Eating More Nuts And Soy May Help Beat High Cholesterol

If you've got high cholesterol, you know the diet advice: Go easy on foods high in saturated fat like red meat and cheese, and eat lots of fiber and whole grains.
The message still holds up, but researchers say it's time to tweak the message.
A new study finds there's extra benefit in adding plenty of soy, nuts and plant sterols. Plant sterols occur naturally in soybean oil, and are also found in butter substitutes like Take Control and Benecol.
  The study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association today found that people with high cholesterol who followed diets rich in soy, nuts, and plant sterols, successfully reduced their bad cholesterol levels by an average of 14 percent over 6 months. This compares to people who followed a more standard cholesterol-lowering diet. They reduced their LDL by just 3 percent.
"It's been known for a long time that plant sterols block cholesterol absorption," says David Jenkins of the University of Toronto, the lead author of the study. The participants in the study ate about 2 teaspoons a day of Take Control.
The subjects ate one handful of nuts per day (22.5 g), two servings of soy-based foods such as tofu and soy milk, and about two servings of foods high in viscous fiber such as oats, barley and psyllium. Jenkins explains soy proteins and nuts tend to reduce cholesterol synthesis in the liver.
Physicians reach for a prescription pad when diagnosing high cholesterol far too quickly, Jenkins says. "We're saying, hold on a minute," he adds.
He says adopting a diet rich in nuts, soy, fiber and plant sterols may postpone the need for a cholesterol-lowering statin medicine.
Genes do play a role in cholesterol, but the American Heart Association agrees that diet should be the first line of defense.
The new study was funded by the Canadian government, but in the interest of full disclosure, Unilever, makers of Take Control, provided the margarines used in the study. Support was also provided by Solae, a manufacturer of soy-based ingredients.

Can exercise make the brain more fit?

That absorbing question inspired a new study at the University of South Carolina during which scientists assembled mice and assigned half to run for an hour a day on little treadmills, while the rest lounged in their cages without exercising.
Earlier studies have shown that exercise sparks neurogenesis, or the creation of entirely new brain cells. But the South Carolina scientists were not looking for new cells. They were looking inside existing ones to see if exercise was whipping those cells into shape, similar to the way that exercise strengthens muscle.
For centuries, people have known that exercise remodels muscles, rendering them more durable and fatigue-resistant. In part, that process involves an increase in the number of muscle mitochondria, the tiny organelles that float around a cell’s nucleus and act as biological powerhouses, helping to create the energy that fuels almost all cellular activity. The greater the mitochondrial density in a cell, the greater its vitality.
Past experiments have shown persuasively that exercise spurs the birth of new mitochondria in muscle cells and improves the vigor of the existing organelles. This upsurge in mitochondria, in turn, has been linked not only to improvements in exercise endurance but to increased longevity in animals and reduced risk for obesity, diabetes and heart disease in people. It is a very potent cellular reaction.
Brain cells are also fueled by mitochondria. But until now, no one has known if a similar response to exercise occurs in the brain.
Like muscles, many parts of the brain get a robust physiological workout during exercise. “The brain has to work hard to keep the muscles moving” and all of the bodily systems in sync, says J. Mark Davis, a professor of exercise science at the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina and senior author of the new mouse study, which was published last month in The Journal of Applied Physiology. Scans have shown that metabolic activity in many parts of the brain surges during workouts, but it was unknown whether those active brain cells were actually adapting and changing.
To see, the South Carolina scientists exercised their mice for eight weeks. The sedentary control animals were housed in the same laboratory as the runners to ensure that, except for the treadmill sessions, the two groups shared the same environment and routine.
At the end of the two months, the researchers had both groups complete a run to exhaustion on the treadmill. Not surprisingly, the running mice displayed much greater endurance than the loungers. They lasted on the treadmills for an average of 126 minutes, versus 74 minutes for the unexercised animals.
More interesting, though, was what was happening inside their brain cells. When the scientists examined tissue samples from different portions of the exercised animals’ brains, they found markers of upwelling mitochondrial development in all of the tissues. Some parts of their brains showed more activity than others, but in each of the samples, the brain cells held newborn mitochondria.
There was no comparable activity in brain cells from the sedentary mice.
This is the first report to show that, in mice at least, two months of exercise training “is sufficient stimulus to increase mitochondrial biogenesis,” Dr. Davis and his co-authors write in the study.
The finding is an important “piece in the puzzle implying that exercise can lead to mitochondrial biogenesis in tissues other than muscle,” says Dr. Mark Tarnopolsky, a professor of medicine at McMaster Children’s Hospital, who was not involved with this experiment but has conducted many exercise studies.
The mitochondrial proliferation in the animals’ brains has implications that are wide-ranging and heartening. “There is evidence” from other studies “that mitochondrial deficits in the brain may play a role in the development of neurodegenerative diseases,” including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, Dr. Davis says. Having a larger reservoir of mitochondria in your brain cells could provide some buffer against those conditions, he says.
Dr. Tarnopolsky agrees. “Epidemiological studies show that long-term runners have a lower risk of neurological disease,” he points out.
More immediately, Dr. Davis speculates, re-energized brain cells could behave like mitochondrial-drenched muscle cells, becoming more resistant to fatigue and, since bodily fatigue is partly mediated by signals from the brain, allowing you to withstand more exercise. In effect, exercising the body may train the brain to allow you to exercise more, amplifying the benefits.
Revitalized brain cells also, at least potentially, could reduce mental fatigue and sharpen your thinking “even when you’re not exercising,” Dr. Davis says.
Of course, this experiment was conducted with animals, and “mouse brains are not human brains,” Dr. Davis says. “But,” he continues, “since mitochondrial biogenesis has been shown to occur in human muscles, just as it does in animal muscles, it is a reasonable supposition that it occurs in human brains.”
Best of all, the effort required to round your brain cells into shape is not daunting. A 30-minute jog, Dr. Davis says, is probably a good human equivalent of the workout that the mice completed.

How to Get a Complete Workout with Nothing But Your Body

Everyone knows exercise plays an important role in our general health, but whether its a lack of motivation, the need to travel to the gym, the cost of equipment, or simply know-how, these supposed obstacles often stand in our way. In reality, all you need is yourself. Here's how you can get a full-body workout with nothing but your body.

The Four Core Rules

Before we jump in to the four different types of exercise—cardio, upper body, core, and lower body—and their explanations, here are a few very important rules to remember:

1. Always remember to breathe. This seems obvious, but when you're in the middle of an exercise you may actually forget. In most cases you'll exhale when you do the hard work (e.g. the pushing up part of a push up), and inhale on the easier part (e.g. when you lower your body for the push up). This isn't always the case, however, and special breathing instructions are noted where relevant in this post.
2. Form is extremely important. If you do an exercise wrong, what seems like progress initially will quickly dissipate and possibly result in injury. Be sure you're doing the exercises correctly before you begin. Ask a friend to watch your form first. If you know a professional, ask them to help guide you. While this guide will explain proper form, it is your responsibility to ensure you doing the exercises properly and not cutting any corners.
3. Take it slowly. While aerobic exercise if often the exception, most other exercise is best performed slowly. This doesn't mean you should take long breaks in between each push up and sit up, but that you shouldn't perform each as quickly as possible. Going slowly will work the muscle more and make you stronger.
4. Your goal is to fail. The key to a good work out is failure. That doesn't mean giving up because you're frustrated and tired, but rather pushing the limits of your strength until your strength is spent. Obviously you don't want to push yourself to the point of injury, but that shouldn't be a concern so long as you're exhibiting the proper form. Don't worry too much about the number of repetitions of any given exercise, but instead concentrate on working as hard as you can. A larger number of push ups doesn't necessarily mean you're stronger. Some days you'll have more energy than others and will perform better. Some days you'll perform worse. The key is to do the best you can with all of the energy you have. If you fail, you succeed.

Now that you're ready to get started, we recommend utilizing all the information below but if you want to skip around here's a table of contents:

• Cardio
• Upper Body
• Core / Midsection
• Lower Body

Cardio

Aerobic/cardiovascular exercise, or cardio for short, targets your heart. In addition to improving your heart health, it also provides benefits to many other areas in your body as you'll need to work multiple muscle groups in order to perform aerobic exercise. While the good news is that cardio can be great for your entire body, the bad news is that most people hate doing it because they hate running. It doesn't have to be terrible, however, as there are a couple of variations that might make it easier and more fun for you. Here are two options that can make running easier and more fun, plus they only take about 20-30 minutes 2-3 times per week.

