Reducing Cholesterol by Eating the Right Foods

Those who are both overweight and a normal healthy weight may suffer from high cholesterol.

Sometimes high cholesterol is purely genetic and is hard to modify by changing diet and exercise. Others may find that a change in diet and an increase in cardiovascular exercise helps to lower their levels.

Most would know what foods are unhealthy, so now I'll review the foods that may be likely to help lower cholesterol.

Soy Protein: Foods like edamame, tofu, soymilk, and soy-based meat alternatives have been shown to slightly decrease your LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol). Studies have shown this to be more significant when you consume about 25 grams of a soy protein.High Fiber Grains: Barley, bran, and oats are the top grains for reducing cholesterol. An easy way to eat more of these in is to have oatmeal in the morning or cook a side dish of barley for dinner. Flaxseed: This tiny seed is so fibrous, full of soluble fiber and healthy fats that it is a great addition to any diet. All of these soluble fibers in the whole grains and seeds helps to flush out bad cholesterol. Legumes: Beans and lentils are also excellent sources of fiber.Root Vegetables: Some of these slightly starchier vegetables like radishes, carrots, and sweet potatoes contain higher amounts of soluble fiber compared to other vegetables.Plant Sterols and Stanols: Studies have been strong showing that plant sterols and stanols can help to reduce cholesterol. You can find sterols and stanols in some margarine like Smart Balance and some companies are now making fortified granola bars and fortified orange juice.Fruit: Dried fruit like prunes have been shown to help keep the heart healthy.Don't forget to limit foods high in saturated fat like red meats, full fat cheese, and creamy condiments. It is important to limit trans fat as well since it can actually increase your cholesterol and LDL. Cutting out added sugars in your diet would also help to keep your triglycerides low, and therefore, help your cholesterol levels.

Finally, don't forget to have your cholesterol checked yearly and visit with your doctor to see if your diet and exercise routines are enough to keep your cholesterol levels healthy.

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Thrive Foods: 200 Plant-Based Recipes

A few months ago Nicole reviewed The Thrive Diet by Triathlete, Brendan Brazier.

In a few weeks, Brendan will release the companion to his vegan diet entitled Thrive Foods.

If you've been wanting to eat more plant based meals, then the 200 recipes provided by this new recipe book may get you off to a great start.

The book begins with a forward from Hugh Jackman who has been following Brazier's diet for the last couple years as well as relying on it to prepare for his movie roles.

Thrive Foods focuses heavily on the environmental impact our food choices make. Brazier developed what he calls the "nutrient to resource ratio". This takes into account the amount of resources it takes to produce the food, compared with the amount of nutrients that can be obtained from the food source.

Brandon Brazier says that if a person would just eat a plant based breakfast everyday for one year, it would reduce the carbon emissions by the amount that would be produced from a person driving a mid-sized car from Vancover, BC to Tijuana, Mexico.

All 200 recipes take this into account by being 100% plant based, high in nutrient density, and alkaline forming. He teamed up with some award winning chefs to create what he thinks are delicious recipes that align with the Thrive Diet principles.

Brendan Brazier's recipes use ingredients such as legumes, maca, chia, hemp, amaranth, buckwheat, quinoa, wild rice, and chlorella, while eliminating ingredients like wheat, yeast, gluten, soy, dairy, and corn.

The recipes provided include breakfast, lunch, and dinner suggestions as well as recipes for snacks, appetizers and desserts.

I think Thrive Foods includes a lot of good information about making wiser food choices not only for health, but also for the planet. I can see this book appealing to those that already care about their bodies and the environment, but it would be a tough sell to the many that don't seem to care about either. However, it's a great resource for those already headed down the road to more mindful eating regardless of their stance on eating meat.

Brendan also promotes his line of Vega, bars, gels, and other products in the book, which to me, damages his credibility a tad. I would like to see him focus on just whole foods as processed foods are part of the problem, including the energy it takes to make them. This seems to be a tad contradictory to his "nutrient to resource ratio". However, I'm not sure how much energy it takes to turn hemp into hemp protein powder, but I would imagine it would expend some.

Thrive Foods releases on September 6th and is available for pre-order on Amazon.

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