Cholesterol, Diet and the Key to Healthy Living
by Donia Alawi*

One of the most important concepts in this article is that  most research, diagnosis and treatment have been directed toward cholesterol management.  

Low cholesterol / low fat foods are marketed to promote a "healthy heart". Cholesterol-lowering drugs are among the most prescribed medications of our time.  And public health messages stress the importance of understanding the important role of elevated cholesterol in causing heart disease. 

As a result, many people now mistakenly believe that, as long as they keep their cholesterol level below 200, they  won't have to worry about heart disease.

If elevated blood cholesterol was the cause of heart disease, how would you explain what you hear quite often about someone whose blood cholesterol was "normal," who seemed to be the picture of health, who suddenly dropped dead of a heart attack?

Recent research has led to the realization that factors other than cholesterol may play a role in heart disease.  It has been only two years since medical investigators discovered that inflammation is related to heart disease.  Now a shift has taken place in trying to understand the markers for inflammation as better predictors of heart disease than elevated blood cholesterol itself.

If cholesterol alone is not responsible for heart disease, does that mean that if you have elevated levels of the "bad" LDL cholesterol that you shouldn't worry about a heart disease?  Of course not.  We must not throw the baby out with the bath water.  In fact, studies indicate that for every 1 percent elevation in the bad LDL cholesterol there is a 2 percent increase in  risk of heart disease. 

It is, however, advisable that you support a change in your diet and lifestyle instead of rushing out and taking cholesterol lowering drugs as a way to avoid heart diseases. 

Remember heart diseases are not just caused by elevated blood cholesterol.  We believe that when you change your diet and lifestyle, you have a better chance of avoiding heart diseases.

Here's some information that is pertinent at this point about cholesterol medications:

* Statistically only about 10 percent of the population is genetically predisposed to have elevated blood cholesterol as a result of elevated dietary cholesterol.  Most of the cholesterol in the blood does not come directly from the diet as mentioned in the previous paragraphs. 

The liver and the intestines manufacture cholesterol.  Therefore, in order to balance the production of the "good" and "bad" cholesterol in your blood you need to look at changes in your diet and lifestyle to support the healthy  functioning of the liver and the intestines.

These specialized tests can be conducted by your health care practitioner using the following lab:

The Great Smokies Laboratories
18A Regent Park Boulevard,
Ashville, North Carolina, 28806
828-285-2223.

The following are helpful tips for your diet and lifestyle to support healthy liver and intestine function:

• Avoid or minimize the use of liver and intestine toxins such as alcohol, analgesic drugs, anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics. 
• Avoid using household and workplace chemicals such as insecticides, pesticides,chlorine,  bleach, paints, glues and solvents.
• Drink at least two liters (4 pints) of water daily to increase excretion of toxins through the kidneys.  This will reduce the workload of the liver.
• Improve digestion and assimilation. If the bowel function is poor because of Candida (excess populations of unhealthy bacteria), constipation..., etc., this can lead to excessive fermentation of the bowel contents, which will increase absorption of toxic ammonia and other nitrogen compounds from the bowel back into the blood stream.  A healthy liver can convert nitrogen into urea, which is excreted in the urine.  If you have poor liver function, the liver is not able to handle these high levels of ammonia  and toxic substances.
• Bowel function should be improved by taking supplements of friendly bacteria. Start by taking Acidophilus and Bifidus.  We recommend that your friendly bacteria supplement contain a whole food that is high in mineral content such as blue green algae.  Minerals allow the healthy  bacteria to proliferate in  the intestines, approximately 600 percent better than taking healthy bacteria  without an added mineral rich whole food.
• After taking single strains of acidophilus and bifidus choose a supplement  that contains additional types of friendly bacteria. One of the best friendly bacteria supplements available in the market today contains the following ingredients: 
  • acidophilus, bifidus, lactobacillus bulgaricus, lactobacillus casei, lactobacillus plantarum, lactobacillus salivar-ius, streptococcus faecium, streptococcus thermophilus, acerola and rose hips blend, blue green algae, jerusalem artichoke, lipase, amylase, protease and  cellulase.
• It's a remarkable combination of probiotic products formulated to work synergistically together to build and maintain healthy intestinal flora.
• We also recommend taking plant based enzymes with your cooked and processed meals. Again find a product that combines plant based enzymes with a mineral rich food such as blue green algae. Taking probiotic supplements and enzymes  provide an unparalleled, comprehensive system to promote good digestion and  optimum health.
• Avoid constipation by consuming plenty of raw fruits and vegetables, and  grind fresh seeds (flaxseed, pumpkin seed, sunflower seeds, etc.), and almonds, and mix with oat bran to increase intestinal fiber. This fiber will speed the passage of toxins out of the bowels and reduce the ability of these toxins to re-circulate back to the liver.
• Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussel sprouts, kale, bok choy, mustard greens and radish, contain important substances such as indoles, thiols and sulphur compounds, which enhance the  liver's phase one and phase two detoxification pathways.  Broccoli has a particularly good effect and enhances glutathione conjugation of toxins.
• *Use cold pressed oils instead of hydrogenated oils. Your liver cells do not know how to handle the trans-fatty acids from hydrogenated oils, so they may accumulate in the liver. 