Interval Training

Some find running unappealing because it exhausts your entire body and you have to keep doing it for quite some time. This is because most people train for endurance, but that's not necessary. Interval training is an excellent alternative that essentially involves working much harder for a shorter period of time. (Interval training applies to more than just running, of course, but that's another topic for another time.) There are several methods of running in intervals, but here's one example to give you an idea:

• A light jog for a few minutes to get moving (2-5 minutes).
• 1 minute of high-speed running, then 1 minute of low-speed jogging, repeated 5-10 times (depending on your stamina).
• A 5 minute light jog to cool down (or more if necessary).

While you're technically running about as fast as you can for that one minute, you only have to maintain that intensity for a very short period of time. You immediately get a break afterwards. Instead of enduring 30-60 minutes of sustained running, you only have to endure short bursts. For some, this is preferable.

Each burst can vary in timing as well. For example, some structure their intervals like a pyramid, so you start small, peak in the middle of the intervals, and then slow back down towards the end. My personal method of choice is Swedish Fartlek (speed play) training, as it provides variation in the types of running performed in a single session. For some, interval training may sound like complete hell, but if you've never been able to stick to long distance running you may find it easier to accomplish and the results more quickly rewarding.

Stair Climbing

Stair climbing is a simple exercise you can perform anywhere there is a staircase, whether that staircase is in your home or in public. You've likely seen films depict athletes running up large staircases in stadiums before, and this is because it's great exercise. It's especially effective if you skip every other step. How can you do this as a practical exercise? If you have access to a standard staircase at home, just follow these steps:

1. Run up and down the staircase as many times as you can. Skip steps in-between if you can. Stop when you are so tired you cannot continue anymore. When you get to this point, you mostly likely will only be part of the way up the staircase. If you made it to the top, chances are you've got another climb left in you.
2. Take the total number of times you made it to the the top of the stairs and cut it in half. For example, let's say you maxed out at 20 times and that halved number is 10.
3. The next time you climb stairs, run up and down 10 times each (the halved number).
4. Take a 60-90 second break, then do another set of 10 (the halved number).
5. Take another 60-90 second break, then do at least 10 (the halved number). If you can do more, do more. Your goal is to push yourself until you're too tired to go on.
6. As this gets easier, increase the number of times you climb the stairs per set so you're always pushing yourself to work harder.

Not everyone has a staircase, however, so this exercise isn't always an option at home. If you don't want to go out and use a public staircase with regularity, just add stair climbing to part of your everyday life. When you have the option to take the stairs, take them, and run up them skipping every other step. This is a good way to work in a little exercise to your regular day.
Note: Stair climbing is also great for strengthening the muscles in your legs, so if they are part of your routine you may choose to skip stair steps in the lower body section.

Upper Body

When we're talking about upper body exercise, we're primarily talking about working the muscles in your shoulders, arms, and chest. These exercises are some of the easiest to do and the most rewarding because you tend to see results quickly. That said, upper body exercises are some of the easiest to perform incorrectly and that can 1) cause you to hurt yourself, and 2) fool yourself into believing you're making progress when you're essentially doing nothing at all. While this is the case with any exercise, it's very important that you take the time to learn the proper form or you will be wasting your time.
With every upper body exercise you also need to figure out how many times to do each. Obviously you won't get very far if you do just a single push up and call it a day, but how do you know how many push ups to do, when to take a break, and so on? Here is a method to figure that out, using push ups as an example (but you can use this same method for any of the exercises in the upper body section):

• Do as many push ups as you can without taking a break. Don't stop because you're tired—stop because you cannot physically do another push up.
• Take the total number of push ups you were able to do and cut that down to half. For example, if you did 30 push ups total that would result in the number 15.
• Next time you do your push ups, do three sets of that number (15 in our example) with 60-90 seconds breaks in between. If you can manage to do more on the last set, you should.

As you get stronger you'll need to increase the number of push ups you do in each set. If you ever notice things are getting too easy for you, just add 2-5 push ups to each set to make things more challenging.

Push Ups

Push ups are a wonderfully effective exercise that work several muscles, including the pectorals, deltoids, and triceps—essentially meaning the muscles in your chest, on the rounded part of your shoulder, and on the backside of your upper arms. While it may seem like a simple exercise to do, good form is vital. One of our favorite push up plans is One Hundred Push Ups, which explains how to perform the exercise properly:

Lie prone on the ground with hands placed as wide or slightly wider than shoulder width. Keeping the body straight, lower body to the ground by bending arms at the elbows. Raise body up off the ground by extending the arms. Repeat. Body weight should be lifted by the arms; don't be tempted to use your butt, stomach or the lower half of your body to pull yourself up. To maintain correct body alignment, imagine a straight line running from your head down to your ankles.

The One Hundred Push Ups plan is a very good way to build up your strength quickly, but if you're not quite ready to take on a large goal just use the method described earlier to figure out the right number of push ups per set that works best for you.

Dips

Dips are a great upper body-strengthening exercise you can do with the aid of a chair or a bench. While they'll strengthen many of the same muscles as push ups, they'll do a bit more to work the rhomboid muscles in your back. The 150 Dips program explains the proper form:

Stand with your back to a chair or bench. Be sure that the object is sturdy and can comfortably support your body weight. Bend your legs and place your palms on the front edge of the bench, with your fingers pointing forward. Slowly walk your feet out in front of you, until the majority of your body weight is resting on your arms. Inhale, and keeping your elbows tucked in at your sides, slowly bend your arms and lower your body until your upper arms are parallel with the floor (see pic below). You should also notice your hips have dropped straight down toward the floor. Hold for a second, then exhale and straighten your arms back up to the starting position.

The 150 Dips is one good way to quickly build up strength, but if you want to start smaller just follow the method described at the beginning of this section to figure out the right number of dips for you.

Curls

Working your biceps—the double-headed muscle on the inside of your upper arm—is the part of the arm most people like to build up and show off. It's also pretty much impossible to build up without lifting some kind of weight and so, in this particular case, your body isn't sufficient to get the job done on its own. If building your biceps is important to you, the best thing you can do to keep the workout at home is go buy some dumbbells at various weights and use them to do curls (which we'll discuss in a minute). A good starting weight will depend on your size and current muscle mass, so be sure to ask for help when purchasing any dumbbells so you don't buy any that are too heavy. You're always better off starting lighter and working your way up or you could wind up with an injury.
If you don't want to purchase anything and just use something you have around the house, anything with a handle and even weight can make a decent substitute. One option is a backpack, so long as you distribute the weight evenly and can keep it from shifting within the bag. Another option is a gallon of milk or juice, or some other kind of container with a handle that can be filled with liquid.
Once you've got your weight you can start doing your curls. If you have two even weights, you can perform curls with both arms at the same time. If not, one arm at a time is okay. To start, extend your arm down by your side and hold the weight, palms facing forward. Make sure your elbows are tucked and your shoulders are straight. When you're in position, slowly bring the weight up to your shoulders—not outside of your shoulders and not too far into your chest. Doing this correctly will feel like you're squeezing your biceps. While some exercises do not require a full range of motion, when you're doing curls it is vital that you go all the way up and all the way back down each time. Completely the full range of motion and complete it slowly. If you rush you can hurt yourself.
Three sets of 12 repetitions is a good place to start when you begin with curls, while attempting to do more on your final set if possible. If you cannot handle this many, the weight you are using is too heavy and you should start with something lighter. Don't feel discouraged if you're starting with light weights or are unable to complete all three sets the first time. You'll find that in the beginning you'll be able to increase the amount of weight you're using about every 2-3 weeks. Eventually that will slow down, but it's very encouraging in the beginning. Start slow and light and you'll be rewarded for it.

Core / Midsection

To exercise your core you'll be doing sit ups—but not just any sit ups! While the standard vrunch isn't necessarily a bad exercise, multiple variations on the sit up can be much more effective at working your entire core. Some of these effective variations come from Pilates exercise regimens. Chances are you've heard of Pilates or even tried it, but avoided it because of the expense and/or equipment. Fortunately there are plenty of sit up-like exercises you can borrow from Pilates that require nothing more than your body (and preferably an exercise mat or towel for comfort). Let's take a look at a couple of those and some others that are helpful as well.

The Roll Up

The roll up is very similar to a normal sit up with a few key differences. First, you start with you arms all the way back behind you and you bring them all the way forward into a sitting position. Breathing is key during the process as you inhale as you begin to move upward and exhale as you complete. You also perform this motion slowly, as rushing through the process will do far less to work your core. Learning to do the roll up properly can take a little practice, and you may not be able to do it fully at first if you're just getting started. Watch the video to the left for a demonstration of the easy and the hard way to do this exercise.

