Lower Your Cholesterol

Eating a healthy diet and doing regular exercise can help lower the level of cholesterol in your blood.

Adopting healthy habits, such as eating a healthy, balanced diet and keeping active, can also help prevent your cholesterol levels becoming high in the first place.

It's important to keep your cholesterol in check because high cholesterol levels increase your risk of heart disease and stroke.

If you're concerned about your cholesterol, talk to your GP. 

If your GP has advised you to change your diet to reduce your blood cholesterol, you should cut down on saturated fat and eat more fibre, including plenty of fruit and vegetables.

Fats and cholesterol

Saturated and unsaturated fat

There are two main types of fat – saturated and unsaturated. Eating too many foods high in saturated fat can raise the level of cholesterol in your blood. Most people in the UK eat too much saturated fat.

Foods high in saturated fat include:

• meat pies
• sausages and fatty cuts of meat
• butter, ghee and lard
• cream
• hard cheeses
• cakes and biscuits
• foods containing coconut or palm oil

Eating foods that contain unsaturated fat instead of saturated fat can actually help reduce cholesterol levels.

Try to replace foods containing saturated fats with small amounts of foods high in unsaturated fats, such as:

• oily fish – such as mackerel and salmon
• nuts – such as almonds and cashews
• seeds – such as sunflower and pumpkin seeds
• avocados
• vegetable oils and spreads – such as rapeseed or vegetable oil, sunflower, olive, corn and walnut oils

Trans fats

Trans fats can also raise cholesterol levels. Trans fats can be found naturally in small amounts in some foods, such as animal products, including meat, milk and dairy foods.

Artificial trans fats can be found in hydrogenated fat, so some processed foods, such as biscuits and cakes, can contain trans fats.

In the UK, manufacturers and most of the supermarkets have reduced the amount of trans fats in their products. Most people in the UK don't eat a lot of trans fats, but you should keep checking food labels for hydrogenated fats or oils.

Reducing total fat

Reducing the total amount of fat in your diet can also help reduce your risk of heart disease.

Instead of roasting or frying, consider:

• grilling
• steaming
• poaching
• boiling
• microwaving

Choose lean cuts of meat and go for lower-fat varieties of dairy products and spreads, or eat a smaller amount of full-fat varieties.

Fibre and cholesterol

Eating plenty of fibre helps lower your risk of heart disease, and some high-fibre foods can help lower your cholesterol. Adults should aim for at least 30g of fibre a day.

Your diet should include a mix of sources of fibre. Good sources of fibre include:

• wholemeal bread, bran and wholegrain cereals
• fruit and vegetables
• potatoes with their skins on 
• oats and barley
• pulses such as beans, peas and lentils
• nuts and seeds

Aim to eat at least five portions of different fruit and vegetables a day.

Foods containing cholesterol

Some foods naturally contain cholesterol, known as dietary cholesterol. Foods such as kidneys, eggs and prawns are higher in dietary cholesterol than other foods.  

The cholesterol found in food has much less of an effect on the level of cholesterol in your blood than the amount of saturated fat you eat.

If your GP has advised you to change your diet to reduce your blood cholesterol, the most important thing to do is to cut down on saturated fat. It's also a good idea to increase your intake of fruit, vegetables and fibre.

Cholesterol-lowering products

If your doctor has told you you have high cholesterol and you can lower it by changing your diet, there's no need to buy special products to lower your cholesterol. These products are not recommended by doctors and they're no substitute for a healthy, balanced diet.

There are foods specially designed to lower your cholesterol, such as certain dairy spreads and yoghurts containing added ingredients called plant sterols and stanols. There is some evidence these ingredients may help reduce the cholesterol in your blood, but there is no evidence they also reduce your risk of a heart attack or stroke.

These products are designed for people who already have high cholesterol, but it's not essential to eat plant sterols or stanols to help manage your cholesterol. There may be other, simpler and less expensive changes you can make, such as eating a healthy, balanced diet and being more physically active.

