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How Is Cholesterol Measured
Most people with high cholesterol feel perfectly well and often have no symptoms. The best way to find out if your cholesterol is high is to have a blood test .
Visit your GP to determine whether you need to lower your cholesterol level and what action to take.
GPs can also do a heart health check, that calculates your heart disease and stroke risk.
Smoothies To Lower Cholesterol
by MPharm, AfN Nutritionist
In today’s article, we’ll talk about the best ingredients to use in a cholesterol-lowering smoothie. Also, we’ll share 9 delicious smoothie recipes for you to try, and we hope you’ll find your new favourite!
A quick and tasty smoothie is the perfect breakfast for those busy mornings.
You can prepare it with lots of health-boosting ingredients that will nourish you from the inside out. So, why not make a smoothie to help lower bad cholesterol? It’s easy and simple!
You can skip right to the recipes using the table of contents below or keep reading if you want to learn more about what you can do to keep cholesterol in check.
Contents
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High In Fiber High In Weight Loss/blood Sugar Benefits
Avocados are high in fiber, about 7% by weight, which is very high compared to most other foods. Fiber has multiple benefits for weight loss, controlling blood sugar and improving metabolic health. If you want to lose weight in the healthiest way possible, while stabilizing blood sugar, we highly recommend these amazing fruits. Make avocados your choice superfood with only 2 “net” carbs!
Potential Risks Of Avocado Oil
Avocado oil is largely safe to consume, but you should consult with your doctor before making any major dietary changes. As a high-fat food, it should be eaten in limited amounts. In addition, you might want to avoid avocado oil if you are concerned about any of the following:
Avocado Allergies
If youre allergic to avocados, you will be allergic to avocado oil. People who also have either birch pollen or latex allergies are more likely to be allergic to avocados. Consult with a doctor before consuming avocado oil if you have either of these conditions.
Medication Interference
Avoid avocado oil if youre taking Warfarin . Avocados have been proven to decrease the effectiveness of Warfarin, increasing the risk of blood clotting.
Clinical, Cosmetic, and Investigational Dermatology: Overall skin tone and skin-lightening-improving effects with oral supplementation of lutein and zeaxanthin isomers: a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.
Clinical Rheumatology: Avocado-soybean unsaponifiables for osteoarthritis – a systematic review.
Clinics in Dermatology: Pigments in avocado tissue and oil.
Disease Markers: Avocado oil supplementation modifies cardiovascular risk profile markers in a rat model of sucrose-induced metabolic changes.
Molecules: Avocado Oil: Characteristics, Properties, and Applications.
Pagination
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Cholesterol And Healthy Eating
What we eat has an impact on our cholesterol levels and can help reduce our risk of disease. Try to eat a wide variety of foods from each of the five food groups. Not only does this help to maintain a healthy and interesting diet, but it provides essential nutrients to the body.
The Heart Foundation recommends:
- Plenty of vegetables, fruits and wholegrains.
- A variety of healthy protein sources , legumes , nuts and seeds. Smaller amounts of eggs and lean poultry can also be included in a heart healthy diet. If choosing red meat, make sure it is lean and limit to 1-3 times a week.
- Unflavoured milk, yoghurt and cheese. Those with high blood cholesterol should choose reduced fat varieties.
- Healthy fat choices nuts, seeds, avocados, olives and their oils for cooking
- Herbs and spices to flavour foods, instead of adding salt.
Also, be mindful on how much you are eating and whether you are filling up on unhealthy foods. Portion sizes have increased over time and many of us are eating more than we need which can lead to obesity and increase our risk of cardiovascular disease.
Ideally, a healthy plate would include servings of ¼ protein, ¼ carbohydrates and ½ vegetables.
Serving size can vary depending on age, gender and specific nutrition needs.
Why Avocado Fat Lowers Cholesterol
As mentioned above, avocado fat content is the reason to lower cholesterol since it is monounsaturated fat.
Another reason is that avocado packs more of the cholesterol-smashing beta-sitosterol than any other fruit. Beta-sitosterol reduces the amount of cholesterol absorbed from food. So the combination of beta-sitosterol and monounsaturated fat makes the avocado an excellent cholesterol buster.
Beta-Sitosterol has an apparent ability to block the bad LDL cholesterol absorption from the intestine, resulting in lower blood cholesterol levels. The Australian study not only reported that eating either half or a whole avocado fruit per day for a month succeeded in lowering cholesterol levels, but at the same time most people in the study lost weight.
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Add An Avocado Lower Your Cholesterol
Just an avocado a day can significantly lower your cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease, a new study shows.
Avocados are rich in so-called healthy fats and other nutrients and the study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, shows the creamy fruit can work within weeks to lower cholesterol.
Just like olive oil and nuts, avocados have plaque-busting monounsaturated fatty acids, and the effects seem similar to all the benefits from a Mediterranean diet, the researchers said.
