High cholesterol is a big and invisible danger. Because of the invisible nature of high cholesterol, many people tend to ignore the dangers associated with it. Because they can’t really tell what’s going on, people don’t worry about it as they should. However, having high cholesterol can lead to serious health problems if left untreated. It is important to do everything that you can to keep your cholesterol levels at a healthy level and get your cholesterol checked regularly.

To get your cholesterol checked, your physician will tell you that you cannot eat twelve hours or so before the blood test, which is the way your physician will test your cholesterol levels. During this test, your HDL, LDL, and triglyceride levels will be checked. Your HDL is typically referred to as “good cholesterol,” as this form of cholesterol prevents artery blockages. It is your LDL level that you should really be concerned about, as this type of cholesterol is what builds up and creates blockages in your arteries.

While anyone can suffer from high cholesterol, ultimately a patient’s background will be the deciding factor on whether or not they will be at risk for more serious health complications. A patient that has high blood pressure, smokes, is overweight, or has a background that might lead to a possibility of heart trouble might increase the risk of heart problems due to high cholesterol. This is why this test is so important.

The blood test, known as a lipid panel, is sent to a lab, and the results are given back to your physician, who will then inform you of the results. You will be advised of your LDL, HDL, triglycerides, and the total cholesterol levels. While the acceptable numbers for each vary by individual, only your physician will be able to tell you what the appropriate levels should be and how your results compare. Your physician will then be able to help you come up with a plan to assist in lowering your cholesterol should it be high and potentially dangerous to your health.

If you find that you have been diagnosed with high cholesterol, you should work with your doctor and make some significant changes to your lifestyle. Cutting out bad habits that might be assisting in your high cholesterol can be the first step in lowering your cholesterol levels. When paired with a diet that is cholesterol-friendly and proper exercise, your health will show a great change. Don’t let high cholesterol be a silent killer – take steps to protect yourself.

Did you know that the food you eat could be prematurely ageing you? Science has made some amazing discoveries in the last decade in nutrition. We really should be taking note of what we put in our mouth because more than ever, “we are what we eat”. Do you know the impact of what you are eating? Probably not. It’s time to find out because over-indulgence in certain types of food cause the body to prematurely age.

Would you like some more free radicals with your lunch…? There is frequent mention these days about ‘free radicals’ and how they are constantly attacking the body, causing potentially serious damage.

A free radical is the name for a molecule that has an unpaired electron. They are a normal by-product of metabolism and without them you would die.

To put the record straight, it’s the over-production of free radicals that causes damage to the body. We are advised by nutritional experts to eat plenty of fruit and vegetables.

This is because they are rich in antioxidant phytonutrients…substances that neutralise free radicals and so help protect the body.

One of the essential tasks of free radicals is in producing energy from the food you eat. Every time you eat, free radical activity is intense. The more food you eat, the more free radicals are formed, and the more antioxidants your body needs to neutralise them. Big meals are big trouble!

Effective Antioxidants include vitamins A, C, E; minerals such as selenium, zinc, and herbs such as aloe vera and grapeseed extract.

The Reality of Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are root vegetables, pasta, rice, bread, grains, fruit, pastries, cakes, biscuits, crisps, sweets etc. They are easy to prepare, filling, tasty and cheap. Most meals are dominated by carbohydrates, as most of us ‘full up’ on them. When you eat carbohydrates you’re eating a form of sugar.

Carbohydrates are converted by the body into glucose, which is either used immediately for energy, or stored in fat cells. Carbohydrates make up an excessive proportion of the diet, add together a lack of exercise and excess sugar and the inevitable result is excess weight.

By reducing your overall carbohydrate intake and reducing the size of your meals, you reduce your body’s exposure to free radical activity, and, the amount of excess food that meals, you reduce your body’s exposure to free radical activity, and, the amount of excess food that gets stored as unwanted fat. A double bonus!

