Prevent heart
problems
Eat good fat, not low fat
Avoid hydrogenated vegetable
oils and instead consume cold pressed oils, including
coconut and olive oil. Safe oils for cooking are butter, lard, duck
and goose fat, coconut and palm oil, and olive oil. Add cold
pressed oils such as walnut, hazelnut, sunflower and olive oils to
salads daily.
Consume more plant sterols,
fibre, potassium and probiotics
Sterols or sterolins are simply plant hormones found in
fruit and vegetables. Ideally a healthy diet should consist of at
least 60% plant based foods comprising fruit, vegetables, seeds,
nuts and pulses (dried beans, lentils and peas) and between 0 and
15% whole grains. Beware margarines that contain plant sterols.
Margarine is one molecule away from plastic and the sterols they
contain are derived from the wood pulp industry.
Fibre and potassium are found
in all fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds and pulses.
Fruits and vegetables contain soluble fibre, found to reduce fats
and cholesterol in the blood, as do oats and pulses. Guar gum,
found in some fibre supplements, also lowers cholesterol naturally.
Insoluble fibre in the colon helps to remove cholesterol quickly
from the body. Insufficient fibre means that cholesterol hangs
around too long in the colon and can be reabsorbed into the blood
stream, thus increasing cholesterol levels artificially.
Acidophilus bacteria, the good intestinal flora,
help to excrete excess cholesterol quickly to avoid
reabsorption. You can take acidophilus as a supplement or
in yoghurt and Kefir. Beware actimel-type products which contain
either a lot of sugar or aspartame which is a nerve toxin. Read
labels carefully.
Take extra vitamin C and
antioxidants
Reducing atherosclerosis is an obvious way to reduce blood pressure
as it decreases the blockage inside arteries. The main results
using nutritional means have been produced by supplementation with
antioxidants, fish oil and a combination of vitamin C and lysine.
Linus Pauling spent many years researching the role of vitamin C
and lysine in protecting the integrity of blood vessel walls and
recommended up to 10 grams of vitamin C per day, although as little
as 500 mgs per day have been shown to be helpful in repairing
damage.
As well as vitamin C, you also need the
other anti-oxidising nutrients: vitamin E, beta carotene, selenium
and zinc to reduce free radical damage to the inside of blood
vessel walls. Polyphenols, or plant anti-oxidants, and phytosterols
(plant hormones) are also vital for fighting free radicals and
maintaining the integrity of blood vessel walls. They are found in
brightly coloured fruit and vegetables. Without them, damage occurs
and instigates the build up of atherosclerosis.
Add lecithin, choline and
inositol
Lecithin is used in the food industry to emulsify fats and stop
them separating. In the body lecithin, along with choline and
inositol, are important for normal fat and cholesterol production
and regulation. Interestingly enough, all three are found in
abundance in eggs, the very food we have been taught to avoid for
the last forty or so years. Eggs have been well researched and they
do not raise cholesterol levels, especially if eaten boiled or
poached. If you cook them in fat it oxidises their fat content and
cancels out the beneficial effects. Lecithin can be bought as
granules from soy and sprinkled onto fruit and cereals. Choline and
inositol can be bought as a supplement to bring down cholesterol
levels.
Increase Omega-3 fatty
acids
Omega-3 fatty acids, particularly EPA and DHA from fish oils, have
been well researched in their ability to reduce the inflammation
that occurs when there is damage in the artery walls. Eat oily fish
such as salmon, trout, tuna, sardines and mackerel at least three
times per week for the omega-3 fatty acids. These keep the blood
from clotting and reduce fat and cholesterol levels in the blood.
While omega-3 fatty acids are found predominantly in oily fish,
linseeds, walnuts and avocados are also good sources, although the
body has to convert the omega-3 fatty acids to EPA and DHA, which
some individuals may not be able to do very efficiently
