Blog - Page 53 of 121 - Lower Cholesterol and Blood Pressure with Lisa Nelson RD

Lower CholesterolLower Cholesterol with 3 Diet Shifts

Published October 26, 2011

Dietary changes can result in lower cholesterol levels. By making dietary changes to promote lower cholesterol levels you’ll be able to work with your doctor to gradually wean off medication and eliminate negative medication side effects. And the diet changes don’t have to be hard!

Here are three examples of simple diet shifts that will promote a lower cholesterol.

Diet Shift #1 – Replace eggs & bacon with oatmeal & fruit.

If your standard breakfast consists of cholesterol laden fried eggs and a side of fat (okay, bacon) swap this out for a bowl of oatmeal topped with fresh berries and ground flaxseed. The whole grain oatmeal will promote lower cholesterol levels, blood sugar control, and help you feel full longer. Antioxidant rich berries will help reduce the oxidation of LDL cholesterol that leads to plaque build up, while flaxseed is a rich source of heart healthy omega 3 fatty acids.

Continue reading →

Lower Blood PressureHigh Blood Pressure and Dehydration

Published October 20, 2011

When you think about water and blood pressure the link between dehydration and low blood pressure probably comes to mind. Dehydration is a potential cause of low blood pressure due to resulting decreased blood volume leading to reduced pressure against artery walls.

However, did you know not drinking enough water can lead to high blood pressure?

When you do not drink adequate water the body will compensate by retaining sodium. That should be a red flag. Sodium is directly related to high blood pressure.

While this sodium retention takes place, the persistent dehydration will lead the body to gradually ‘close’ some of the capillary beds. This leads to increased pressure places on arteries and a rise in blood pressure.

Here are three steps you can take to prevent high blood pressure that is caused by dehydration.

Continue reading →

Posted in Lower Blood Pressure | Tagged blood pressure, high blood pressure, hydration, hypertension, water

Heart HealthMetabolic Syndrome Bigger Problem for Heart Disease Than Obesity

Published October 18, 2011

A study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology has found individuals with a healthy weight and metabolic syndrome are at increased risk of heart failure when compared to overweight individuals that are metabolically healthy.

Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is the name given to a group of risk factors that increase your risk for heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.

Here are the five conditions considered risk factors for metabolic syndrome:

Continue reading →

Posted in Heart Health | Tagged heart disease risk, heart failure, metabolic syndrome

Lower CholesterolWhat equals 25 – 35 grams of dietary fiber?

Published October 12, 2011

fiber-legumes

I recently had an individual email me the following question:

How much fiber do I need to eat to equal 25 grams? How many pieces of fruit, slices of bread, cups of barley or flaxseed? I can’t relate to 25 grams.

I want to share the answer with everyone. Read on. . .

How Much Dietary Fiber

You need to consume between 25-35 grams of dietary fiber daily. Of this, soluble fiber should make up 15 grams. For every 1-2 grams of daily soluble fiber intake, LDL (bad) cholesterol is lowered 1%.

The average US dietary fiber intake is 12-18 grams/day. If your current diet is very low in dietary fiber, do not increase to 35 grams overnight. A sudden increase will result in gastrointestinal (stomach) distress and unpleasant side effects (flatulence and diarrhea). You want to increase your intake gradually.

Top 5 Foods Containing Dietary Fiber

Continue reading →

Posted in Heart Health, Lower Cholesterol | Tagged cholesterol, dietary fiber, fiber, how much fiber, Lower Cholesterol

Lose WeightWeight Loss Gifts Giveaway Offers Best Selection of FREE Health and Wellness Related Products, Services & Memberships

Published October 11, 2011

I wanted to let you know today about a Weight Loss site that will allow you to download a ton of weight loss-related gifts. And the best part is that it is absolutely FREE!

If you’ve had enough of plodding along year after year and you want to improve yourself and your health to make this your BEST ever year, then you need to go here: http://weightlossgiftsgiveaway.com/go/114

The Weight Loss Gifts Giveaway will be open only for a VERY LIMITED TIME from October 6th to October 27th, 2011. When you go there you’ll find a multitude of products – all FREE – provided by Weight Loss experts from all over the world. Here is just a small sample of what you will find:

Continue reading →

Posted in Lose Weight | Tagged free weight loss, weight loss, weight loss gift, weight loss giveaway

Lower CholesterolTLC Diet to Lower Cholesterol

Published October 6, 2011

Are you familiar with the TLC diet? I was not, so when I saw this treatment plan to lower cholesterol I was interested to see what it was all about. Below I’ve shared a summary of the diet plan and a link where you can access more information.

TLC stands for Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes and consists of a three part program of diet, physical activity, and weight management.

Diet

Diet changes focus on reduces saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol in your daily intake. If you are overweight, you would also work to reduce your daily calorie intake.

Here are goal levels for nutrients on the TLC diet:

Continue reading →

Posted in Heart Health, Lower Cholesterol | Tagged lower cholesterol, therapeutic lifestyle changes, tlc diet