high cholesterol problem
These often meet at libraries or other public places and can be a good way to get support and find out how others deal with high cholesterol and cholesterol-lowering treatments and medications. Many foods that claim to be low-cholesterol are full of saturated fats that are terrible for your cholesterol level. Many products labeled cholesterol-free, light or fat free are still high in trans and saturated fats or contain more fats than healthier food alternatives.

low cholesterol low triglyceride diets
Encourage your children to decide which fruits and vegetables look as though they might be tasty. In many cases, saturated fats come from animal proteins and products (meats, and milk products). For the next 30 days, consider where you shop for food: 1) Greengrocers, farmers markets, and farmers stands. Consider trying walking, hiking, swimming, exercising with a video tape, yoga, horseback riding, bicycling, jogging, rollerblading, ice skating, skiing, rowing, or other activities that are low-impact and heart-healthy.

Your Arteries and Cholesterol

The job of your arteries is to pump blood. The Dorsal Aorta or the main artery branches out into many smaller arteries. Each body system has arteries which are responsible for providing the oxygen rich blood that keeps us alive.

Too much cholesterol in the blood - especially bad cholesterol - prevents arteries from working their best. High levels of bad cholesterol may even prevent arteries from functioning at all, since cholesterol can actually lead to blockages in your arteries. For this reason, it is critical then that we keep arteries free of bad cholesterol for optimal health.

Arteries are constructed of a tough exterior and a soft, smooth interior. Each artery has three specific layers:
The outer layer

The middle (muscular) layer

The inner layer.

Each are made up of epithelial cells. The middle layer is elastic and very strong. It helps pump the body's blood. The inner layer is smooth and allows the blood to flow easily. As the heart beats, the arteries expand and are filled with blood. The heart relaxes and produces enough force to push the blood through. In a healthy person, this system works effectively and the blood can carry oxygen and other essentials throughout the body.

Disease fills the arteries with fatty deposits and this becomes a dangerous obstacle to good health. High cholesterol levels fill arteries with thick substances that prevent your body from working well. Your heart becomes starved of required blood. If this happens often enough you can suffer a heart attack or a stroke.

The main cause behind heart disease is this thickening of the fatty deposits in the arteries, and the main reason behind the blocking of arteries is high levels of bad cholesterol. This means that if you want to prevent heart disease, heart attacks, and strokes, you need to keep your cholesterol levels in a healthy range.

Even having borderline cholesterol levels - or bad cholesterol levels that are elevated but not considered very bad - can increase your chances of heart disease or stroke. No matter what your current health, eating a better diet and getting exercise can help keep you healthy.


Consider: Heart disease is one of the leading killers in North America. Lowering your cholesterol levels through a heart-healthy diet and exercise regimen is one of the best ways to prevent heart disease. Why wouldnt you want to take the simple steps necessary to lower your cholesterol and enjoy a better and possibly longer life?

Even if you are taking doctor-prescribed cholesterol medication, you will still need to: Control conditions such as diabetes, smoking, high blood pressure, and other health aspects that may affect your cholesterol and heart health Follow a diet that is healthy, low in salt and saturated fats, and low in food cholesterol Follow a good exercise regimen Lose weight if you are not at your ideal weight These heart-healthy choices may reduce or eliminate your need of cholesterol-lowering medications. Advertisers spend millions and even billions of dollars getting you to eat their foods - even when those foods are processed and contribute directly to higher cholesterol. 4) Even your doctor does not agree with natural medicine, make sure that he or she knows which natural treatments you are taking. Processed Foods Processed foods are foods that have been treated before being sold. Although statins have fewer side effects than many other cholesterol-lowering drugs, some patients experience cramps, gas, stomach upset, constipation and other digestive problems.