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High levels of circulating blood cholesterol are considered a very serious health risk. In fact it is a leading factor in the development of heart disease and the risk of having a stroke. Of particular concern are high levels of LDL (low density lipoprotein) cholesterol which is the primary cause of many cardiovascular health problems. In order to combat this problem it may be necessary to make dietary changes based on lower cholesterol food.

In order to lower your dietary intake of cholesterol you can limit the following food choices in your diet.

-Foods that contain large amounts of saturated fats and Trans fats found in fast foods and processed foods.

-Margarines and baked goods that contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.

-Products made from whole milk that contains dairy fats.

-Most vegetable oils and lard.

-Fatty cuts of meat and poultry.

-Food products that contain large amounts of refined sugars and flour.

Cholesterol exists in all animals and the food products that we get from them. Animal and hydrogenated fats remain solid at room temperature and contain what is known as “bad” or LDL cholesterol. Trans fats are also known to raise LDL levels in the blood to dangerous levels.

In fact scientific studies have shown that these types of saturated, hydrogenated, and Trans fats contribute more to high cholesterol levels then actually eating foods with cholesterol in them.

By eating healthy you can use food to lower your cholesterol significantly. Your food choices should include:

-Fruits and vegetables, most of which are cholesterol-free, and which help lower cholesterol levels.

-Whole-grain breads and cereals.

-Low-fat or skim milk, yogurt, sour cream and cheeses.

-Canola oil or extra virgin olive oil.

-Chicken, turkey and fish.

-Legumes and nuts.

-Garlic

-Margarines made of plant sterol esters, which help to lower cholesterol levels.

High fiber foods are always a good choice as they help absorb and remove cholesterol from the digestive system. Foods high in Omega-3 fatty acids are also a good choice. Omega-3′s help raise your “good” or HDL (high density lipoprotein) cholesterol. HDL works by removing LDL cholesterol from the blood stream, lowering levels of the bad stuff.

By following this simple advice you can reduce your heart disease risk through lower cholesterol food. Your health is definitely worth it.

Introduction

The traditional Mediterranean diet, rich in tomatoes, tomato products, and other carotenoids has been associated with a lower incidence of chronic diseases, including heart disease. Recent scientific studies have shown that people who eat regularly tomatoes and tomato products are less likely to suffer from heart attacks than those who don’t make tomatoes part of their diets.

Tomatoes and the arteries

Tomatoes are crucial in the fight against heart disease because they contain lycopene. Lycopene has been identified as the responsible substance for the antioxidant effects of tomatoes in many studies; recent research suggests that consumption of tomato products prevents the oxidation of LDL cholesterol, the “bad” guy. Oxidized cholesterol is considered the primary initial step leading to the formation of plaque in the arteries and consequently to heart attacks.

What is lycopene?

Lycopene is the red pigment found in several fruits and vegetables such as guava, rosehips, watermelon, pink grapefruit, and red chilies, but it mainly comes from tomatoes and tomato products. As a powerful antioxidant, lycopene prevents the oxidation of LDL cholesterol caused by free radicals. Free radicals are highly unstable and destructive molecules that subject our cells to oxidative stress, continuous damage that eventually kills the cells. When radicals kill or damage enough cells in an organism, the organism ages and eventually dies. In a study to investigate the effects of tomato lycopene on the oxidation of cholesterol, Agarwal and colleagues provided the participants one-to-two servings per day of tomato juice, spaghetti sauce, and concentrated lycopene for one week. The study showed an important reduction of oxidized LDL cholesterol.

Lycopene can also reduce the amount of cholesterol in the blood. For three months, 60 men were fed 60 milligrams of lycopene per day—the equivalent found in 1 kilo of tomatoes. At the end of the treatment period, the results showed a 14 percent reduction in LDL cholesterol in the blood.



Absorption of lycopene

An important consideration in studying lycopene is its absorption by our cells. Our tissues have to gulp lycopene from the food we eat and get it inside our cells before they can put it to some use. Research has shown that the level of lycopene found in our organs’ tissues is a better indicator of disease prevention than the amount of lycopene we eat. Individuals who have a high concentration of lycopene in their tissues have a lower risk of heart attacks than those who have a low level. In a two-week study conducted by Micozzi, the subjects followed a diet that did not contain lycopene. By the end of the second week, the level of lycopene in the blood of these individuals had decreased by 50 percent and the cholesterol oxidation had increased by 25 percent.

Research has also shown that lycopene is better absorbed when the meal includes some fat.

How to increase absorption of lycopene

Lycopene appears more readily in the blood if the meal includes a source of fat or if the tomatoes have been heated, as in the case of tomato sauce and tomato paste. Heat changes the chemical structure of lycopene and makes it ready for our cells to swallow it up. Once inside the cells, it is deposited in all our organs. A study published in 1998 showed that our cells absorb lycopene better from processed tomato products than from fresh tomatoes.

To increase the level of lycopene in your body tissues you can do several things:

• Process the tomatoes with heat. An example would be tomato sauce, tomato paste, or tomato soup.

• Eat fresh tomatoes with fats such as olive oil.

• Eat products that contain lycopene with other food antioxidants. An example would be eating tomatoes with other vegetables such as in salads or eating a piece of fruit for dessert. Use olive oil and lemon juice as dressing, and you will have the perfect combination of lycopene and antioxidants.

In a study conducted by Tyssandier and colleagues, the subjects were supplemented with 96 grams of tomato puree per day for three months. The volunteers then avoided foods rich in tomatoes for the next three weeks. The results showed that including tomato puree in a regular diet significantly increased blood lycopene, beta-carotene, and lutein. Avoiding tomato products for three weeks decreased the level of all antioxidants as well as the total antioxidant capacity of the blood.