There are some groups of people these products are not suitable for, including children and pregnant or breastfeeding women. If you do eat foods designed to lower your cholesterol, read the label carefully. These foods need to be eaten every day and in the right amount, as having too much could be harmful.

Source:nhs.uk/Livewell/Healthyhearts/Pages/Cholesterol.aspx

Smoothie Goodness

From breakfast to supper, a homemade smoothie can boost energy levels, keep you feeling fuller for longer and make it easy to digest all the natural vitamins, minerals and antioxidants you need. Preferable to fruit juices (they’re a better source of fibre), they even appeal to kids, who will happily drink up all kinds of fruit and veg whizzed up with yoghurt and honey!

Smoothie combinations

For each combination, simply peel or prepare the ingredients then blend together for a smooth, thick drink. If you can’t find some of the more exotic ingredients, don’t be put off, just give the recipes a go with what you have that tastes good!

1. Green smoothie

Leafy, fresh greens are incredibly healthy and packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. This green smoothie will help you to detoxify, alkalise and gain energy. It will also boost your immune system.

•Combine Apple, cucumber, spinach, lemon, lemon peel, ginger, celery, pear, avocado, banana, apple juice and parsley.

•Tip Use green tea or freshly juiced beetroot as a base ingredient. Green tea helps to boost the metabolism, while beetroot helps to purge bile and detoxify the liver.

2. Cleansing smoothie

This smoothie can be enjoyed on a warm spring morning to rehydrate the body and flush out toxins.

•Combine Watermelon or sweet melon, cucumber, grated ginger, mint, lemon rind and honey. As an optional extra you can add plain yoghurt for a creamier texture.

•Tip Melon is a very good diuretic. It also cleanses the lymphatic system, liver and kidneys. The cucumber contains a high amount of potassium, which helps the body to rehydrate.

3. Tropical smoothie

The tropical flavours in this smoothie make it particularly refreshing. It’s a good one to have after a workout because coconut water is rich in electrolytes and can help to replace lost fluids and minerals after exercising.

•Combine Coconut water, mango, banana, pineapple, granadilla (a member of the passion fruit family) and yoghurt. As an optional extra, add fresh turmeric or half a teaspoon of turmeric powder or ginger. These spices have anti-inflammatory properties and work well in mango and yoghurt-based smoothies.

•Tip Mango is a good source of beta-carotene, while the fibre in bananas will help the good bacteria in your gut to flourish. Bananas are also a source of tryptophan, which aids relaxation and sleep. Pineapple adds a lovely sweet flavour and assists digestion.

4. Two delicious chocolate smoothies

Cocoa powder contains powerful antioxidants, as well as compounds that help control your appetite. It also oxygenates the body to create a sense of energy and alertness, and naturally boosts the feel good hormones in the brain.

•Combine For chocolate smoothie 1 – cocoa powder, banana, peanut butter, cinnamon, vanilla, honey, milk or a milk alternative. For chocolate smoothie 2 – cocoa powder, almond milk, dates, avocado, frozen banana, spring water and a vanilla pod.

•Tip Use cocoa in its natural, unsweetened form. Sprinkle either of the above smoothies with cocoa nibs for extra chocolate flavour. Use raw honey or dates to add sweetness.

5. Summer fruit smoothie

Cherries add colour, fibre and important minerals to this delicious fruit smoothie. Berries are in a nutritional league of their own: they’re very low in sugar and absolutely loaded with powerful, health-boosting antioxidants.

•Combine Cherries, mixed frozen berries, orange peel, orange, honey, yoghurt and banana. You could also try adding star anise, ginger, cinnamon powder or angelica.

•Tip Cherries, with their high fibre content, stimulate and cleanse the digestive system. These delicious fruits are also a natural source of melatonin, which helps to establish a healthy sleep cycle. Choose the darker cherries for their valuable mineral content (iron, magnesium and silicon).

6. Cashew nut smoothie

This smoothie can be enjoyed as a drink, but it also makes a delicious topping for fruit salad or sliced papaya.

•Combine Cashew nuts, fresh orange juice, fresh grapefruit juice, honey, cinnamon and banana.