And its one more piece of evidence in favor of adding good fats to the diet.
In the past, we used to substitute carbohydrate for saturated fat, and that would result in a low-fat diet, said Penny Kris-Etherton, chair of the American Heart Associations Nutrition Committee and distinguished professor of nutrition at Pennsylvania State University.
Now we’re seeing that it’s better for people to have good fats in their diet at the expense of saturated fat. And so the current message is to replace saturated fat with unsaturated fat, and in so doing, consume a moderate-fat diet, not too much, and also not too little, Kris-Etherton told NBC News.
Kris-Etherton and colleagues did an intensive study with 45 typical Americans all overweight or obese, but with healthy cholesterol and blood pressure levels.
Everyone spent five weeks on each diet. No one lost weight, but their low-density lipoprotein levels changed.
Erika Edwards contributed to this story
Treatment For High Cholesterol
Making lifestyle changes, especially changing some of the foods you eat, and regular physical activity, are very important to help reduce high LDL cholesterol.
You may also need to take cholesterol-lowering medicines to help manage your cholesterol and reduce your risk of having a heart attack or stroke. Talk to your doctor about finding the most appropriate treatment for you.
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Avocado Cholesterol Lowering Effect
According to a study in Brisbane, Australia reported that eating avocados daily for three weeks improved blood cholesterol in middle-aged women better than a high complex carbohydrate diet did.
The avocado diet reduced total cholesterol 8 percent compared with 5 percent for carbohydrate diet. Most important, avocados did not lower HDL levels which need to be high, but the carbodydrate diet lowered HDL by 14%.
This last fact alone, shows that while avocado is effective overall for cholesterol, carbohydrates are not, since by lowering HDL, it lowers the cholesterol ratio.
And cholesterol ratio is the better predictor of heart disease and heart attack. The lower the ratio the better it is.
The daily amount of avocado ranged from 1/2 avocado for small women to 1 1/2 for large women. Expected outcome: By eating avocados, heart patients could cut their risk of heart attack 10-20 percent and death rates 4-8 percent in 3-5 years.
Does Avocado Have Cholesterol Or No
Despite what you might have read, there are ZERO mg of cholesterol in an avocado. I repeat, the avocado has no cholesterol. So when someone ask you how much cholesterol in avocado, now you know the answer definitively.
As a side note, even if it did contain a high level of cholesterol, like the shrimp for example, it doesnt mean it will cause your levels to go up at all. It doesnt work like that. But thats another story.
So even if you are trying to avoid foods high in cholesterol, which it doesnt really make too much sense to do, you dont have to worry about eating avocados.
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Chocolate Banana Strawberry Smoothie
This one is for all the chocolate lovers out there we hear you!
Despite what one might think, cacao and dark chocolate are actually good for you if you have high cholesterol.
Specific plant compounds in cacao help reduce the oxidation of bad HDL cholesterol, a process linked to the development of cardiovascular diseases.
So a bit of cocoa powder or dark chocolate in a smoothie can protect you from the harmful effects of high HDL. Awesome!
Heart Benefits Of Avocados
You may have heard that avocados are full of fat and so you’ve tried to stay away from them. But not all fats are created equal. Avocados contain monounsaturated fats that are great for improving your cholesterol and reducing inflammation. In addition they contain more potassium than bananas so they are very effective at managing blood pressure. Their high fiber makes them good for weight loss and control of blood sugar. On top that, they also contain vitamin A and C that are great for your skin. Avocados both help your heart and keep you looking younger. Sounds like a natural fountain of youth to me!
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More Research Needs To Be Done Into The Fruit
The researchers note that more work needs to be done in the area.
“Nutrition research on avocados is a relatively new area of study, so I think we’re at the tip of the iceberg for learning about their health benefits,” Kris-Etherton said.
“Avocados are really high in healthy fats, carotenoids which are important for eye health and other nutrients. They are such a nutrient-dense package, and I think we’re just beginning to learn about how they can improve health.”
Read more:
How Long Does It Take For Consumed Foods To Help Lower Bad Cholesterol
A 2015 study from Penn State University found that obese or overweight people had a 50% drop in LDL levels after following an avocado-rich, low-fat diet for five weeks. An earlier study from Mexico reported that a similar diet in healthy people with mild hypercholesterolemia reduced total cholesterol by 17% and “bad” LDL cholesterol by 22% after only seven days.
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Healthy Eating Tips To Lower Cholesterol
As well as sticking to a varied and healthy diet, try these tips to help you manage your cholesterol:
- Limit takeaway foods to once a week .
- Limit salty, fatty and sugary snack foods to once a week .
- Eat plenty of vegetables aim for 5 serves of vegetables every day. .
- Choose wholegrain breads, cereal, pasta, rice and noodles.
- Snack on plain, unsalted nuts and fresh fruit .
