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Home | Health & Fitness | Yoga The rapid increase in the figures for the 20 - 44 age group - 70% in the last five years- is causing alarm. These drugs are normally associated with senior citizens so this increase could mean that the younger generation are taking their health more seriously or that there is an alarming increase in cholesterol levels. Experts agree that the latter option is the most likely scenario. The most effective and widely tested cholesterol drugs are called the statins, which block the formation of cholesterol in the liver and increase the production of the receptors on liver cells that clean the bad cholesterol from the blood. If you are worried about the side effects of statins, you may want to consider lowering your cholesterol levels a more natural way and that is through a healthy diet. Here are my four top foods which will definitely lower your cholesterol without having to take any drugs. The first one is tomatoes, in any shape or form, preferably cooked. Tomatoes contain lycopene which is great at stopping the oxidation of LDL cholesterol often known as bad cholesterol. Studies have shown that large consumption of lycopene can indeed reduce cholesterol levels. The lycopene is actually contained in the red skin and is also found in chilies and pink grapefruit. My second one is fish, preferably baked or grilled rather than fried in oil. Look out for high fat fish such as wild salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring, trout, etc. These are great sources of omega -3. Lots of studies done on the Eskimos who eat a lot of fish and they have a much lower rate of heart disease and blood pressure problems. Flaxseed and canola oil are also good sources of Omega -3 Soy comes third for me, mainly because it contains heaps of vitamins and minerals and it is a great source of low-fat protein so it saves me eating red meat or eggs to get that protein. Actually as regards blood pressure and cholesterol, the American Heart Association found that the effect was minimal. It is still in my top four foods because the nutrients I have listed above. Any type of nuts from walnuts, almonds, cashews and so on, come in fourth place. The first reason is that nuts are great sources of the healthy kind of fat and also contains Omega-3, not to mention some valuable minerals. I try to aim for 20% of my daily calorie intake. I am on 1,200 claories a day so nuts will account for about 200 of those. Actually researchers have shown that if you do that, it can reduce your cholesterol by about 12% - just with one small adjustment to your diet. Most of these foods I have outlined above are in the Mediterranean Diet which has been the object of much research around the world. Researchers have found that this diet is a great help in reducing high cholesterol and heart disease. Cancer rates and number of heart attacks are much lower in Mediterranean countries and this is due, they say, to their diet. Article Source: http://www.articlewheel.com
Tired of cholesterol drugs? Try The Mediterranean Diet See The Wellness Bible for the latest news and views on Health and Fitness.
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