/4can Eating Sweet Potato Daily Reduce Cholesterol
Whether you are a health enthusiast or a food fanatic, the delicious taste and texture of sweet potatoes can simply add soul to your bland meals. But did you know eating sweet potatoes daily can improve your heart health and manage your cholesterol level naturally? Lets find out how adding sweet potatoes to your daily diet can reduce the risk of heart diseases and improve cardiac health.
Sweet Potatoes Are Remarkably High In Vitamin A
Worldwide, vitamin A deficiency is the leading cause of preventable blindness in children. An estimated 250,000 to 500,000 children become blind every year due to a lack of this critical nutrient. Half of these children die within a year of losing their sight.
Hoping to solve this problem , over the last several decades, biotechnology companies, governments, foundations, and scientists have spent hundreds of millions of dollars attempting to develop and popularize golden rice.
This is a form of rice thats been genetically engineered to provide beta-carotene . Despite decades of effort, the product still hasnt reached the market.
How ironic that this same effort could have gotten sweet potatoes and the means to grow them into the hands of most of the impoverished families now suffering from vitamin A deficiency. Of course, that wouldnt have made biotech company, Syngenta, any money. But it would have helped a whole lot more people than golden rice ever has, and most likely, ever will.
News flash: The biotech industry and its supporters have long promoted GMO golden rice as an urgently needed solution to vitamin A deficiency. But in late 2018, in a surprising twist, the US Food and Drug Administration concluded its consultation process on golden rice by informing the current developers, the International Rice Research Institute , that golden rice does not meet the nutritional requirements to make a health claim.
The 9 Best Foods To Lower Your Cholesterol
Lets get real: when was the last time you thought about your cholesterol? It can be easy to forget about unless youve recently been to the doctor, since high cholesterol doesnt usually come with noticeable symptoms. Unfortunately, you might want to start thinking about it: the CDC stipulates that roughly;30% of American women have high cholesteroldramatically increasing their risk for heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. While medication may be necessary in some situations, making dietary changes is often enough to manage cholesterol naturally. Weve put together a list of the nine best foods to lower your cholesterol, in addition to a little preface on the difference between good cholesterol and bad cholesterol .
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Are Potatoes High In Carbs
Yes, carbs in potatoes are high. In the human body, the brain needs a constant supply of carbohydrates to function and derive energy from, and it is also essential for psychological and cognitive development. A simple carbohydrate consists only of sugars, but potatoes have starch made up of complex sugars.
Typically, grains like rice, pasta, etc., and potatoes are considered together due to their high carbohydrate content, but technically, potatoes are vegetables. Along with corn and green peas, potatoes are classified as starchy vegetables. During digestion, starches are rapidly converted to sugar; this results in a sharp increase in blood sugar levels.
There are three different kinds of starch components in potatoes:
- Rapidly digested
- Slowly digested
- Resistant starch
Resistant starch is found in the majority of cooked potatoes. Since the health benefits of potato-derived starch have become widely discussed, nutritionists have turned their attention to it. Carbs in potatoes are affected by various factors, including cultivation practices, crop growth temperatures, storage durations and temperatures, and processing. Numerous types of biochemical procedures are available to determine the content of carbs in potatoes.
The Majority Of People Diagnosed With High Cholesterol Can Improve Their Health By Following A Cholesterol
Now that you understand Cholesterol Basics, I recommend a two-pronged approach to improving your numbers. First, you need to reduce your intake of saturated fats, trans fats, and dietary cholesterol. Second, increase your consumption of some key foods that have been shown to improve heart health.
Specific foods to limit or avoid:
The top dietary recommendations for lowering cholesterol are to eliminate or at least drastically limit the foods you eat that contain saturated fats, trans fats, dietary cholesterol, and refined carbohydrates.
Saturated fats: Saturated fats are found in animal-based foods, including meats, butter, whole-milk dairy products , and poultry skin. They are also found in some high-fat plant foods, including palm oil. Numerous studies have shown that by replacing saturated fat with olive oil or nuts , you can reduce LDL-cholesterol by significant amounts.
Trans fats: Trans fats were developed in a laboratory to improve the shelf life of processed foods and they do. But trans fats are even more dangerous than saturated fats. Most stick margarines contain trans fats, and trans fats are found in many packaged baked goods, potato chips, snack foods, fried foods, and fast foods that use or create hydrogenated oils. There is no safe amount of trans fats, so try to keep them as far from your plate as possible.
Good foods to choose
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How The Fat You Eat Affects Cholesterol Levels
The relationship between the fat we eat and our health, particularly our cardiovascular health, has been hotly debated for many years.
Heres what you need to know:
There are different types of fats in our diet:
- Polyunsaturated fats: essential and important nutrients
- Monounsaturated fats: can come from plant or animal products and are generally considered healthy
- Saturated fats: less healthy than mono- and polyunsaturated fats
- Trans fats: unhealthy fats
Eat To Lower Your Cholesterol
Cholesterol isnt all bad news. Follow these tips to lower your cholesterol, the natural way.