The (Half) Roll Down

The roll down will feel a lot like a reverse sit up, and therefore may seem redundant, but it's an important exercise to pair with the roll up. Start sitting up with your feet flat on the floor creating a 45 degree angle. Just to get in the right position, place your hands under your thighs and hold yourself sitting up. You can leave your hands there as you do this exercise, however for a greater challenge you want to place your hands extended out in front of you. From this starting position, inhale, then exhale as you lean back slowly towards the ground. You'll be extending down until your shoulder blades are just lightly touching the surface below you. It's important that you do not go down so far that you're being supported by the ground but just far enough that you know you've completed the first full range of motion. Now inhale, then exhale as you move back up into the starting position. Once you're there, your back will be slightly curved. Lift your head up and adjust your back into a straight spine position. Feel free to do multiple sets of this exercise, but never more than 15 repetitions per set.

The Hundred

The hundred is complicated, tiring, and best explained visually (so watch the video to your left). To perform this exercise, you lay flat on your back and lift up your knees until they create an approximately 45 degree angle with your feet still touching the ground. Start by keeping your arms down with your palms flat against the ground. Don't press your back flat on the floor or arch it up—try to keep it as centered as possible. Once you're in the correct position, lower your chin slightly and begin to lift yourself upwards by pulling your abdomen in. As you do, lift your hands off the ground and keep your arms extended straight. Some versions of the hundred suggest that you lift your feet off the ground so the bend in your legs create a 90 degree angle. If this is too hard for you, other versions suggest you can perform this exercise without lifting your feet. All that work you just did was to get you in the proper position. Now you get to do the hard part.
While keeping your arms flat and extended, move them up and down rapidly. Each up and down motion counts as one repetition. Every five repetitions you'll alternate between inhaling and exhaling. For example, you'll inhale on the first repetition, the 10th, the 20th, etc. You'll also exhale on the fifth, 15th, 25th, and so on. When you reach 100, you're done. If you become tired while performing this exercise, take a short rest at the 50th repetition and start right back up again. As you may have noted from the complexity of this description, there's a bit of a learning curve and practice involved with the hundred. Be sure to watch the video so you can see how it's done and practice a few times on your own before you attempt the full set. Once you get used to it you should find it easy to perform regularly.

The Basic Plank

Full size

The basic plank is a simple but challenging exercise that targets the whole of your core. It might take a little practice to get right at first, but once you get it down you just have to hold yourself in the proper position. WebMD explains how it's done:

Lie on your stomach, elbows close to your sides and directly under your shoulders, palms down. Engage the abs and slowly lift your torso off the floor, maintaining a stiff torso and legs. Avoid sagging at the low back or hiking up your hips. Continue to breathe while holding this position for 15 seconds or more.

Your starting goal should be to perform 3 sets of 6-12 repetitions of this exercise, but you'll want to increase the number of repetitions as you're able to do so.

Other Core Exercises

There are tons of ways you can strengthen your core, and these are just a few that will help you do the job. For more options, this PDF provides visual demonstrations of many, many abdominal exercises that don't require any equipment. Additionally, as silly as it may seem at first, this two towels ab workout is actually an effective option and is basically the poor man's version of the ab roller.

Lower Body

With cardio, core, and upper body exercise underway it can sometimes seem a little excessive to work your lower body. In many ways, you will be working muscles that other exercises have already targeted. That said, you'll be neglecting multiple areas if you don't bother with your lower body specifically. Here are a couple of exercises you'll want to do to make sure you're not leaving anything out.

Squats

Squats are a great, simple exercise to strengthen all sorts of good stuff including your legs, lower back, hips, buttocks, and even bones. So long as they're performed correctly, they're an excellent way to target the majority of the muscles in your lower body. So how do you squat correctly? The folks who created the 200 Squats program can explain:

Stand up straight with your feet firmly planted on the ground approximately shoulder width apart. To help maintain a straight back as you perform the exercise, it's a good idea to focus on an object directly ahead of you at eye level.
2. Contract your abdominal muscles as you bend your legs at the knees. Either stretch your arms out ahead of you, lightly position your hands behind your ears or hold your arms at your side as you slowly lower yourself into a squatting position. Lower your body to a position where your thighs are almost parallel to the floor. Return to the starting position and repeat.

Much like push ups, a squat is a comprehensive exercise that you can do pretty much anywhere. This makes it easy to fit in a set whenever you have some spare time. If you want to make it to 200, the 200 Squats program is a good way to get there. If you're looking for something a little less daunting, simply try three sets of 20 squats to start, performing additional squats during the last set if you can manage. Continue to work your way up whenever the exercise gets to be easy. Remember, you won't build additional strength if you don't continue to push yourself as you improve.

Stair Steps / Step Ups

Much like climbing stairs, you can build a lot of lower body strength by performing single stair steps. The key here, however, is not to step up a lower stair like you'd find on a staircase but a higher one that's a little lower than the height of your knee. If you try to step up and your knee comes up higher than your hip, the step is too high and you'll need to find something lower. If you were in a gym you could use a standard bench press bench, but at home a wide stool, flat ottoman, or other furniture of similar height should do just fine. A park bench works well, too. Just be sure it supports your weight before you start stepping. If it breaks underneath you, you're obviously going to hurt yourself.
To perform the stair step exercise, you'll want to do one leg at a time. Starting with the left, place your left foot on the bench or stool. Using the strength from that left leg, push yourself upward to bring your right foot onto the stool as well. Do not use the strength from your right leg to help you. You will need it later when you switch and your right foot is on the stool. Perform this action 10-12 times. When you've finished with one leg, switch to the other and perform 10-12 repetitions as well. This constitutes one set. Take a 60-90 second break after each set and perform a total of three.
As these stair steps become easier, you do not necessarily want to increase you repetitions as you might with other exercises. Instead, you may consider adding weight to your legs or your arms. Adding weight to your legs generally means purchasing a specific kind that you can attach for the purpose. Adding weight to your arms, however, just involves holding something. Ideally you would hold dumbbells of equal weight in each arm, starting at 5 lbs. each and working your way up as you grow stronger. If you don't have dumbbells available, gallons of liquid—such as milk—can make a good substitute. Just be sure the weight is equal in both arms or you can cause balance issues and potentially hurt yourself.
Regardless of whether you're using weights or not, be sure to perform the stair steps slowly and avoid putting strain on your knees. You can easily cause injury by moving too fast and putting unwanted pressure where it doesn't belong.

Ways to cut 500 calories from your diet

Aim for a balance of protein/carbohydrates/fat at meals and snacks

Mindlessly munching on "low-calorie" foods can add up, so avoid reaching for foods simply because they are touted as being low calorie, Blackburn says.

"Aim to get a balance of carbohydrate, protein, and fats at your meals and snacks. Protein and fat will help you feel fuller than eating carbohydrates alone, so combining, say, a piece of fruit with nuts provides the perfect combination of satiety-producing complex carbohydrates, protein, and fat."

Don't try to cut back on calories by skipping meals

Blackburn says simply: "This tactic doesn't work."

"Generally after skipping meals you leave yourself over hungry and you are more apt to fall prey to consuming larger quantities of food at your next meal. It's much more difficult to not only control your portions after skipping a meal, but controlling your food choices. When your body is craving fuel you are much less likely to reach for healthy, balanced options, but instead to reach for something that's fast and fatty and can really hit the spot."

Volumize

Incorporate high volume foods like fruits, vegetables, soups, salads and water. "This strategy helps because when you fill up on foods with a high volume (higher water and fiber content) you feel fuller, generally on fewer calories," Blackburn says. "Pile the plate high with veggies for lots of volume, not a lot of calories."

Gelsomin says, "A 'superfood' is a food that offers a number of health benefits to the person eating it. You'll often see that they are touted for decreasing the risk of heart disease, cancer, inflammation, and even aging. Essentially, most plants -- particularly fruits and vegetables -- are superfoods because they are high in phytochemicals or plant chemicals that provide protective benefits, but other foods are often included, like salmon."
 Why should you care?
Gelsomin said that not only do superfoods help prevent diseases and fight aging, but consuming them regularly will help people have more energy and feel better overall. "Superfoods are high in nutrients that optimize all of the body's systems, immune system, digestive tract, etc., helping the body function at its maximum capacity

Superfood to try: Salmon

"One of the best natural sources of omega 3 fats, thought to be helpful in keeping your heart healthy. Omega 3s are also often low in the American diet and it's thought that low levels might contribute to inflammation in the body, which is a marker for many chronic diseases. Salmon is an excellent source of vitamin D, which many New Englanders are deficient in, particularly during winter months. And if you can eat canned salmon with the bones, it's also a good source of calcium. I'll often recommend that patients mix a can of salmon in when they are making tuna salad to boost the nutritional quality of their meal, " Gelsomin says.