People who eat a lot of foods fried with hydrogenated oils develop a fatty liver with elevated cholesterol. Animal studies suggest that a high intake of trans-fatty acids will increase the deposits of fatty plaques inside the arteries.  The primary sources ofF fats in your diet should be virgin olive oil and ghee (from butter).

• Avoid excessive alcohol consumption.  If you must drink alcohol, confine  drinking to modest intake three days in any one week.  This gives your liver plenty of time to eliminate the waste products of alcohol metabolism. A good liver supplement such as blue green algae can help the liver to metabolize alcohol and will often reduce the symptoms of a hangover. However, excessive  alcohol (daily consumption), can decrease the rate of metabolism and secretion of fat in the bile, leading to a fatty liver.
• Avoid coffee and other beverages high in caffeine.  The use of caffeine may produce stomach inflammation and aggravate stomach ulcers by causing an increased secretion of stomach acids.  Caffeine relaxes the valve between the esophagus and the stomach, which can allow acid stomach contents to reflux up into the esophagus.  This can lead to heartburn and indigestion.  Even decaffeinated coffee can cause digestive problems because it contains tannic acid which can aggravate the stomach.
• Drink one or two glasses of raw vegetable and fruit juice every day.
• Eat raw garlic and onions to help the detoxification ability of the liver (do not continue for more than a 4 week period).
• Make sure that you are not consuming excessive iron and that your body's total iron  content is within normal limits.  Hepatitis viruses thrive in high-iron environments.  Avoid iron-enriched cereals, vitamin and mineral pills containing iron, red meats, and cooking in iron pots.
• Exercise is vital, especially of the aerobic variety which will raise  HDLs and lower total cholesterol.
• Use specific anti-fat foods and condiments from your kitchen, which fight cholesterol.  These are chili, garlic, onions, radishes, fresh ginger root and turmeric.
• Make sure you take a strong whole food supplement to provide you with all the minerals, vitamins, and amino acids such as wild-crafted blue green algae and / or bee pollen.
• Take antioxidant supplements to neutralize free radicals.  Co-enzyme Q10, wheat sprouts, red and blue green algae are great antioxidants for the liver. They can improve blood flow to the liver which is essential for regeneration of the liver cells.  They maintain high levels of glutathione, which is the most powerful liver anti-oxidant to prevent cirrhosis.  Carotenoids from  these anti-oxidants have powerful anti-cancer effects for those with liver problems.

The above tips can produce the right balances of good HDLs and bad LDLs in your total cholesterol levels.  Remember the liver filters the blood and the liver's metabolic pathways control the cholesterol balance. (also the intestinal track.....)  This is why it is very important to have a healthy liver and intestines. 

By modifying your diet and lifestyle, you are giving your body a chance to function in the way it was designed and it will perform miraculous feats of natural healing.

* Donia Alawi is one of the top Business Associates with Simplexity. She blends her dedication to health with her inspiring messages as her daily practice.

References:

Bland, Jeffrey.Genetic Nutritioneering.

Cabot, Sandra.The Healthy Liver and Bowel Book.

Morter, Ted.  Your Health, Your Choice.

Back to What's New.