•Tip The grapefruit in this smoothie helps to break down old toxins and this aids the elimination of cellulite, while the cinnamon helps to stabilise blood-sugar levels.

7. Papaya and melon smoothie

If you frequently suffer from sluggish digestion, this fruity smoothie is for you. Papaya helps to cleanse the digestive tract and, thanks to the papain in the fruit, assists in the breakdown of food, particularly protein.

•Combine Papaya, melon, sesame seeds or tahini paste, yoghurt or a milk alternative, honey and cinnamon.

•Tip Add a few papaya seeds to your smoothie as they’re great for digestion. The calcium rich tahini paste or sesame seeds add healthy fats.

8. Immune-boosting smoothie

Feeling a tad under the weather? Boost your immunity with this vitamin C-rich smoothie.

•Combine Lemon juice, lemon, orange, honey, yoghurt, spinach, banana, guava and ginger.

•Tip Lemons, guavas and oranges are all fantastic sources of immune-boosting vitamin C. The ginger in this smoothie is great for circulation and acts as an antiseptic, while the yoghurt is rich in probiotics (these healthy bacteria play a key immune boosting role).

5 top tips to serve the perfect smoothie

1. Choose your ingredients based on what’s in season. Seasonal produce contains all the nutrients you need for the specific time of year.
2. Go for pure, whole ingredients, e.g. fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds.
3. Avoid using sweetened fruit juice, flavoured yoghurt and ice cream as your base. Instead opt for 100% or freshly squeezed juice, medicinal teas, elixirs, aloe vera, pure spring water, coconut water, a milk alternative, or plain, unsweetened yoghurt.
4. Sweeten your smoothies naturally with fruit. If necessary, you can add some honey, xylitol, stevia, fruit juice or dates, but ideally, get used to enjoying smoothies that aren’t so sweet.
5. If you need extra sustenance add a complex carbohydrate (e.g. cooked quinoa or oats), a protein (e.g. egg, almond powder, chia, spirulina or a good-quality protein powder such as brown rice protein, pea or whey isolate) and/or a fat (e.g. avocado, coconut oil, flaxseeds, coconut milk, peanut butter, tahini, almond butter or nuts). Brilliant when you want to whizz up a smoothie that will keep you going until lunchtime.

Source:supersavvyme.co.uk/food/recipes/article/healthy-smoothie-recipes?utm_source=outbrain&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=food&utm_content=2239

Eat Right For Your Age - 50's

Watch your fat levels...

Health problems, such as raised cholesterol, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes are more common in this age group. A low-fat, low-GI diet which includes plenty of fruit and vegetables, is the best way to prevent and treat these problems.

As women enter the menopause, they are affected in different ways. Consequences such as a decline in libido, osteoporosis and heart disease are all linked to the decline in oestrogen levels that accompany the menopause. This accelerates the loss of calcium from bone, which increases the risk of osteoporosis or brittle bones. To counteract this, it's important to eat at least three servings of low-fat, calcium-rich foods each day.

There seems to be an absence of menopausal symptoms, in countries in the Far East where diets are naturally rich in phytoestrogens found in soya. Genetics and environmental factors play a huge part in how our bodies react to certain foods, so as yet we can’t say whether a diet rich in phytoestrogenic foods is beneficial to women going through the menopause or not but it could be worth a try if you are really struggling.

Smoking and being inactive can severely harm your bones, and it’s particularly important on the exercise side to include some weight bearing exercise such as brisk walking, jogging or aerobics. Aim for a combination of weight-bearing exercise and aerobic activity to help to keep bones and joints strong. Toning and muscle development can increase metabolic rate as muscle mass increases help to keep our weight constant.

Continue to drink a couple of litres of water every day and watch caffeine consumption. Caffeine can interfere with the amount of calcium we absorb.

If you don't eat at least one serving of oil-rich fish each week, you should also think about taking an omega-3 supplement.

What should I be eating?