Beans

"Black beans, fava beans, chickpeas, you name it ... they are all great," Gelsomin says. " A ½ cup of beans is only about 100 calories; a ½ cup serving also provides 25% of your daily fiber needs and contains as much protein as a slice of cheese. They are great protein alternative for those l

Yogurt

Perfect for midafternoon snack or after a workout. It's naturally balanced, containing a little carb, which will provide your brain with fuel, while also providing a little protein. Gelsomin says. "It's also a good source of calcium. In addition, it contains probiotic cultures, which are thought to keep your immune system healthy. I recommend that people buy plain yogurt and then add in fruit to sweeten it up. Berries coming into season in New England and would be perfect for this."

Quinoa

A whole grain with more protein than many other grains. In fact, Gelsomin says, it is one of the only plant-based sources of protein that contains all the essential amino acids your body needs. It is a good source of potassium, which promotes healthy blood pressure. It is also high in manganese, necessary for your body to protect its cells; it may also fight aging, by combating damage caused by the environment.

Prunes

"This is a superfood near and dear to my heart," Gelsomin says. "They actually beat out berries for their antioxidant content, which is crucial in helping to fight diseases and combat aging, keeping you looking and feeling young." They do have their geriatric reputation for a reason, she says, they are also rich in fiber and contain natural sugar alcohols which help those that suffer from constipation. They are also a portable sweet snack and pair wonderfully with dark chocolate. "I'll sometimes recommend that people mix some into brownie batter."

Almonds/almond butter

"Nuts in general are nutritional powerhouses because they contain fiber, protein, healthy fats, and a plethora of nutrients, such vitamin E, which protects cells from free radical damage from things like the sun and cigarette smoke," Gelsomin says. A 1 ounce serving (about 25 nuts) provides 40 percent of your daily value of vitamin E, she says. They are also a nondairy source of calcium. In addition, eating an ounce per day, as part of the DASH diet, can help reduce blood pressure.

Brussels sprouts

Brussels sprouts are "a cruciferous vegetable that offers up a unique set of cancer-fighting properties and helps our body's natural detox system to function properly," Gelsomin says. "They are a good source of over 12 different nutrients, including folate, vitamin K and vitamin C."

Looking to decrease their intake of meat. They are also a good source of soluble fiber, which grabs cholesterol and carries it out of the body, ultimately helping to lower cholesterol levels. They also act as food for the healthy bacteria naturally found in our intestines, which help keep our digestive system happy. Since disease-causing bacteria can enter through damaged intestinal lining, beans can help keep you well."

There Is No Biological Reason to Eat Three Meals a Day -- So Why Do We Do It?

We grew up believing in three meals a day.
When we skip meals, eat extra meals or subvert paradigms -- spaghetti breakfasts, pancake suppers -- we feel naughty, edgy and criminal. "Three meals a day" resonates like a Bible phrase.
But it's a cultural construct.
People around the world, even in the West, have not always eaten three squares. The three-meals model is a fairly recent convention, which is now being eclipsed as, like everything else, eating becomes a highly personalized matter of choice. What and when and how frequently we eat is driven less and less by the choices of our families, coworkers and others, and more and more by impulse, personal taste and favorite nutrition memes, and marketing schemes such as Taco Bell's promotion of late-night eating known as "Fourthmeal: the Meal Between Dinner & Breakfast." Selecting how and when we eat is like loading our iPods.
A torrent of new studies explores the health effects of eating three squares. Their findings are far from conclusive. A US Department of Agriculture study found that eating just one large meal a day versus three normal-sized meals lowers weight and body fat but raises blood pressure; three meals per day lowers blood pressure. A National Institute on Aging study found that eating one large meal a day rather than three raises insulin resistance and glucose intolerance: two key features of type-2 diabetes.
A University of Maastricht study found that eating at least four small meals daily reduces obesity risk by 45 percent. This Dutch study also found that people who skip breakfast are five times as likely to become obese as regular breakfasters. Yet a University of Ottawa study found that eating many small meals doesn't promote weight loss. So did a French National Center for Scientific Research study, which trashed grazing: "Epidemiological studies which have suggested that nibbling is associated with leanness are extremely vulnerable to methodological errors," its authors warn.
A UC Berkeley study found that "alternate-day fasting" -- feasting one day, fasting the next, ad infinitum -- might decrease the risk of heart disease and cancer.
Researching the effects of meal frequency is notoriously tricky, because it involves so many variables: nutritional content, time of day, exercise, genetics. So the scientific jury is still out.
"There is no biological reason for eating three meals a day," says Yale University history professor Paul Freedman, editor of Food: The History of Taste (University of California Press, 2007).
The number of meals eaten per day, along with the standard hour and fare for each, "are cultural patterns no different from how close you stand when talking to people or what you do with your body as you speak. Human beings are comfortable with patterns because they're predictable. We've become comfortable with the idea of three meals. On the other hand, our schedules and our desires are subverting that idea more and more every day," Freedman says.
For most of history, meals were very variable. A medieval northern European peasant "would start his morning with ale or bread or both, then bring some sort of food out into the fields and have a large meal sometime in the afternoon," Freedman says. "He might have what he called 'dinner' at 2 in the afternoon or 6 in the evening, or later" -- depending on his work, the season and other factors.
"He wouldn't have a large evening meal. He would just grab something small and quick. Dinner back then tended not to be as distinct as it has become in the last two centuries."
And it tended to be eaten in daylight -- not because eating earlier was considered healthier, but because cooking, consuming and cleaning up is difficult in the dark or by firelight.
"People who were not rich tried to get all their meals eaten before dark. After electricity was discovered, initially only the rich could afford it," Freedman says. "From that point onward, one mark of being rich became how late you ate. Eating way after dark because you could afford electric lights was a mark of high status, urbanity and class."
Eating late -- or at random times, or more or less than thrice daily -- also reflects one's distance from the two main forces that standardized three squares in America: conventional work schedules and traditional family life.
Throughout most of the 20th century, most workers could eat only at specific times.
"When that factory whistle blew at five o'clock, it was time to go home and be fed. But now all kinds of Americans are eating later and later because they work longer hours than they used to, or because their hours are now more flexible. We are very much losing the three-meals-a-day model, thanks to grazing and thanks to different members of a household having different schedules, and to the fact that the kids might not want to eat what their parents are eating."
The idea of children being allowed to choose their own meals and mealtimes would have been shocking a few decades ago, when "Eat what's on your plate" and "Eat your peas or no dessert" were family dinner-table mantras. But the family dinner table is verging on the obsolescent. Which came first: the dissolution of the standard nuclear family or the dissolution of three meals a day?
"American parents have a particular kind of guilt about the disappearance of family meals," Freedman says. Perhaps for good reason: A recent University of Minnesota study found that habitual shared family meals improve nutrition, academic performance and interpersonal skills and reduce the risk of eating disorders.
Electronic devices are also undermining the three-meals model. They're at once entertainment centers, workspaces and almost-human companions. Their portability and nonstop availability let us eat whenever we like without having to stop working, without having to be bored, and without having to feel that we are eating alone.
"The disappearance of family meals antedates the invention of hand-held electronic devices," Freedman says. "It was not initiated by them, but it is exacerbated by them. These days, even if everyone's sitting around a table together, it's not clear that they're all paying attention."
The three-meals model is also being fought by the food industry.
"The food industry wants you to buy more food," thus it urges us to eat as much and as often as possible. It's an easy sell, "because Americans have always liked snacks."
A snack boom began in the mid-20th century and hasn't stopped. Thriving through a wrecked economy, the global snack industry is predicted to be worth $330 billion by 2015. In the US alone, retail sales of packaged snacks increased from $56 billion to $64 billion between 2006 and 2010, and are expected to reach $77 billion by 2015.
The blurred borderline between snacks and meals has changed everything.
"The long-term effect is that any time of day has become a time to eat. The decline of three meals a day and the rise of snacks are related, although I wouldn't say there's a direct causal relationship," Freedman says.
Another food-industry strategy is the creation of food niches, based on age, ethnicity, gender, lifestyle and locale. A few decades ago, everyone ate the same foods.
"But now there's kid food, there's teenager food and there's grownup food, so some parents end up buying three times as much food" as their own parents did.
"They're being manipulated into it, guilted into thinking: I'm so busy all week and I have so little quality time with my kids that the least I can do for them is let them eat as they like rather than making a stand and insisting that we all eat the same thing together."

