Rice is frequently consumed in combination with other foods, such as vegetables, beans, and meat. It is a low cost food, so it allows you to stretch your food budget.

There are many varieties of rice, many of which you are probably not familiar with, such as Arborio, black, red, jasmine, basmati, and then the more common wild, brown, and white.

All rice provides a variety of nutrients, including carbohydrates and protein. Plus, rice is gluten free. A one cup serving of wild rice even contains 156 mg of omega 3 fatty acids to help promote heart health and lower cholesterol.

The two most common include white rice and brow rice, so let’s by compare these two options.

White Rice vs. Brown Rice
Continue reading ‘The Best Type of Rice to Promote Heart Health’ »

Guest post provided by Rebecca S. Reeves, DrPH, RD, FADA

2013 is shaping up to be a year of prevention, which should have you thinking about how well you are treating your own heart. If you are trying to maintain healthy cholesterol levels, or your doctor has said that you need to lower your cholesterol, you are probably trying to keep a close eye on your diet.

This does not mean that you must avoid all your favorite foods. What it might take is substituting different ingredients in a recipe or stir-frying a food rather than deep fat frying it.

Learning the difference in the types of fat that we eat and where these fats are found in our food is also important to controlling the cholesterol levels in our blood. Taking precautions today could prevent a heart condition tomorrow.

Here are some of the most common myths and facts that you should know.
Continue reading ‘Common myths about cholesterol, foods and fats’ »

At the American College of Cardiology Scientific Session in March of 2012, information was presented from the University of Michigan Systems showing that children understand the effect of healthy behaviors on overall health.

Project Health Schools, which is a community-University of Michigan System project, measured risk factors for heart disease in middle school children. Measured risk factors included lipid profiles and physical activity before and after receiving education on healthy behaviors. They found that after receiving education the middle school students showed positive behaviors towards improving lipid profiles, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides. This indicates middle school children are not too young to understand the impact of healthy behaviors and they have the ability to implement changes.

This implementation of healthy behaviors at an early age is critical to lifelong health and reduced risk for heart disease, heart attacks and strokes. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 17% of children and teens are overweight or obese. This is triple the rate one generation ago and puts children at increased risk for health complications just as excess weight impacts adults.
Continue reading ‘Educate Children on Healthy Behaviors to Reduce Heart Disease Risk’ »

Do you take statin medication? If so, when did your doctor recommend you being statins? Was it when your lab results found your LDL cholesterol levels to be elevated?

LDL cholesterol has been the measure used to determine when lipid lowering therapy is needed…and statins are often the therapy started.

Research is beginning to question if LDL is the best measure for knowing if cholesterol treatment is warranted to reduce heart disease risk.
Continue reading ‘Heart Disease Risk and Cholesterol Levels’ »

There are some very interesting questions coming out regarding the benefits of HDL cholesterol.

High HDL cholesterol has always been encouraged because people with higher HDL cholesterol levels have a reduced risk for heart disease. If you have low HDL cholesterol levels it’s likely that your doctor recommended you to boost levels through diet and exercise or by taking niacin supplements. This is due to the long held belief that HDL cholesterol reduces heart disease risk by “picking up” artery clogging cholesterol from circulation.

A new study utilizing modern genetic testing is challenging this theory, finding that there may not be a direct cause-and-effect relationship between reduced heart disease risk and high HDL cholesterol levels. Study findings indicate the high HDL levels themselves may not be protective on their own. These high HDL levels may be an indicator of something else reducing heart disease risk.
Continue reading ‘Why is HDL Cholesterol Considered to be ‘Good’?’ »

Phytosterols (plant sterols) are similar in structure to cholesterol. Consuming phytosterols as part of your diet can decrease total cholesterol because molecularly they are very similar to cholesterol. As you digest phytosterols they can prevent cholesterol from being absorbed into the bloodstream and therefore the cholesterol that is not absorbed is removed from the system as waste.

Red yeast rice is a fermented product where red yeast has grown on rice. It acts as a natural statin drug in that it forms monacolins (HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors) that lower cholesterol levels. Red yeast rice contains isoflavones, sterols, and monounsaturated fats that also promote lower cholesterol levels.

