Eat whatever you love for life was meant to be enjoyed
This is the mindset of many people and that is eating what they enjoy which is so bad because many persons are having all sorts of health issues. Some foods that we enjoy are loaded with fats. We might get that wonderful delight but at what cost.
I remembered seeing my doctor for a physical at one time and what he told me was that the foods that I enjoy eating were causing my health to deteriorate and that I needed to make a switch or run into serious problems. Fried foods may taste great but they are not good.
Besides destroying those need vitamins, fry foods are loaded with fats that can have a serious effect on our arteries.
What is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a substance that is waxy, this waxy substance is found in our cells. Our bodies need some cholesterol but a buildup of this waxy substance can cause serious problems. Therefore it is very important that we keep our cholesterol at normal levels.
The cholesterol that our bodies produce, circulates throughout our bodies and is responsible for making new cells.
Some foods are loaded with cholesterol.
1.Cheese. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 9.Milk.
2.Egg yolk. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 10.Lard.
3.Processed meats. Â Â Â Â 11.Beans.
4.Butter. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 12.Fish oils.
5.Animal fat. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 13.cookies.
6.Margarine. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 14.Potato chips.
7.Fried foods. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 15.Cakes.
8.Liver. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 16.Goose.
These are just a few of the foods that are high in cholesterol.
The effects of high cholesterol
Here are some effects that having high cholesterol does on our bodies
1. High cholesterol can block the flow of blood to many of our vital organs caused by a build-up of plaque.
2. Can lead to a stroke.
3.Heart attack.
How to keep your cholesterol at the right level?
Here are some ways to ensure that your cholesterol is at the right level
1.Exercise.
2. Have the right diet.
3. Stay away from trans fat.
4. Quit smoking.
5. Make oats a part of your diet.
6. Include plenty of fruits and vegetables in your diet.
Herbs that lower cholesterol
Herbs are great to include in our diet, besides the many health benefits and vitamins that herbs contain, herbs can also be used to lower cholesterol. Here are a few that are a good choice.
1.Garlic. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 6.Licorice.
2. turmeric. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 7.Artichoke.
3. Ginger. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 8.Curcumin.
4. Red yeast rice. Â Â Â Â 9.Flaxseed.
5. Alfalfa. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 10.Policosanol.
Final word
There is an old saying that says, “we are what we eat” therefore we must be careful of what we allow in our bodies because if we are to enjoy life as it was met to be enjoyed, we should cultivate a healthy lifestyle which includes having a proper diet. So let’s make the right choice and create healthy eating habits.
About the author
Norman loves being in the garden, both at home and for his job....
he is 'Natures Little helper' being outdoors, growing his vegetables and flowers from an early age.
Now having spent over 22 years in the profession he want to give some of his knowledge to others...
his vast array of hints and tips you will find scattered over this site will help you no end growing plants in your garden.
Norman,
The last visit I have to the Dr., she stated that I had real high cholesterol. I looked at your list of foods that I really need to add to my diet, need to describe Curcumin and Policosanol, never heard of them. What types of food does Alfalfa come in, I have not seen it on the ingredients of any of my food items. Just need to know where to find these types of food items, so I can improve my health.
John
Hello John it is good to see you again and thanks for commenting. Alfalfa is a herb that is green and has very beautiful flowers. if you want you can also check with you garden center or health store for this herb or for products that contains this herb. Hope this helps, all the best to you and have a good day.
Hi Norman,
Thanks for this great post! I have always been trying to get my husband to eat better as he does not pay attention to what he eats. I have been telling him the same thing about cholesterol and what foods to avoid but he does not listen.
I had no idea that any of those herbs actually lowered cholesterol. Maybe I can at least convince him to eat more garlic and licorice!
Hello Alison it is so good to meet you, my what a wonderful wife you are, I wish that there were more wives like you, but you know us men. Sometimes we can be very stubborn, but don’t get discourage, keep up the good work. Maybe he just might go for the herbs. Tell him sometimes we need to listen to our wives.
My wife also gives me advice and I listen at times to her because I am not always right. All the best to you and best of luck as you give hubby good advice.
Hi there Norman,
Great article and a rather important one for all of us to read. At very least for the sake of our health. Thanks for creating and sharing this with us. It is appreciated. Thanks.
You are hitting the nail on the head when you say that too much cholesterol is bad for us. Too little is bad also as it is the building blocks for an important hormone – testosterone, which is needed by both men and women alike.
Hello Derek so good to see you again, thanks a million for sharing and for those kind words. All the best to you and have a good day.
Another very interesting article on your website. I do not have high cholesterol, but it is always good to eat right and eat things that keep your body in good shape. I love licorice, so this makes me happy! I have also heard that Turmeric is good for so many other things, that it seems a no brainer that I start including it in my diet.
Hello my good friend so nice to hear from you, hope all is well with both you and your family. It is good to know that you don’t have high cholesterol it shows that you are eating the right kinds of foods. Wishing you the best of health always, thanks for commenting. All the best to you and have a good day.
Great advice, I have eaten healthy most of my life. In fact, I have not had a donut in over 10 years. That one on your site looks good, though. This will help me as I mainly eat Mediterainan. Your advice on fruits is great and I definitely learned more about how I can improve my eating habits. Thanks for the valuable information.