Anneli Rufus is the author of several books, most recently The Scavenger's Manifesto (Tarcher Press, 2009). Read more of Anneli's writings on scavenging at scavenging.wordpress.com.

Best diet to lower your cholesterol

In a study published yesterday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers found that eating cholesterol-lowering foods like nuts, soy protein, and certain fiber-rich items result in bigger drops in “bad” LDL cholesterol than avoiding high-fat meat, eggs, and dairy foods.
“Doctors tend to focus on telling patients what to avoid instead of what to add,” said study co-author Cyril Kendall, a research scientist at the University of Toronto.
In the study involving 345 participants, one group was randomly assigned to get dietary advice on cholesterol-lowering foods such as oats, barley, soy milk, tofu, nuts, and legumes; they were also instructed to eat margarine enriched with plant sterols, which are plant chemicals that have been shown to reduce cholesterol. People in a control group were told to reduce their fat intake by eating low-fat dairy products, whole-grain cereals, and fruits and vegetables, advice endorsed by the American Heart Association.
The first group had nearly a 14 percent drop in LDL cholesterol -- the average level dropped from 171 milligrams/deciliter to 145 mg/dL -- while the control group had only a 3 percent decline, a drop from 171 to 163. (A level above 160 mg/dL is considered high.) The study didn’t address whether health outcomes, like heart attack prevention, would be affected by this level of decline.
Here’s the diet that brought the biggest drop in cholesterol levels. (The researchers didn’t test to see whether supplements worked, so stick with whole foods.)
-- Soy products. Eat four servings a day; each serving is equivalent to 4 ounces of firm tofu, 1 cup of soy milk, 1/2 cup of soybeans, 3/4 cup of soy yogurt, or 1/3 cup roasted soy nuts.
-- Nuts. Eat about 1.5 ounces per day of any kind of nuts, including almonds, peanuts, and cashews.
-- Foods fortified with plant sterols. Eat four servings a day of products fortified with plant sterols, including an 8-ounce glass of orange juice, cup of yogurt, and tablespoon of margarine. The US Food and Drug Administration allows such fortified foods to be labeled “cholesterol-lowering”.
-- Fiber-rich foods. Eat four to five 4-ounce servings a day of foods rich in viscous fiber, a kind of sticky fiber found in beans, legumes, oats, barley, and cereals that contain psyllium. Wheat bran and produce rich in insoluble fiber -- for all their nutritional benefits -- don’t contain much viscous fiber.

Top 10 foods for your heart

'1.73 million', Yes, that's the number of people dying every year due to cardiovascular diseases, one of the world’s largest killers. Sedentary lifestyle and physical inactivity has increased the risk of heart diseases in multiples.

What add to the risk factor are the unhealthy eating habits that have more or less become a part and parcel of the fast-paced lifestyle. As we try to cope with the express world, we tend to become more and more ignorant about what we eat and when we eat.

To help you out get the required nutrients in the day long run, here are a few food items which you must have to keep your heart beating……

Olives

A concentrated source of vitamin E and monounsaturated fatty acids, olives help reduce risk of heart disease by lowering blood press and LDL cholesterol. High phenols content in olive oil reduce inflammation, act as an antioxidant and have clot-preventing powers.

Whole Grains

Higher consumption of whole grains like oatmeal, barley and brown rice help lower risk of cardiovascular diseases and stroke. Fiber and other nutrients in whole grains help lower cholesterol, insulin and blood sugar levels. It also reduces inflammation and improves blood vessel functioning.

Oats

The best way to start your day with, oats are nourishing whole grains which are rich in vitamins, minerals and cholesterol-lowering fiber and best for people dealing with heart disease or diabetes. Oats contain dietary fiber, manganese, selenium, and magnesium. Beta glucan, a soluble fiber in oats helps reduce LDL cholesterol which helps reduce risk of heart disease and stroke.

Green Leafy Vegetables

Adding plenty of green leafy vegetables to your diet can help you ward off heart disease, stroke and control blood pressure. Rich in vitamin and minerals vegetables also help reduce diabetes risk. Foliate in vegetables help keep homocysteine levels down.

Tomatoes

Besides being rich in vitamin A and vitamin C, tomatoes are packed with lycopene, a carotenoid that acts as a potent antioxidant in the body. It offers a protective effect against cardiovascular diseases and several types of cancer.

Blueberries

The naturally occurring antioxidants called anthocyanins make blueberries one of the most powerful disease-fighting foods. Packed with fiber and vitamin C, this dark fruit helps reduce bad cholesterol levels, raises HDL cholesterol levels and prevents clogging of the blood vessels.

Apples

'An apple a day keeps the doctor away.' the proverb is more than enough to state the importance of the fruit that not just helps you have a healthy heart but also helps reduce risk of certain types of cancer. The fruit rich in antioxidant compounds help control cholesterol by preventing reabsorption. Phytochemical called quercetin reduces inflammation and helps prevent blood clots.

Almonds

Monounsaturated fats from almonds may reduce your risk for heart disease and also lower your low density lipoprotein cholesterol. Almonds are also packed with vitamin E, magnesium and potassium and are a good source of protein and fibre.

Soy

A diet rich in soy protein helps prevent cardiovascular disease by lowering triglycerides and bad cholesterol. High in protein, this vitamin and mineral rich food item helps reduce blood clotting and prevent both heart attacks and strokes.

Fish

Fatty cold water fish like tuna, mackerel and salmon are an excellent source of omega 3 fatty acids that protect your heart by reducing both inflammation and the risk of blood clots. Inflammation damages blood vessels which eventually lead to heart problems. The unsaturated fatty acid in fish also helps lower cholesterol levels.

Cereal with milk best way to start the day

A new study has revealed that the healthiest breakfast choice is cereal with milk. According to the research, breakfast is the key to a healthy lifestyle determining the quality of your whole day`s nutrition.

And the best way to start the morning is with a simple bowl of cereal, as it makes people less likely to turn to fatty, sugary food through the rest of the day.

The study, by nutritionist Sigrid Gibson, and published in the BNF Nutrition Bulletin, revealed that cereal is a good source of calcium and numerous other key nutrients, such as fibre, protein and carbohydrate.

The research team analysed 12,068 food records from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey, which interviewed Britons aged from 19 to 64.

The results showed that one in five adults ate no solid food for breakfast, one third chose cereal and 45 per cent enjoyed a non-cereal breakfast. The most popular item was tea or coffee, taken on 84 per cent of breakfast occasions.

Milk was consumed with 82 per cent of breakfasts, followed by cereal (39 per cent), bread (33 per cent) and fruit (14 per cent).

Fats: sorting the good from the bad

The good fats are the monounsaturated fatty acids (mufa) and the polyunsaturated fatty acids (pufa). Pufa includes Omega-3 and Omega-6 essential fatty acids. The Australian Heart Foundation recommends consumption of 500mg of marine-based Omega-3 every day. Oily fish such as salmon and mackerel are the best source of these. For vegetarians, flaxseeds, walnuts and soyabeans are excellent sources of pufa.

In Indian diets, we get more pufa from cereals, so in order to get more of mufa opt for rice bran, canola, and olive oil for cooking. The bad fats are the saturated fats and trans fats, like those found in full-fat dairy, red meats, and vanaspati ghee, which should be avoided as much as possible.

•Fibre: how to include more

The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, (NHLBI) US, recommends fibre intake of 20-25g per day to lower LDL. To get this, include whole grains, fruits and veggies in your daily menu. You should aim to get eight servings of fresh fruits and veggies per day. A very easy way to start the day on a healthy note is to have a bowl of oats and an apple. Oats are a very good source of soluble fibre, called beta glucan. Soluble fibre is an established nutritional supplement to lower cholesterol. It can be found in barley and psyllium (Isabgol). I would recommend 1tbsp of psyllium daily for those who want to lower cholesterol.

•Trim belly fat

Exercise! Even if it is just a brisk, 20-minute walk every day. Maintain a healthy weight and body mass index (a measure of body fat obtained from the weight and height of a person). Did you know that losing 4.5kg body weight can lower LDL cholesterol by up to 8%? That’s a lot.