- Include legumes such as chickpeas, lentils, split peas), beans into at least two meals a week. Check food labels and choose the lowest sodium products.
- Use spreads and margarines made from healthy unsaturated fats instead of those made with saturated fat .
- Use healthy oils for cooking some include canola, sunflower, soybean, olive , sesame and peanut oils.
- Use salad dressings and mayonnaise made from oils such as canola, sunflower, soybean, olive , sesame and peanut oils.
- Include 2 or 3 serves of plant-sterol-enriched foods every day .
- Have 2 to 3 portions of oily fish every week. Fish may be fresh, frozen or canned.
- Include up to 7 eggs every week.
- Select lean meat and limit unprocessed red meat to less than 350g per week.
- Choose reduced fat, no added sugar milk, yoghurt, or calcium-added non-dairy food and drinks.
- Limit or avoid processed meats including sausages and deli meats .
If you are having trouble with your cholesterol levels, a dietitian can help you to eat healthily for your specific needs.
What Reduces Cholesterol Quickly Naturally
A few changes in your diet can reduce cholesterol and improve your heart health: Reduce saturated fats. Saturated fats, found primarily in red meat and full-fat dairy products, raise your total cholesterol. Eliminate trans fats. Eat foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Increase soluble fiber. Add whey protein.
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Avocados And Good Heart Health
Eating healthy foods as a part of a balanced diet and getting regular exercise can allow you to enjoy good heart health.
For example, dietary fat is a type of nutrient that can help the body absorb fat-soluble vitamins, such as Vitamins A, D, K and E. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend a diet plan that substitutes good fats in place of bad, within moderation, to receive the nutrient benefits of dietary fat without raising LDL cholesterol. In this case, a serving of avocado, which contributes good fats and has no cholesterol, could be a heart-healthy option for aiding absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins in your diet. While many factors affect heart disease, diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of this disease.
Similarly, avocados contribute 6% of the daily value for potassium. When eaten in the right amounts, potassium is a type of electrolyte that helps nerves to function and muscles to contract while also helping to regulate ones heartbeat. A diet rich in potassium helps to offset some of the harmful effects of sodium on blood pressure. Healthy avocados contribute 254 mg of potassium per 50g serving .
While avocados may not contain cholesterol, the nearly 20 vitamins and minerals they do feature make them a healthy nutrient-rich choice. By eating balanced diet with a variety of nutritious foods and maintaining an active lifestyle, you can enhance your health and reduce your risk of heart disease.
An Avocado A Day Could Keep Ldl At Bay
In the new study, researchers found that consuming one avocado daily was linked to lower LDL levels.
It’s worth noting that the sample size was small the conclusion was drawn following a randomized, controlled trial of 45 overweight and obese people.
For two weeks, they all followed a similar diet designed to reflect that of the average American.
The participants were then randomly split into three groups for five weeks: A third would eat a low-fat diet, a further third would consume a moderate-fat diet, and the final third would follow a moderate-fat diet which incorporated a daily avocado.
The fat levels of those in the middle third was then compared to the level in the daily avocado group.
The researchers found that not only did those who ate the daily avocado have lower LDL levels than before the study, they also had lower levels than the rest of the participants.
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What Is Hdl Cholesterol
High-density lipoprotein is a protective form of cholesterol that carries bad cholesterol away from the arteries and into the liver where it can be broken down and eliminated from the body.
When your HDL is high60 milligrams per deciliter or higheryour risk of heart attack or heart disease is lower. When your HDL is lowfor women less than 50 mg/dl, for men less than 40 mg/dlyour chances of having a heart attack or heart disease are increased.
Here are several types of foods you should consider eating more often to raise your HDL and lower your LDL.
Can Avocados Lower Cholesterol Then
This is another popular question, and kind of the opposite of what we discussed above. Here people are recognizing the health benefits of avocado, and wanting to know if it can actually help to lower LDL or raise HDL. Lets take a closer look at that
As it turns out, according to WebMd, avocados can actually help lower your cholesterol.
In fact, there was a small study conducted with three different test groups, one on a low fat diet with no avocado, one with a moderate fat diet and no avocado and one with a moderate fat diet with an avocado each day.
Guess which group has the lowest cholesterol levels after five weeks? Yes, youve guessed itgroup number three on the moderate diet with avocado.
Although this study only included 45 individuals, and there could have been other factors at play, its safe to assume that the avocado is good for cholesterol. This is likely due to the fact that it has not only a high concentration of heart-friendly monounsaturated fats, not to be confused with trans fats, but also important compounds called phytosterols, beta-sitosterol in particular.
This one-two punch of monounsaturated fat and beta-sitosterol can help raise HDL and lower LDL, and also reduce the amount of cholesterol absorbed from the food that you eat. Its interesting to note that there are cholesterol medications that do this as well, i.e lower the production of LDL as well as limit the absorption, but the downside is all of the potential side effects that come with it.
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