Big meals are too much stress

Food is in abundance – look around the supermarket shelves at the food mountain! Fill your trolley, take it home and fill your kitchen cupboards – fill your plate and fill your stomach till you can barely move. How many times a week do you overeat? How many free radicals are attacking your body and accelerating the aging process? You could choose to eat less.

Think about your meals over the last week.

Better still, keep a food diary for the next week, record each meal by drawing a plate divided up showing how much protein, carbohydrate, fat, vegetables and fruit you eat at each mealsnack. After a week you’ll be able to see for yourself how much sugar you are eating.

There is a strong possibility that whoever reads this article is looking into ways of losing weight. In this article I describe how I went about losing my excess weight. I hope you enjoy the read.

I have had many problems with my weight throughout my life. Being overweight had a major negative effect on my confidence and made me feel down and at times depressed. When feeling low, I would comfort eat which merely added to the problem.

A few years ago I decided I had had enough of being fat and that it was time to do something about it. I was now more determined than ever to lose some of my excess weight. I had read about many different types of diet most of which I felt were not suitable for me and others which sounded disgusting.

What I required was my own type of weight loss program. I have never liked the thought of attending a gym, they seem to be full of thin people, however I knew that exercise would need to be a factor. Instead, I started to walk a lot more instead of driving everywhere, I also started to play football and tennis again. The thought of going out jogging did not really appeal to me, however I did buy an exercise bike which I kept in my bedroom.

As well as exercise, I also realised that I had to change my eating habits. I am somebody who likes to eat all the wrong types of food. I love all types of take away including pizzas, a curry, a chinese, and chips. I would always be snacking in between meals, on things like peanuts and crisps. I also was rather partial to alcohol, this is something which helped me to gain confidence.

The thought of cutting all of these things out of my life seemed to harsh, so I decided that I would start to write down everything I ate. This way I could see exactly what I could cut out.

This is what I decided to eat on average per day.

I would eat a healthy breakfast such as toast or cerial. I would try not to eat any snacks in between any meals, this was the thing that would be most difficult to stick to. I did however come up with a plan which you will probably think is daft. Whenever I felt hungry or a desire for food I would eat a polo mint or if I was at home, would clean my teeth. Sounds crazy but it worked for me!

For lunch I would also stick to something healthy like pasta, however for my evening meal, I decided that I could eat anything that I wanted, including curry. On the weekend I would always treat myself to a takeaway and would allow myself some alcohol.

This type of diet needs a lot of discipline and character, however it hs helped me to become a lot more confident and happy with life.

Good luck.

The diet that worked for me

I have had a lot of issues and problems with my weight. It has had a major effect on my life, it knocked my confidence and I had an all round low self-esteem.

A couple of years ago I decided to do something about it, to try to lose some of my excess fat. I had heard of many different types of diet most of which I felt were not suitable for me and even sounded disgusting.

I decided on self-help, doing it my way. I knew that exercise would need to be a factor, however was not willing to join a gym. Gyms seem full of people who are already thin! I started to walk a lot more instead of driving everywhere, and started to play tennis again, even though I must admit am pretty rubbish it. I am not exactly the most athletic person and this basically was all the exercise I did.

The main reason I was overweight was because of my poor diet. I like to eat the types of food you are told not to. I love pizzas, a curry, chips, peanuts and especially alcohol. Most people I knew would tell me to cut out all of these from my diet completely- get real! Sorry, thats not possible, I enjoy them too much.

I thought about what to do and decided that I would start to write down everything I ate. I would eat a healthy breakfast and then would try not to eat until lunch. I am somebody who loves to snack, eating crisps and chocolate especially. I knew that to not eat anything until lunch would be difficult but I had a plan. Whenever I felt hungry or a desire for food I would eat a polo mint or if at home would clean my teeth. Sounds crazy but it worked for me! I would also not eat between lunch and my evening meal. The evening meal would be my biggest meal of the day and would include anything I wanted including chips. On the weekend I would always treat myself to a takeaway and would allow myself some alcohol.