•Supplement with plant sterols

Plant sterols, found in all vegetables, fruits, whole grains and nuts, lower cholesterol. The NHLBI-recommended dose is 2-3g per day, which is difficult to get through food alone, so speak to your doctor about adding supplements in your diet.

•Reduce stress

Do whatever it takes—exercise, meditation, music, and even that occasional glass of red wine that is considered good for the heart—to boost HDL (good cholesterol), thereby lowering your stress levels.

Move it: Exercise and Aging

If exercise isn't the closest thing to an elixir of eternal youth, then we don't know what is. There remains no doubt that to feel, look, and act as young as possible — regardless of your current age — you must choose to become (or remain) physically active. In fact, being active throughout your lifetime is critical to being successful at aging well, although it's never too late to start if you're currently sedentary. Even a small effort in the direction of being more active will bring you great health and other benefits, including more energy, a renewed vigor, greater strength, a better outlook on life.

Inactivity, not aging, is the real reason so many of us experience 'inevitable' declines in energy and health as time passes.

To gain all of the myriad health benefits of exercise, you will need to participate regularly in five types of physical activities: endurance, resistance, balance, posture, and flexibility exercises. This [article] gives you a plan incorporating each of these activities and discusses other things you need to know about being active.

How Physical Activity Improves Your Life

Simply expending energy through any physical activity, including leisure time activities, will make you feel younger, look better, and live longer. It will even make you lose some fat while gaining more muscle, leading you to look more physically toned and younger than other people your age. An even more pressing reason to become active, though, is to reduce your risk of not feeling good during your lifetime. Inactivity, not aging, is the real reason so many of us experience "inevitable" declines in energy and health as time passes. Studies on men and women between the ages of 35 and 60 years of age have shown that simply being more physically active during leisure time keeps heart disease and other life-shortening health problems at bay. Moreover, people who are active in their 40s through their 60s (the new "middle age") end up being more active and independent after they reach retirement age. Being regularly active even reduces your chances of getting colds and other viral illnesses by boosting the ability of your immune system to fight off disease. Thus, both of us believe that exercise is an eternal youth elixir when it comes to optimizing quality of life by keeping your body healthier and disease-free.

Becoming physically fit is more than worth it for numerous other reasons, many of which are listed [below]. For starters, it can greatly enhance your energy levels, reduce your risk of certain cancers (e.g., colon, prostate, and breast), help lower your blood pressure, prevent or reverse heart disease, reduce depression and anxiety, prevent thinning bones (osteoporosis), reverse prediabetes and new-onset type 2 diabetes, and dramatically lower your risk of developing diabetes, even if you have a strong family history of it. If you already have diabetes, being active can help you control your blood sugar and prevent diabetes-related health problems.

Health Benefits of Physical Activity

• Brain/Emotions: enhanced feeling of well being, improved memory, prevention of dementia, decreased brain atrophy, reduced depression, and better sleep
• Metabolism/Hormones: enhanced metabolic rate and energy levels, improved immune system function, more effective blood glucose use, and diabetes prevention
• Heart: prevention and possible reversal of heart disease, lower blood pressure, and stronger heart muscle
• Muscles: higher energy levels, better tone, more muscle mass (and prevention of loss over time), increased strength, endurance, flexibility, and balance, and heightened glucose storage
• Bones: greater bone mineral density and prevention of thinning, reduced symptoms of arthritis, and less likelihood of bone fractures and falls
• Cancer: reduced risk of colon, prostate, and breast cancer (and possibly others)
• Longevity: increased length of life and better health

From a metabolic standpoint, it's always better to be fit, no matter what your body weight is. Exercise enhances your body's sensitivity to insulin, which usually results in better blood sugar control, but also a lower risk of heart disease and high blood pressure. Regular exercise can also alleviate severe arthritic symptoms that can make daily living painful. It even helps you sleep better, which is especially important since sleeping too little (e.g., only five hours a night) can increase your risk of gaining weight and getting diabetes.

Exercise More - Think Better

Exercise has payoffs for the mind, too, as it can improve feelings of overall well-being, along with reducing stress and depression. Many people who feel tired all the time are simply just out of shape. Exercising makes you feel tired while you're doing it, but its longer-lasting effect is the reverse: it enhances your overall energy levels. Likewise, movement lowers your mental stress. Just getting up from your desk and work when you're stressed out and going for a short walk can clear your mind, improve your mood, and enhance your productivity when you return to the task at hand. Studies have also shown that exercise is an effective remedy for mild to moderate depression, as well as possibly major depressive disorder as long as the activity is continued over time.

Exercising makes you feel tired while you're doing it, but its longer-lasting effect is the reverse: it enhances your overall energy levels.

What's more, it cut the risk of Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia that have recently begun appearing at earlier ages in many adults, even well before retirement age. For older individuals, exercise clearly improves brain function. By way of example, in a study of 1,740 adults over 65 years of age who were followed for over six years, individuals who exercised three times a week were a third less likely to develop dementia. However, even in younger individuals, regular exercise is associated with less brain atrophy (shrinkage), and even as little as six months of regular aerobic training can reduce your rate of brain loss.

Any activity increases blood flow and oxygen delivery to your brain and results in a reduced cell loss in the part of your brain called the hippocampus, which is the region associated with memory and spatial navigation. So, not only can exercise delay or prevent dementia, it may be able to restore some of what you've lost mentally. Thus, you need to exercise to keep from losing your brain, but also if you've already lost some of it.

It's Never Too Late to Start

It's never too late to regain a great deal of the physical fitness you have lost through inactivity. What's more, regular exercise can improve your coordination, balance, and posture and keep them optimal over time. If you have reached 40 years or more and haven't started exercising yet, now is definitely the time to begin. A recent study on exercise demonstrated that even for people who are already middle-aged, exercising more can add years to their lives, and you can be assured that those extra years are much more likely to be lived well. Frankly, remaining inactive is the most devastating thing you can do to your long-term health and longevity. Alternately, becoming more active at any age is a sure-fire way to stay younger (or at least to look and feel that way).

Find out more in The Science of Staying Young, 10 Simple Steps to Feeling Younger than You Are in 6 Months or Less

Soy protein better for improving cholesterol health

Washington: A new study has revealed that supplements of soy protein are much better than milk protein in terms of improving blood levels of HDL (good) cholesterol and thus the overall lipid profile in healthy individuals.

The study, which has been published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, investigated the effect of soy and milk protein supplementation on lipids compared with carbohydrate among healthy adults. Numerous research studies have demonstrated that soy protein reduces LDL (‘the bad’) cholesterol and increases HDL (‘the good’) cholesterol, supporting the soy protein heart health and cholesterol-lowering claim that is approved in 12 countries around the globe.

“Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a major health epidemic, as the No. 1 killer of women and men globally,” said Elaine Krul, Ph.D., nutrition discovery lead at Solae.

“Research has shown that lowering blood lipids reduces the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke.”

“The results of this study reveal that soy protein supplementation intake can help lower blood lipids, thus helping to reduce the risk of CHD in healthy individuals.”

In this study, total cholesterol reduction as well as the total/HDL cholesterol ratio reduction was statistically significant with soy protein supplementation compared with carbohydrate.

Compared with milk protein, soy protein supplementation significantly increased HDL and significantly reduced total/HDL cholesterol ratio as well as lowered LDL cholesterol.

Beyond blueberries: 8 unexpected antioxidants

When scientists first discovered the power of antioxidants to destroy cell-damaging free radicals, the hunt was on.

They knew these preventers of cancer and heart disease were in colorful fruits and vegetables and nuts, but recently researchers have uncovered them in new, unexpected places. “The number and variety of these kamikaze substances we find in foods continue to grow,” says Christine Gerbstadt, MD, RD, of the American Dietetic Association.

And that’s a good thing, experts say, because upping your antioxidant intake from as many sources as possible is more beneficial than getting them from just a few highly publicized foods. “Don’t just eat blueberries every day and think you’re covered,” says Joe Vinson, PhD, an analytical chemist at the University of Scranton who specializes in measuring antioxidant levels of foods. “When you eat a diverse diet, you get the entire spectrum of benefits they deliver.”

1. Whole Grain Pasta

Whole grain versions of pasta (whole wheat should be listed as the first ingredient) have 3 times more antioxidants than enriched or refined varieties, found Vinson’s study at the University of Scranton. He and his team compared the enriched or refined with the whole grain versions of three spaghetti brands.