Hello Gary it is so good to meet you and thanks for commenting. Cholesterol is a serious issue that all of us have to deal with, our choice of foods should not be, because it looks and smells good but eating what we know will do our bodies much good. It seems that you are on the right track. Keep up the work, wishing you continued success.
It seem that the unhealthy things are always great tasting doesn’t it. High fat, fried foods are so delicious. I agree with you though. We have to take charge of our health and make the necessary lifestyle change.
I wonder though, what are the most effective ways to use these herbs to lower cholesterol?
Hello so good to meet you and thanks for sharing, you can used them in salads, make tea with them or even cook them. Make sure not to overcook. Hope this helps, all the best to you..
Great article Norman!
It was nice to see you provided several lists of food items for a quick and easy start for anyone wanting to look into this further. My Dr. last told me there is Good cholesterol and Bad cholesterol. At the time my bad cholesterol was low but so was my good cholesterol. Dr. said that was a bad thing. I had never heard of the possibility that good cholesterol could be too low and that to be a bad thing. I’ve since been seeing a nutritionist and things are much better.
I am an aspiring farmer (backyard garden) and would love to grow more of my own food but live in a pretty cold and wet climate. We don’t get a lot of sunshine here. Would you have any suggestions on what I could start with that would come with easy success?
Thanks for your insight, I’ll probably be browsing through more of your articles.
Angie-
Hello, it is so good, to meet you and thanks for sharing, it seems like the weather that you have is not making it easy for you to garden. But I have sent this link to you so look and it and if you feel like this can work then give it a try. Please let me know how it goes. All the best to you.https://staging-gardenofedengardencenter.siterubix.com/growing-indoor-edible-plantshttps://staging-gardenofedengardencenter.siterubix.com/growing-indoor-edible-plants
Thanks for this useful info and herb suggestions.
Unfortunately, I love many of the foods that should be avoided. I was wondering if you could point me to some recipes or tell me what ingredients I can use these herbs with? I really have no idea how to cook licorice though I love the taste. Thanks for any suggestions.
Hello again my friend, I know real well what you are talking about, the unhealthy stuff taste so great, but we must remember the rules that governs good health and try to eat as healthy as we can. Some of the herbs that I mention, I use in steam, broil or baked foods, even when preparing soups.
You can even use a pinch of rosemary or chives in freshly prepared salads. Your can purchase licorice as a root or powder. Can be used to prepare meats and soups also. Hope this helps. All the best to you and have a good day.
Hi again Norman,
I also was wondering what type of grains besides oats I can add as a part of my diet? I’m trying to find a gluten-free diet that also lowers cholesterol. I already use garlic and turmeric in many home-made dishes. I was pretty happy to see that those are actually good to prevent bad cholesterol.
Thanks so much!
Hello Carolyn it is so good to hear from you again and it is also good to know that you are eating healthy. Other grains that you can include in your diet are brown rice, whole wheat, barley, buckwheat, millet and whole rye. These are just a few that you can add to your diet.
Hope this helps, all the best to you and have a good day.
Yes, you are definitely right about the evilness of cholesterol and fried food. They are about the most unhealthy things we could it, beside r sugar. But they do taste super good lol!
I would like to clarify on the egg yolk part. I used to take out the yolk when eating eggs due to concern about it’s cholesterol. Then I read an article saying egg yolks are the good type of cholesterol…. So I’m a bit confused here buddy.
Or are there two school of thoughts, 1-egg yolk is bad and 2-egg yolk is good?
Hello Isaac so good to hear from you again. It is just so amazing how some of the bad stuff do really taste good but we must always remember the rules that governs good health and seek to follow them. I know what you are talking about, one minute some researchers will say it is bad and then you hear the flip side of the coin. I guess in a case like this, just use moderation. Thanks for commenting, all the best to you my friend.
Hi… thanks for sharing your in depth knowledge on herbs. I did not know that such herbs could lower cholesterol. Thank you so much for sharing this… knowledge is power. I will definitely share this with my family and friends. Keep up the good work. Please keep sharing your knowledge on this, i hope to come back to your site for more info.
Hello Aisha so nice to meet you, thanks for those kind words and for your help and I am glad that I could help. Wishing you the best of success, have a good day.
Great stuff Norman
The only problem is I love cheese so much lol – the rest I can definitely do without. Cholesterol is a big problem for many people – it affect so many things in your health..And your memory as well! Some of the herbs that you mention that lower the cholesterol are actually bases for really great dishes like turmeric and Garlic – awesome tastes and you can make deliious low fat curries with them.
Thanks for your comments
Wow thats a big eye opener. Most of the foods marked as high cholesterol i would eat but i would say i am in good health. I exercise the odd time and i am a smoker. Then again I am only 27 so id say this might have an effect on me in later life. I love eggs and beans and meat. What else do i eat!!! how do i know if my cholesterol is high? should i be worried?
Hello it is so good to meet you, Good health is such and awesome thing therefore we must do all that we can to maintain good health. Some of the more common signs includes chest pains, stroke and heart attack. We ought to take this serious because our health is depending on how we treat our bodies. Hope this helps, thanks for commenting. All the best to you.