This type of diet needs a lot of discipline and character, however you do not have to do that much exercise or cut any type of food from your diet.

Good luck.

Losing weight doesn’t have to be boring when you focus on living foods. What does this mean? Simply by making sure your plate reflects a range of colours, you’ll naturally create more balanced and healthful menus complete with a range of living foods.

What are living foods? They are re live, colourful, fresh and raw – fruits, vegetables and salads!

Let’s Look At The Positives

1. Colourful foods have no preservatives and no added colour!

2. Provide an abundance of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fibre, water and trace elements.

3. Have a high water content – an excellent source of hydration for the body.

4. Are visually appetising.

5. Their firm textures demand a good chew, so we eat them more slowly and feel full afterwards.

6. Are quickly and easily processed and assimilated by the body – less work for the digestive system.

7. Are safer – contain less undesirable man-made chemicals.

8. Are as nature intended unlike processed, pre-packaged modern fast foods!

9. Are pure energy – living food.

Consuming Cooked Foods

1. Heat destroys the vitalising nutrients in colourful foods. So much so that sometimes, you may as well be eating cardboard for all the good it does your body!

2. The effectiveness of fibre in cooked fresh foods is reduced – vegetables that are floppy and overcooked pass through the body with a reduced ‘cleansing’ action.

3. If you cook vegetables, always steam them lightly and aim to retain their ‘crunch’!

4. Cooked vegetables tend to turn out soft and therefore require less chewing, which means they are usually eaten more quickly, so are less satisfying.

5. Heat also destroys the enzymes in fresh foods, which are essential for digestion. This means the body has to tap into its own precious supply of enzymes to support the digestive process.

6. Heat also destroys the enzymes in fresh foods, which are essential for digestion. This means the body has to tap into its own precious supply of enzymes to support the digestive process.

Eat less … lose weight?!? Here’s the other stuff you can do to get leaner.

1 Dont diet to extremes. Reducing calories by 15-20 a day will almost exclusively burn fat while larger cuts in calories will burn a combo of muscle tissue and fat. Muscle drives the metabolism calorie burning. If youre currently eating 3000 calories, reduce to 2400-2550, but do so according to smart guidelines like those laid out in The Living Health Weight Loss Audio.

2 Graze all day. Professional athletes and models eat all day long yet keep their total calories under control. The grazing method, 5-6 small meals, elevates the metabolism. Each time you eat, the metabolism increases, and over a 6-10 week period, that increase can parlay into another 2-3 pounds of fat loss.

3 Increase Protein. Carbs, protein and fat are equal in their efficiency to be stored as body fat, but protein exerts a greater metabolic boosting effect than carbs or dietary fat. When calories drop, protein saves muscle which helps keep the metabolism elevated. Aim for 1.2 grams per pound of bodyweight daily.

4 Play with Carbs. Carbs help retain metabolic boosting muscle yet they can stimulate fat storage. Following a modified low carb diet staggering your carbohydrate intake is one of the most effective ways to jump start your
metabolism and to burn stubborn fat fast as outlined in Maximize Your Metabolism and the Living Health Audio Program.

5 Go Backward. One reason fat loss comes to a halt; the body downgrades its metabolism to meet its dwindling intake of calories. The solution dramatically increase your calorie intake once every 2-3 weeks. The one day splurge re-sets the metabolism by restoring thyroid levels, the calorie burning hormone that declines with dieting.

6 Skip the Late Night Carbs. Carbs eaten before bedtime are more likely to be stored as body fat so focus on lean proteins and fiber based vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower and salad fixings. The lone exception if you train late at night and your goal is to build muscle mass, youll need the carbs to replenish glycogen and support growth.