“Many epidemiological studies show that the consumption of whole grains can reduce the risk of heart disease,” he says. “We used to think this was because of the fiber sweeping out the cholesterol, but it’s looking more like it’s the polyphenols’ positive effect on blood pressure and other markers of heart health that deserve the credit.” The concentrations of antioxidants in whole grain flour used to make wheat pasta are comparable to those found in fruits and veggies.


2. Popcorn

Popcorn has 4 times more polyphenols—powerful cancer-fighting plant compounds—than the average amount found in fruits, says Vinson, who tested several whole grain foods to measure antioxidant levels. “When air-popped at home, it’s a 100 percent whole grain food, so it’s not a complete surprise that it’s packed with polyphenols,” he says.


3. Eggs

Eggs aren’t commonly considered a rich source of the antioxidant lutein (which protects your eyes from macular degeneration and cataracts) because they have low concentrations of it, relative to top sources such as spinach. However, scientists at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University discovered that the lutein in egg yolks is absorbed more effectively than that in spinach, possibly because the yolks’ fat helps our bodies process the antioxidant much better. So even though one egg has only about 5 percent of the lutein found in just 1/4 cup of spinach, we absorb it 3 times more effectively, explains Elizabeth Johnson, PhD, coauthor of the Tufts study. “Spinach and other leafy greens are still the best sources, but whole eggs are another easy way to get more lutein,” she says.


4. Canned Beans

A 2004 study conducted by the USDA found that certain varieties of dried beans contain high levels of antioxidants, but Americans commonly eat more canned beans, observes scientist Mark Brick, PhD. To find out if canned have as many antioxidants as dried, Brick and a team of researchers at Colorado State University measured the phenolic and flavonoid contents of several types of canned commercial beans for a 2009 study published in Crop Science. The scientists found that while all canned beans contain antioxidants, small red beans have the highest levels, followed closely by dark red kidney and black beans. In fact, darker canned beans have as much as 3 times more phytochemicals—plant compounds that wipe out free radicals to protect your cells and repair DNA damage—than white kidney and great Northern beans.


5. Yogurt

Love yogurt? You’ll love this stat: Just 1 cup of low-fat plain yogurt provides at least 25% of the daily value for riboflavin—the same that’s in 1 cup of boiled spinach. While not an antioxidant itself, riboflavin (a B vitamin) is critical in promoting antioxidant activity. Without it, the antioxidant glutathione—which is already in our cells—cannot destroy free radicals, which may lead to an increased risk of heart disease, cancer, and other chronic conditions. Because riboflavin is water soluble, it remains in the body only a few hours and must be replenished daily; yogurt does the trick.

6. Canola Oil

Heart-healthy canola oil (which is less expensive and milder tasting than olive oil) is rich in the antioxidant alphatocopherol, according to Maret Traber, PhD, of the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University. Just 1 tablespoon contains 16 percent of the DV. Alphatocopherol is one of eight antioxidants in vitamin E, which scientists have found keeps the fats in “bad” LDL cholesterol from oxidizing and forming free radicals, potentially leading to cardiovascular diseases and other chronic conditions. Turns out, though, we aren’t getting enough of this potent antioxidant. Close to one-third of women have low concentrations of alpha-tocopherol, say researchers who looked at data from a national nutrition survey conducted by the CDC. Easy fix: Use canola oil when baking or anytime you need a neutral-tasting oil for sautéing.


7. Organic Milk

Switch from regular milk to organic and you’ll be rewarded with a stronger dose of antioxidants, including vitamin E and the carotenoids beta-carotene and lutein, says Gillian Butler, PhD, coauthor of a recent British study published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. Butler’s findings show that the antioxidants in milk from cows raised on organic or grass-fed diets are about 40 to 50 percent more concentrated than the milk from conventionally raised cows. These cows eat more grass, and the pasture itself provides more antioxidants than grain feeding even if the feed is augmented with supplements. If you’re not a frequent milk drinker, look for cheese and butter from grass-fed cows; they also offer more antioxidants than conventional varieties, says Butler.


8. Natural Sweeteners

The average American consumes 130 g of added refined sugars each day. If you cut excess sugar and use natural sweeteners like molasses, honey, brown sugar, and maple syrup instead of refined whenever possible, you can add the equivalent of antioxidants from an extra serving of nuts or berries to your daily diet. That’s according to researchers at Virginia Tech University who examined the antioxidant content of several natural sweeteners and found that molasses (particularly dark and blackstrap varieties) had the highest amounts. Their study, published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, showed that honey, brown sugar, and maple syrup also contained significant levels of antioxidants. While the university study looked at commonly available commercial honeys (usually refined from clover nectar), earlier studies have measured antioxidants in a variety of honeys and found that darker types tend to have significantly higher polyphenol counts. For example, buckwheat has an antioxidant level 8 times higher than clover, which is also outranked by sunflower and tupelo honeys.

10 Ways to Lower Cholesterol What to do if your cholesterol levels are high

Some of the commandments may seem more important to you than others, depending on your current health status. For now, feel free to focus on those most relevant to your situation. You can return to the others later; at the very least, they'll help you stay informed and inspired as you wage your own cholesterol war.

Just remember that by adopting all ten commandments, you establish a solid foundation for lifelong cholesterol control. They'll support whatever treatment plan you ultimately choose to follow. There's no better time to get started than now!

1. Know Where You Stand

You've heard the old saying about no news being good news? Well, it doesn't apply to cholesterol. Getting it checked on a regular basis is essential to your long-term good health. After all, high cholesterol has been linked to cardiovascular disease, the number one cause of death in the United States. In fact, according to the American Heart Association, people who have a total cholesterol of 240 mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter) are twice as likely to experience a heart attack as people who have a cholesterol level of 200 mg/dL. Knowing your level, and tracking it as you begin treatment, just makes sense.
In a nutshell, all adults age 20 and over should have their cholesterol checked at least once every 5 years as recommended by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health. You may require more frequent screening if you have certain risk factors for heart disease or if your test results are cause for concern. Generally, doctors like to see total cholesterol below 200 mg/dL, with LDL (bad cholesterol) below 130--the high end of the "near-optimal" range--and HDL (good cholesterol) above 40. If your test results aren't consistent with these levels, your doctor may recommend a retest. If they're still not where they should be, your doctor may want to discuss treatment options.
The truly good news is that in many cases, cholesterol is easily managed, even without medication. But you need to know your starting point, and you need to monitor your progress toward healthy levels. Even for those whose cholesterol is within the range considered normal, knocking a few points off their readings can slow fatty buildup in the arteries and possibly reduce any buildup that's already there. The bottom line: In the pursuit of cholesterol control, knowing your numbers is an absolute necessity.

2. Learn All You Can

Once you've been diagnosed with high cholesterol, your instinct may be to jump right into whatever treatment plan your doctor recommends. Unless your cholesterol has gone through the roof, which may require immediate intervention, you're better off taking time to think through your situation and your treatment options. By exercising some control up front, you're more likely to develop a cholesterol management plan you can truly live with.

Perhaps a good place to begin is with an assessment of your personal risk factors for heart disease beyond high cholesterol. Which ones are within your control? For example, you may not be able to change your age, gender, or family history. But you can improve your eating habits, get more exercise, and quit smoking. These are the sorts of lifestyle changes that should become part of your cholesterol management plan, no matter what other treatments you may choose.

Likewise, you'll want to learn as much as you can about cholesterol itself. Your body needs cholesterol to perform certain vital functions. In fact, lowering one type of cholesterol, HDL, can be bad for your heart. What's more, while many foods contain dietary cholesterol, most of the blame for elevated cholesterol levels rests squarely on the shoulders of saturated fat.

Of course, you'll also want to educate yourself about the available treatment options. Conventional medicine has much to offer to people with high cholesterol--but so do alternative therapies. Indeed, the choices can seem overwhelming. Before you settle on a specific treatment or combination of treatments (in consultation with your doctor), you should know whether it's effective and safe and how soon you can expect to see results.