Chances are, youve heard a thing or two about cholesterol. Having high blood cholesterol is a risk factor for developing heart disease.
But did you know that you can reduce your cholesterol level by making smart food choices? Its true!
Cholesterol clarified
Before we get to the details, lets be clear on what were talking about. For years, cholesterol has had a bad rep that it doesnt really deserve. The truth is, we need cholesterol to function. Your body makes most of the cholesterol it needs. The rest comes from foods you eat.
Heres the important thing: Dietary cholesterol found in meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products has less impact on increasing your blood cholesterol level. Foods that contain lots of saturated fat are the true culprits.
Now heres how to make nutritious choices to lower your blood cholesterol.
Keep eating simple
In the last 20 years, the rules on healthy eating have shifted. Super restrictive diets arent sustainable or the healthiest choice. Rather than zeroing in on a single nutrient, nutrition research shows the quality of your diet matters more. A diet filled with the right portions of whole, unprocessed foods can help decrease heart disease and stroke. What does that look like? For a healthy, balanced eating plan:
Cook at home
Choose more fibre
Each of these options will provide you with two grams:
- ½ ripe avocado
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Potatoes Are Rich In Dietary Fiber And Decrease The Bad Cholesterol
We often hear health experts and nutritionists harping on the importance of a fiber rich diet. It is common knowledge that a fiber rich diet is great for the digestive system; however, very few know that these benefits extend to cardiac health, brain health and circulatory system health. These connections may seem strange to some; however, fiber benefits all these different organ groups in the body by reducing cholesterol levels; specifically LDL or bad cholesterol levels. As mentioned before; potatoes are a rich source of dietary fibers and as such; they can have multiple potential benefits for those afflicted by high cholesterol levels.
Eating potatoes greatly reduces LDL levels. LDL or what is commonly known as bad cholesterol is the culprit behind clogging of the arteries and plaque, clogged arteries means stiff arteries that do not support adequate blood flow to different parts of the body. Clogged arteries also result in reduced blood flow from the heart which has an adverse impact on cardiac health. The plaque buildup in arteries can even break off and be transported by blood flow to the brain which can lead to strokes. Hence; it is easy to see how eating potatoes can combat many of the adverse impacts of high cholesterol by supplying the body with fibers that combat LDL.
How To Prepare It
At the store, choose firm, not mushy, sweet potatoes that have even-colored skin. Use a stainless-steel knife to cut them. A carbon knife will darken the flesh.
While you may usually top your sweet potatoes with brown sugar and marshmallows at Thanksgiving, there are healthier ways to prepare them. You can steam, roast, boil, or microwave them. Sweet potato fries are also tasty, but don’t eat them often. Although they offer more nutrients than fries made from white potatoes, they’re still high in fat.
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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.
Tips For Cooking Potatoes To Benefit High Cholesterol
When you wish to get the most nutritional benefits out of potatoes; you need to cook potatoes in the correct manner. As mentioned before; all the nutrients, vitamins and fiber are concentrated in the skin of the potato. Hence; potatoes are best cooked with the skin on to get extra dietary fiber that can negate the effects of bad cholesterol.
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What Are Good And Bad Carbs
Carbohydrates found in white bread, white rice, pastry, sugary soft drinks, and other highly processed foods can contribute to weight gain and are considered bad carbs. Consuming an excessive amount of these so-called bad carbs increases your risk of diseases. On the other hand, healthy carbs such as whole grains, beans, fruits, and vegetables contribute to your overall health by providing vitamins, minerals, fiber, and various other nutrients. Therefore, you should include some good healthy carbs in your regular diet.
However, carbs are primary sources of energy for us but remember that these carbs are converted by your digestive system into blood sugar . Your body utilizes the glucose and stores any remaining sugar for later use. Carbohydrates are classified into two broad categories: simple and complex. Sugars such as fruit sugar , corn or grape sugar , and table sugar are considered simple carbohydrates . Everything composed of three or more linked sugars is considered a complex carbohydrate. Complex carbohydrates were once thought to be the healthiest type of carbohydrate to consume.
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Triglycerides In Your Blood
In addition to cholesterol, your blood also contains a type of fat called triglycerides, which are stored in your bodys fat deposits. Hormones release triglycerides to make energy between meals.;
When you eat, your body converts any extra energy it doesnt need right away into triglycerides.
Like cholesterol, your body needs triglycerides to work properly. However, there is evidence to suggest that some people with high triglycerides are at increased risk of heart disease and stroke.;
If you regularly eat more energy than you need, you may have high triglycerides .;
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Sweet Potato Health Benefit #: They Can Boost Your Immunity
Sweet potatoes are rich in antioxidants that prevent free radical damage in your body.
One cup of baked sweet potato contains52% of your daily value for vitamin C, which is important for wound healing and tissue repair.
And the vitamin A in sweet potatoes helps your body make immune cells that stave off infections and disease and have anti-tumor effects. Purple sweet potatoes contain especially potent antioxidants.