7 Go Fish. When calories are controlled, the inclusion of omega-3 fatty acids found in salmon, trout and sardines may promote speedier fat loss. One study revealed dieters who ate fish on a daily basis lost more weight than those who ate fish just once a week Am Journ Clin Nutr 70817-825, 1999

8 Go Spicy. Red peppers, the spicy ingredient in Mexican and Indian dishes contains Capsaicin which can increase the metabolic rate by effecting the Sympathetic Branch of the Nervous system. Spiking your chicken dishes with red might be a small benefit or you can gulp 5 to 10 encapsulated grams of Capsaicin from your local health food store. Journal of Nutrition 1161272-1278, 1986.

9 Dont Be Cardio Crazy! Radically reducing calories slows the metabolism short circuiting fat loss. Same is true with radical caloric expenditure. You know 2 cardio sessions a day. Excess cardio slows the metabolism, promotes a loss in muscle and even can lower testosterone levels. For real results, stick to 4-6 sessions a week, 30 45 minutes at a clip and maintain a high level of intensity.

10 Separate Cardio From Weight Training. What happens when you do cardio first and follow it up with weight training? You dont build as much muscle density. How about cardio after training? You risk overtraining and the negative hormonal milieu that can stifle the metabolic rate. The best scenario; hit the cardio in the morning on an empty stomach get in a few meals and return to the gym later in the day to build muscle density.

11 Serotonin Control. Serotonin is a brain chemical that helps controls hunger. Guess what? It can take a nose dive with dieting. R.J. Wurtman and J.J. Wurtman, Brain serotonin, carbohydrate-craving, obesity, and depression. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology 398 1996 35-41. One way to prevent a drop; smaller, more frequent meals.

12 Garlic Chicken! Mother Earths flavor enhancer stimulates adrenaline and uncoupling proteins UCP. Adrenaline triggers fat breakdown and UCP, located in metabolically active brown fat, increase calorie burning. Garlic also controls cortisol levels which can supports muscle retention while dieting. For best results use fresh raw garlic in your salads or on your other meals, but if you can’t handle raw garlic then use fresh bulbs in you cooking or give supplements a try. Oi Y, et al., Allyl-containing sulfides in garlic increase uncoupling protein content in brown adipose tissue, and noradenaline and adrenaline secretion in rats. J Nutr 129336-342,1999. Wang HX, Et al., Natural products with hypoglycemic, hypotensive, hypocholesterolemic, antiatherosclerotic and antithrombotic activities. Life Sci 652663-2677,1999.

13 Sip Green Tea. Green tea contains caffeine and polyphenols called epilgallocatechin gallate which have been shown to increase calorie burning. These special calorie burning compounds help burn an extra 100 or-so calories a day, about equal to a brisk walk. In maximizing fat loss, every calorie counts. Dullo, A.G., et al., Efficiency of a green tea extract rich in catechin polyphenols and caffeine in increasing 24-h energy expenditure and fat oxidation in humans. Am J Clin Nutr, 1999. 706p.1040-5.

14 Fat? Yes Fat! To rip up, you have to eat fewer carbs, but on occasion say once a week – you can add a little healthy fat, 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, some red meat, walnuts or cashews. The reason? Dietary fat can make the body more effective in using and burning fat as long as calories and carbs remain under control. Thomas CD et al. Nutrient Balance and Energy Expenditure During the Ad Libitum Feeding of High Fat and High Carbohydrate Diets in Humans. Am J Clin Nutr 1992;55934

15 Thyroid Support. Irony of Ironies. When you eat less and try to dump body fat, a lot of times the metabolism adapts and burns quite a bit fewer calories. One way to get around the slowdown is with phosphates. A combo of 537 mgs of calcium phosphate, 107 mgs of potassium phosphate and 25 mgs of sodium phosphate given to strict dieters yielded a 12-19 more elevated metabolism than dieters who did not use phosphates.

16 Write It Down. This one seems simple, but its one of the most overlooked tips in shedding fat. Dieters who record what they eat, meal by meal, day by day, not only make better choices, but cheat less and eat fewer total calories. Writing it down keeps you honest and is a tool for reminding you that getting lean is a day by day process.