3. Get Rid of Those Extra Pounds

If you weigh more than you should, slimming down may produce a significant drop in your cholesterol level. Research suggests that being overweight disrupts the normal metabolism of dietary fat. So even though you may be eating less fat, you may not see a difference in your cholesterol profile until you unload the excess pounds. In fact, shedding just 5 to 10 pounds may be enough to improve your cholesterol level. Just don't go the crash-dieting route. A slow but steady loss of 1/2 to 1 pound a week is healthiest and easiest to maintain. Since 1 pound equals 3,500 calories, you could meet the pound-per-week rate by eating 500 fewer calories per day, burning 500 more calories per day through exercise, or--the best option--a combination of the two.
Findings from the landmark Framingham Heart Study confirm that such modest weight loss is worth the effort, for reasons beyond cholesterol control. According to the study, taking off--and keeping off--just 1 to 2 pounds a year may reduce your risk of high blood pressure by 25 percent and your risk of diabetes by 35 percent.
Incidentally, many of the lifestyle strategies that help rein in unruly cholesterol can also take off unwanted pounds, and vice versa. If you're significantly overweight, be sure to consult your doctor before embarking on any weight loss program.

4. Lace Up Your Walking Shoes

Whether your goal is to lower your cholesterol, shed some extra pounds, or both, regular exercise can help you get there. We're not talking about high-intensity workouts, either, though boosting your intensity can elevate HDL cholesterol. Walking and other, more moderate physical activities are good for your heart, too.

In fact, one study suggests that walks of any duration may help reduce heart disease risk. For the study, British researchers recruited 56 sedentary people between ages 40 and 66, then divided them into three groups. One group took a long, 20- to 40-minute walk each day; another group walked for 10 to 15 minutes twice a day; and the third group took 5- to 10-minute walks three times a day.

Over the 18 weeks of the study, the once-a-day walkers saw their LDL cholesterol drop by 8.3 percent; the twice-a-day walkers by 5.8 percent. The researchers concluded that walks of any length can be beneficial, as long as they're done at a moderate intensity--that is, a brisk pace at which you can still carry on a conversation.

We mention walking because it's the most convenient form of physical activity. But really, any form of aerobic exercise--running, bicycling, swimming, whatever gets your heart pumping--can help lower heart disease risk. Whichever activity (or activities) you choose, just make sure you're doing it for 30 minutes at least 5 days a week.

If you've been relatively inactive, check with your doctor before launching any exercise regimen. Your doctor may be able to help you choose an activity that suits your current fitness level.

5. Become Acquainted with the Good Fats

Peanut butter, avocados, olive and canola oils, and most nuts are mostly monounsaturated fat. Research has shown that monounsaturated fat can help lower LDL and triglycerides (another type of blood fat) while raising HDL. It's a much healthier choice than saturated fat, found primarily in animal products--meats, butter, full-fat milk and cheese. Saturated fat can elevate your cholesterol level more than anything else you might eat.
Also included in the good fats category are the omega-3 fatty acids, found in abundance in fish such as mackerel, albacore tuna, and salmon. The omega-3s appear to lower levels of VLDL (very low density lipoprotein) and triglycerides. Studies have shown that when people cut back on saturated fat and consumed more fish oil, their LDL dropped. The American Heart Association recommends eating at least 2 servings of baked or grilled fish a week.
That said, omega-3s are not a magic bullet. When study participants consumed more fish oil without altering their saturated fat intake, their LDL levels stayed the same or increased. In order to reap the cholesterol-cutting benefits of omega-3s, you need to limit your saturated fat consumption. Remember, too, that eating foods low in total fat can help restrict saturated fat.

6. Discover Fiber's Cholesterol-Cutting Capacity

It's no secret that vegetarians have lower cholesterol levels and lower heart disease rates than meat eaters. That's in part because vegetarians consume so much fiber, which is found exclusively in plant foods--fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans.

Fiber comes in two forms: soluble and insoluble. The soluble kind appears to pack the greatest cholesterol-lowering punch. Research has shown that consuming about 15 g of soluble fiber a day can lower LDL cholesterol by 5 to 10 percent. It works by binding with cholesterol-containing bile acids in the intestines and escorting them out of the body.

A specific kind of soluble fiber, pectin, not only lowers cholesterol but also helps curb overeating by slowing the digestive process. Munch on apples and other pectin-rich fruits, and you're likely to eat less, lose weight, and rein in your cholesterol.

Coincidentally, foods high in fiber tend to be low in saturated fat and cholesterol, as well as calories. Just make sure you don't top your fiber-rich whole grain toast with a huge dollop of butter.

7. Take a Good Multivitamin

Even if you're getting more good fats, avoiding bad fats, and filling up on fiber, your diet may have some nutritional gaps. A multivitamin/mineral supplement can help cover your nutritional bases and possibly lower your risk for heart disease and stroke.
Look for a multi that delivers 400 micrograms of folic acid, 2 mg of vitamin B6, and 6 micrograms of vitamin B12, advises Robert Rosenson, MD, director of the preventive cardiology center at Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago. In studies, all three of these B vitamins have played important roles in protecting heart health.
In a Harvard study involving 80,000 nurses, for example, those with the highest intakes of folic acid were 31 percent less likely to develop heart disease. Folic acid works by decreasing blood levels of homocysteine, an amino acid that's an emerging risk factor for heart disease and stroke. While many foods contain folate (the naturally occurring form of folic acid), including orange juice, kidney beans, broccoli, and spinach, you'll be certain that you're getting the recommended amount by taking a multivitamin. The same study found that the women who consumed the most vitamin B6 reduced their risk of heart disease by one-third. Like folic acid, B6 helps to hold down levels of homocysteine.
In older people, effectively controlling levels of homocysteine may depend on adequate stores of vitamin B12. After age 50, the human body sometimes absorbs less B12 from food. According to Johns Hopkins researchers, older people who took a multivitamin containing B12 had lower levels of homocysteine.
When you're shopping for a multivitamin, steer clear of those that contain iron. According to Rosenson, men and postmenopausal women don't need extra iron. Iron stores have been linked with a higher rate of heart attacks and strokes.

8. Explore Your Treatment Options

When you were diagnosed with high cholesterol, you and your doctor probably discussed an appropriate course of treatment. It's important that you continue to work with your doctor and inform him of any therapies that you decide to try on your own.

The fact is, both conventional and alternative medicine have a range of cholesterol-combating strategies available. Which ones you choose depends on your current cholesterol profile, your general health, your lifestyle, even your perspective on treatment. Some people feel perfectly comfortable taking cholesterol-lowering medication, while others do all they can to avoid it.

For people who have advanced heart disease or who've already had a heart attack, conventional therapies such as drugs and surgery are vital, at least at the start of treatment. Later, you and your doctor can discuss lifestyle strategies and alternative therapies that may support your recovery and possibly stop the disease from progressing.

For those with mild to moderately elevated cholesterol, lifestyle strategies and alternative therapies may make drugs and surgery unnecessary, Rosenson says. These days, many physicians urge patients in the mild-to-moderate category to try controlling their cholesterol through dietary changes and increased physical activity. If those measures alone aren't enough, or if a patient already has coronary heart disease or is at high risk for it, physicians reach for the prescription pad.

Together, you and your doctor can come up with a treatment plan that matches your needs and lifestyle--and that delivers the results you want.

9. Find Ways to Short-Circuit Stress

What's more, stress and its companion emotions--tension, anxiety, anger, depression--trigger the release of chemicals that constrict arteries, reduce bloodflow to the heart, raise blood pressure, and elevate your heart rate. These changes, in combination with uncontrolled cholesterol, can put you on course for a heart attack.
To block your body's stress response, simply removing yourself from the stressful situation can help. Go for a short walk, practice deep breathing, perform a few simple stretches, meditate--whatever enables you to relax and regroup. You'll feel better, you'll think more clearly, and you'll spare your heart from harm.
No matter how busy you are, set aside a few minutes every day to reflect on yourself and your life. Are you satisfied with the direction you're taking? Are your needs being met? By tuning out the world and turning inward, you remind yourself of what matters most, and you rise above the stressful distractions that undermine your health in so many ways.
While staying in touch with yourself can help you set priorities and adjust your life's course, don't sacrifice family and social relationships. They give your life balance and enable you to cope with stressful situations. Of course, maintaining ties to family and community takes some effort, especially in an era when technology drives our interactions. But it's worth doing, since research has shown that people with fewer social connections are more prone to illness and more likely to die young. On the bright side, the more social connections you have, the better your chances of living longer--free of heart disease and other life-threatening illnesses.

10. Make a Commitment

Several men and women manage to take charge of their cholesterol and achieve their ideal numbers. Many of these people had experienced some life-changing event that forced them to commit themselves to a healthier, cholesterol-lowering lifestyle.

To win the cholesterol war, you must make that same commitment--resolving to take care of yourself, to make necessary changes, to live healthfully every day. Your family and your friends can support you, but ultimately, you're the one making the decisions that will have an impact on your health, for better or worse.