A study published April 2012 in the Journal of Dietary Supplements studied 18 individuals with high cholesterol. Daily for six weeks the 18 participants received a combination of phytosterols and red yeast rice.

Study results found the supplement combination decreased total cholesterol 19% and LDL Cholesterol 33%. No changes were seen in triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, blood pressure, BMI, or liver function.

For comparison, a 1999 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found statins to reduce LDL Cholesterol 28%.

Granted, this wasn’t a large study, but it does show there is likely a way to achieve the results of statins (or even better results) without needing the medication and the potential side effects.

Explore all your options with your doctor.

Keep in mind that even though red yeast rice is naturally occurring, it can deplete coenzyme Q10 levels just like statin drugs. Coenyzme Q10 plays a key role within every cell for energy production. Some coenzyme Q10 deficiency symptoms include aches/pains, fatigue, sore muscles, weakness, and shortness of breath. Be sure to supplement coenzyme Q10 if taking red yeast rice or statin medications.

Access the free e-course How to Lower Cholesterol in 8 Simple Steps at http://lowercholesterolwithlisa.com.

Heart Health Made Easy: Master the Basics to Lower Blood Pressure and Cholesterol for a Longer, Healthier Life Click here to learn more.

You don’t necessarily need mega doses of specific vitamins and minerals in pill form to treat an illness. Fruits and vegetables are one natural source high in both vitamins and minerals.

Today let’s discuss four spices linked to health benefits and why.

Cloves

Cloves are a natural way to reduce blood sugar, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, and total cholesterol levels. This was clearly supported by a published 2006 placebo-controlled study that divided diabetics into four groups. Group 1 received a placebo supplement, group 3 received 1 gram of cloves daily, group 3 received 2 grams of cloves daily, and group 4 received 3 grams of cloves daily. All groups continued their daily supplement for 30 days. All participants receiving some level of cloves experienced improvements.

Cloves are rich in phenolic compounds that interfere with the artery clogging oxidation of LDL cholesterol.

Curry (Turmeric)

Curry is a powerful antioxidant and works to eliminate free radicals and inflammation. This means curry can be an effective tool for treating arthritis, heart disease, and cancer.

Continue reading ‘Spices – 4 Natural Health Remedies in Your Kitchen’ »

Berries of all kinds are a wonderful addition to any diet. Let’s look specifically at the nutrient dense raspberry.

A one cup serving contains just 64 calories, 8 grams of dietary fiber, and 54% of your daily vitamin C needs.

A diet high in fiber promotes lower cholesterol and blood pressure. Studies have found for every 1-2 grams of soluble fiber each day lowers LDL cholesterol 1%. A 1 cup serving of raspberries provides 1 gram of soluble fiber.

Raspberries are low in fat and high in antioxidants, such as vitamin A, vitamin E, and vitamin C. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that boosts our immune system, increases nitric oxide, promotes wound healing, lowers triglycerides, and prevents free radical damage associated with LDL cholesterol. (Vitamin C plays many more roles in our health than what I’ve listed.)

Continue reading ‘Raspberries to Reduce Inflammation and Lower Cholesterol’ »

If you keep heart healthy foods on hand and easily accessible you will be much more likely to see success in your efforts to lower cholesterol and blood pressure. If you keep unhealthy foods within reach you will make it much harder to achieve your heart health goals. Don’t rely on will power! Stock you kitchen for success. Here are some essentials to keep on hand:

Whole grains

Whole grains, such as barley, oats, rice, buckwheat, and quinoa, are rich in fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. These nutrient dense grains promote a healthy heart.

Olive oil
Continue reading ‘How to Stock a Heart Healthy Kitchen’ »

By selecting whole grains you consume more nutrient dense foods that provide higher fiber content . . . all of which equals a heart healthy choice. Whole grain products contain all layers of the whole grain – the bran, the germ, and the endosperm. When it comes to selecting whole grains, you have many more options than just being sure to grab 100% whole wheat bread when grocery shopping. There are many whole grain varieties available to you.

Oats

Oats almost never having the bran or germ removed during processing. This means when you read a food label and see oats or oat flour listed as an ingredient, it’s safe to know this is a whole grain ingredient. Oatmeal has been linked to lower cholesterol levels.
Continue reading ‘Heart Health: Are you selecting whole grains?’ »