Mediterranean diet - It is a good idea to try to get the ratio of good (HDL) and bad (LDL) sorts of cholesterol right. The Mediterranean diet is based around lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, both colours and types to obtain a spectrum of heart friendly vitamins and minerals. Get your cholesterol and blood pressure checked. If you have high cholesterol, you could try swapping to a butter-like spread rich in plant stanols or sterols which can help lower cholesterol levels.

Watch the fat – as we age, our body’s energy requirement decreases. Body fat gets deposited when we take in too many calories and don’t burn up enough in our everyday life. Include monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats from nuts, seeds and their oils instead of too much saturated fat.

Phytoestrogens - Soya based foods such as soya milk, soya yoghurt, tofu, miso and temph may help reduce some of the unpleasant symptoms associated with the menopause. Eating 25g of soya protein a day can help reduce blood cholesterol levels. Use tofu instead of chicken in stir-fries and pour calcium-enriched soya milk on your cereal. If soya isn’t your thing, other sources of phytoestrogens include lentils, beansprouts, peanuts, linseeds and sweet potatoes.

Omega-3 fats – Aim to eat three portions of omega-3 rich foods a week as these can help and keep bones and heart healthy. Remember canned fish such as salmon, sardines and mackerel rather than canned tuna.

Source: bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/eat-your-age

Green Leafy Vegetables - Super Food

Dark leafy green vegetables are all the rage in our new health-conscious society, but knowledge isn't always power as few of us meet the minimum USDA recommendations of 3 cups of dark green vegetables per week. And yet, these veggies deliver a bonanza of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. Do you meet or exceed the recommendations?

A nutrition professor once told me that it was common for our ancient ancestors to eat up to six pounds of green leafy vegetables per day in the form of leaves.

He imagined them walking along from one place to another, just picking and eating leaves as they went. Can you imagine eating a grocery bag full of greens each and every day? Being on a low carb diet may be motivation. With the bulk of green leafy vegetables decreasing appetite and the lack of sugar, green leafy vegetables are a good foundation for people on a low carb diet. When using them, be sure that you create variety around having them. Think about these three ways to add leafy greens to your diet:

• Smoothies: Add Frozen Green Leafy Veggies like Kale, Spinach or Beet Greens
• Sandwiches or wraps: Given your low carb diet, using green leafy vegetables in the place of bread in sandwiches or wraps is the way to go low on carbs.
• Egg Scrambles: Add your favourite leafy green vegetables to omelets or egg scrambles. The egg could use the texture and the taste won't be sacrificed too much given the strong protein taste from the egg.

Health Benefits

Dark green leafy vegetables are, calorie for calorie, probably the most concentrated source of nutrition of any food group. They are a rich source of minerals (including iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium) and vitamins, including vitamins K, C, E, and many of the B vitamins.

They also provide a variety of phytonutrients including beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, which protect our cells from damage and our eyes from age-related problems, among many other effects. Dark green leaves even contain small amounts of Omega-3 fats.

Vitamin K

Perhaps the star of these nutrients is Vitamin K. A cup of most cooked greens provides at least nine times the minimum recommended intake of Vitamin K a day. That's right, just one cup. Even a couple of cups of raw dark salad greens provides the minimum all on their own. Recent research has provided evidence that this vitamin may be even more important than we once thought (the current minimum may not be optimal), and many people do not get enough of it.

• Regulates blood clotting
• Helps protect bones from osteoporosis
• May help prevent and possibly even reduce atherosclerosis by reducing calcium in arterial plaques
• May be a key regulator of inflammation, and may help protect us from inflammatory diseases including arthritis
• May help prevent diabetes
• Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin, so make sure to put dressing on your salad, or cook your greens with oil.

  Almost Carb-Free

  Greens have very little carbohydrate in them, and the carbs that are there are packed in layers of fibre, which make them very slow to digest. That is why, in general, greens have very little impact on blood glucose. In some systems greens are even treated as a "freebie" carb-wise (meaning the carbohydrate doesn't have to be counted at all).

Source:verywell.com/green-leafy-vegetables-nutritional-powerhouses-2242154