Ways to Include More Tomatoes in Your Meals

• Make it a point to always have tomatoes at home. Bright red, ripe tomatoes have more lycopene than green or yellow.

• Always include tomatoes in your salads. Use olive oil and lemon or vinegar as dressing.

• Eat pasta with tomato sauce.

• Add some tomato slices to your sandwich.

• Rub half a tomato on the bread you eat with your meal.

• Always keep canned tomatoes—“no salt added”—on hand. They are very handy when you are in a hurry and need them for soups or sauces. One of my favorite brands is Muir Glen Organic— “no salt added,” of course.

• Whenever possible, visit your local farmers’ market and look for locally grown tomatoes.

Is pizza a good combination of tomato and fat?

Although pizza is not the ideal combination of fat and lycopene because the fat in cheese is mainly saturated, the wrong type for our arteries, you can eat pizza in moderation. Ask the waiter or cook to go easy on the cheese and hold the pepperoni and ham.



About the Author:

Emilia Klapp is a Registered Dietitian. With her new book, “Your Heart Needs the Mediterranean Diet”, Emilia Klapp has helped many people just like you reduce the risk of heart disease and lose weight at the same time. For more information on the book and to receive a free especial report on the “Top 10 Mediterranean Curative Ingredients” go to: http://www.emiliaklapp.com

Congestive Heart Failure/heart disease

Weakening of the heart causing insufficient blood flow to vital organs, symtpoms include shortness of breath, fliud retention, enlarged heart, and weakend kidney function. Eating the right kind of fat is important. If you crave bad fats then your body is telling you that you really need “good” fats like Super Omega 3 which helps to reduce heart disease and inflammation. Lecithin is another “good” fat that helps liquify cholesterol and dissolve plaque. FIBER IS VERY IMPORTANT ALSO!! If u don’t get enough in your diet we have Natures 3- Fiber rich and sodium free supplement

NEVER cook with Criso. best is olive oil

Natural supplements for the heart:

L-Carnitine is an amino acid that is already in our body but depletes with age. Its function is to transport long-chain fatty acids therefore reducing and preventing fat buildup in the heart and circulatory system. Symptoms of a deficiency include progressive muscle weakness and hypoglycemia. Used for heart problems, weight control and loss of energy, Reye’s syndrome, Graves Disease…

Hawthorn Berries  is an herb that strengthens and restores the heart. Clinical and labratory research findings show that it is beneficial in treating an umber of heart conditions including, angina, arrhythmia, artherosclerosis, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. It improves the tone of the heart muscle, oxygen uptake, improves circulation to the heart, energizes heart cells and dilates blood vessels. When used for blood pressure, garlic works great along with it! Completely safe for long term use However the ONLY interaction is the drug digitalis does sometimes counteract and must be reduced and your dr wean you slowly off the digitalis.

CoQ10 is probably the most important heart nutrient for the circulatory system. It lowers blood pressure,oxygenates the heart muscle, detoxification and extends life for those with congestive heart disease. Your bodies natural CoQ10 depletes with age, esp. after 50 so supplementing is essential. Great to use with hawthorn or garlic. It is beneficial to the heart, liver, gums, thyroid, muscles and pituatary. From recovery from a heart attack larger doses are required 1,000 mg daily. Also helps reduce side effects of chemotherapy.

Antioxidants are a must and this is the best and highest antioxidant level on the market today. It is the ONLY product with ORAC certified label by the Brunswick Labs. Higher antioxidant levels than all competitors including Monavie and Xango. THAI GO  clearly outperformed all other leading competitors in ORAC capacity- Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity(which is the measure of antioxidant strength) It is the only product with the ORAC stamp on the label from the Brunswick Lab.

Bioflavonoids enhance Vitamin C absorption and help maintain collagen and capillary walls.  Also aid in the bodys defense system. Antioxidants scavage and destroy damaging free radicals and benefit every organ and system in the body. Antioxidants are getting increasing attention from the scientific community.  Xanthones has attracted alot of attention also, scientists are discovering that these compounds support immune, structural and digestive systems, and the brain and skin.Free Radicals are hgih energy particles caused by pollutants that we absorb through the air, diet, drinking, through your skin..Free radicals lack an electron. Their only mission is to steal one, causing damage to your healthy cells by altering its chemical structure. In the oxidative chaos, free radicals critically damage your cells, proteins, DNA and therefore causes cancer, arthritis, diabetes, heart disease and on and on. Antioxidants are important to us because they stop damage from free radicals by providing them with the elecrons they so desperately are seeking out, leaving strong and healthy cells alone.

Mangosteen is one of the key ingredients of Thai Go, a fruit found in Thailand. Mangosteen contains the single-greatest known supply of xanthones that support the immune, structural, digestive systems, brain and skin health. Antibiotic, antifungal and anti-inflammatory benefits. Also helps rid our body of toxins and free radicals that have been damaging our bodies from  birth.Mangosteen fruit contains the highest content of xanthones.

Researchers studying xanthones, have discovered that they are a powerful aid in fighting diabetes. Mangosteens xanthones are also very helpful with high blood pressure.Xanthones have been shown to have beneficial effects on some cardiovascular diseases, including heart disease and stroke, atheriosclerosis, hypertension, and thrombosis. Inflammation is one of the main causes of heart disease.  Mangosteens natural substance offer the potential of halting or reversing this inflammation. Also good to lower cholesterol. Fibromaylagia.

Xanthones have been demonstrated by scientists at the National University of Singapore to possess anti-viral properties also. Other international scientists have discovered that mangosteen xanthones can destroy salmonella and tuberculosis bacteria.

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