Monday, October 24, 2011

Tips for Healthy Heart & Cholesterol Reducing Foods



 


Cholesterol is a contributing factor for heart attack. Dietary cholesterol raises blood cholesterol and that high blood cholesterol levels increase your risk for heart disease.

Everyone should have their cholesterol checked regularly.it doesn't matter if you are young/old, female/male, or thin/overweight.

While there are many factors at play (such as family history, stress level, physical activity level, and age), your diet has a tremendous influence on the amount of cholesterol in your blood and more importantly, on your risk for life-threatening diseases.

Below foods help to a great extent in reducing cholestrol

Fruits and Vegetables:

  • Blueberries, cranberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries
  • Leafy Greens,Broccoli
  • Apples, pears, bananas, carrots(raw), grapes, strawberries, citrus fruits
  • Beans - kidney beans, Beans, lentils and peas, apples, pears, barley and prunes, Navy and kidney bean, garbanzos, black-eyed peas
  • Eggplant(brinjal) and LadysFinger
  • Avocados (Butter Fruit)
  • Sesame,celery, lettuce, asparagus, spinach, tomatoes, ginger, squash and strawberries.
  • Garlic
  • Avocados

Pomegranate juice:

       Like many fruit juices, pomegranate juice contains antioxidants, especially polyphenols. However, pomegranate juice contains antioxidants at higher levels than do other fruit juices. Antioxidants are thought to provide several heart-protecting benefits, including reducing low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or "bad") cholesterol.

Fish and omega-3 fatty acids
       Consume fish varieties like Mackerel, Lake trout , Herring , Sardines, Albacore tuna , Salmon ,Halibut

Oil
  • Vegetable oils - Using liquid vegetable oils such as canola, sunflower, safflower, and others in place of butter helps lower LDL.
  • Olive oil
  • Flaxseed and Flaxseed Oil 

Nuts


Walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, pecans, some pine nuts, pistachio nuts. All nuts are high in calories, so a handful will do.



Fiber rich foods

Whole Grains, Oatmeal, oat bran, barley, brown rice


Other things that can help in the fight against cholesterol include drinking plenty of water, exercising as much as possible in a variety of different ways (so that you don't get bored), reducing stress levels and getting plenty of sleep, and keeping in regular contact with your doctor so you can be on top of the situation.


Tips for Healthy Heart

1. Monitor BP level once a year
2. Maintain sugar levels!
3. Check your cholestol levels every year.
4. Reduce intake of fats, sugar and salt.
5. Take more vegetables, fruits , grains, low fat milk
6. Avoid red meat – Goat, cow.
8. Avoid egg yolk. Have only white egg.
9. Use oils with omega 3 fatty acids like flaxseed, walnut, soyabean, gingely  oil.
10. Non veg, coconut oil has saturated fat. Avoid them.
11. Avoid junk food. Avoid smoking and alcohol.
12. Exercise.
  



Consume
  • black beans
  • salmon, tuna fish
  • olive oil
  • walnuts
  • almonds
  • tofu
  • sweet potato
  • orange
  • carrot, beans
  • barley
  • oats , flax seed
  • cherries , blueberries