Should You Eat Potato Chips
The occasional serving of potato chips isn’t likely to harm your overall health, but you shouldn’t make them a regular part of your diet. When you do have potato chips, read nutrition and ingredient labels carefully. Choose a brand that doesn’t contain partially hydrogenated oils, which means the chips won’t have any trans fats. Opt for baked potato chips because they contain far less saturated fat than traditional versions of the snack. Keep in mind, however, that all potato chips contain a large amount of sodium and provide little in the way of key vitamins and minerals.
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Wheat Bread Is Your Best Bet For Cholesterol Control And High Fiber
Whole wheat is your best go-to bread when sticking to a low-cholesterol diet, according to Kristi King, RDN, MPH, a clinical instructor of;pediatrics and gastroenterology at the;Baylor College of Medicine and senior dietitian at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston. “One-hundred-percent whole grain bread is what you want it contains higher amounts of our friend fiber” King says. “A great example, and one that I love, is pumpernickel bread,” she says, which is a rye-derivative but milder. And when;you add cheese such as cheddar or gouda, King says you’ll also be treating yourself to gut-friendly probiotics.
Whole wheat bread has other added benefits, too: Just one slice gives you about two grams of protein and two grams of fiber. Whether you opt to buy pumpernickel, rye, or good old-fashioned whole wheat, steer your cart to one of these choices in the bread aisle to help keep cholesterol in check.
Recommended Way Of Eating Sweet Potatoes
Some foods contain various beneficial yet fragile substances. Hence, the way of cooking them needs to be considered in order to get the maximum benefit. Sweet potatoes is among those. This type of food has a high level of fiber, vitamin A, vitamin D, and some minerals. Yet, these substances are water-soluble. For this reason, you need to cook it right in order to maintain the substances and get the benefits for your health, including lowering your cholesterol level.
Some recommended ways of eating sweet potatoes include:
- Steaming or boiling half-cut sweet potatoes for approximately 10 minutes. The shorter the cooking time is, the more beneficial the food will be.
- Adding a teaspoon of olive oil after the cooked potatoes have cooled down. Consuming high fiber with considerable amount of good fat will be beneficial in maintaining the food glycemic index.
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The Best Way To Prepare Sweet Potatoes
Maybe you eat sweet potatoes regularly. Or maybe you only think of them as a seasonal side dish.
Me? Ive enjoyed a baked sweet potato for breakfast with a delicious organic tofu chive spread on it. Or for lunch with salad dressing or a peanut curry sauce. Or as a base for dinner, or even dessert.
I havent tried a steamed sweet potato smoothie . Sweet potatoes are delicious, incredibly versatile, and you can eat them in more ways than you think.
You can prepare them by boiling, steaming, baking, stir-frying, grilling, or cooking and mashing.
But the bottom line is: You just might want to cook sweet potatoes in whatever makes you most likely to eat and enjoy them.
The only way Id recommend not preparing sweet potatoes is by deep-frying them. This isnt the healthiest way to cook food anyway. But for sweet potatoes, it can actually lead to the creation of acrylamide a potential carcinogen.
If it works well with your recipe, try leaving the skin on for some potent fiber and nutrients. Sweet potato skin is also full of antioxidants. In fact, sweet potato skin may have over 10 times the antioxidant power of the flesh inside.
Including a few grams of fat in your sweet potato recipes can significantly increase the amount of beta-carotene your body absorbs from the meal. Just use a small amount of nut butter, avocado, olive oil , or have a fat source in the same meal.
Do Sweet Potatoes Raise Cholesterol Levels
Fact Checked
High in fiber and virtually fat-free, sweet potatoes may help lower rather than raise your cholesterol if you eat them baked or boiled. But sweet potatoes topped with butter, sour cream or cooked in high-fat, high-sugar casseroles could elevate your low-density lipoprotein cholesterol as well as your triglycerides, a type of fat that acts similarly to LDL bad cholesterol in your bloodstream.
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Are Mashed Potatoes Good For Cholesterol
potatoeshealthymashed potatoespotatoescholesterol
Here are 4 high-cholesterol foods that can negatively impact your health.
- Fried Foods. Fried foods such as deep-fried meats and cheese sticks are high-cholesterol and should be avoided whenever possible.
- Fast Food.
- Processed Meats.
- Desserts.
Additionally, how bad are mashed potatoes for you? The main reason potatoes can become unhealthy though is the way they’re prepared especially when we’re talking mashed potatoes. It’s easy for the calories and fat to add up with all the butter, milk and cream generally in mashed potatoes.
Hereof, what is the best drink to lower cholesterol?
Drinks That Can Help You Lower High Cholesterol
- Tart cherry juice. PR Newswire notes a study published in Food & Function found tart cherry juice may help cholesterol levels and cardiovascular health in general.
- Cranberry juice.
What should I eat for breakfast to lower my cholesterol?
Here are some of the best morning foods for improving your numbers.