompanies beer! I can’t offer edamame in the pod (or beer for that matter), but we have just added 454g bags of frozen edamame to our range here at GoodnessDirect. The frozen edamame can be prepared in just the same way as frozen peas, ie boiled in water for 5 minutes.

As well as being an interesting alternative to peas or beans, edamame offers some excellent health benefits; it contains all nine essential amino acids, making it a complete protein source and because it’s a Soya product, it is full of isoflavones and can help to reduce cholesterol and thereby reduce the risk of heart disease.

Here is a recipe for glazed edamame to try. It is designed to be an original starter…Cook 300g edamame in boiling water for a couple of minutes, drain and keep warm. Combine 120ml vegetable stock, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and 1 teaspoon of arrowroot. Bring to the boil and stir into the cooked beans.Dress it up with Balsamic Vinegar & Maple Dressing.

While I’m on recipes, here’s another easy-peasy one for a fabulous salad dressing with a difference; the maple syrup and balsamic vinegar impart a beautiful flavour. Mix together 250ml olive oil with 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons of maple syrup, 1 tablespoon of lime juice, 1 teaspoon of mustard powder and 1 crushed garlic clove. Add salt and freshly milled black pepper and whisk it all together until well mixed.

I found this recipe while I was reading up about balsamic vinegar. I’ve always enjoyed that simplest of simple appetisers, chunks of warmed bread dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Never mind the meal, I could just carry on dipping bread until I’m full! Balsamic vinegar is named after the word balsam, meaning aromatic resin, simply because it’s thick (resin-like) and aromatic. The “aromatic-ness” (if that’s a word!) comes from the wooden barrels in which the vinegar is aged and each manufacturer will have its own unique progression of barrels to create a distinctive flavour. Ours, from Clearspring, is aged in barrels of bay, oak and larch. A true balsamic vinegar should be aged for at least twelve years. The best ones are aged for up to 100 years, producing a vinegar with such a sweet and mellow flavour that it can be used as a topping for ice cream!

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Posted in General Food

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Fenugreek

Posted on 24 June, 2005 by | Leave a comment

One of the Q&A’s that passed my desk today – quite interesting I thought? The surprising properties of herbs and spices – amazing.

Q: I have been taking fenugreek to help my hormones and to increase energy. Now I read that it also lowers blood pressure and cholesterol. How much do I need to take to gain these benefits? And is there anything else fenugreek is good for?

A: Fenugreek is a plant that is native to southeast Europe and west Asia. Its small seeds, which have a bitter taste, are often used in Middle Eastern or North African cooking. But generations of Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans have also used fenugreek for its many medicinal properties.

As you have learned, the spice can improve cholesterol levels. In a 24-week study where subjects were given 25 g a day, “good” HDL cholesterol rose by 10 percent, while “bad” LDL cholesterol steadily decreased.

Studies have also shown that fenugreek can help stabilize blood sugar in diabetics. It works so well that sometimes it can cause the blood sugar to dip too low, so be sure to talk to your doctor before trying it for this condition.

Fenugreek can also aid digestion. Occasionally it can cause diarrhoea, though. Decreasing your dose should alleviate this side effect. In addition to seeds and capsules, fenugreek also comes in powder and gum forms.

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Posted in Complementary Health, Digestion, Heart and Blood

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