No Personal Healthcare Advice Or Other Advice
This Web site provides general educational information on health-related issues and provides access to health-related resources for the convenience of our users. This site and its health-related information and resources are not a substitute for professional medical advice or for the care that patients receive from their physicians or other health care providers.
This site and its health-related information resources are not meant to be the practice of medicine, the practice of nursing, or to carry out any professional health care advice or service in the state where you live. Nothing in this Web site is to be used for medical or nursing diagnosis or professional treatment.
Always seek the advice of your physician or other licensed health care provider. Always consult your health care provider before beginning any new treatment, or if you have any questions regarding a health condition. You should not disregard medical advice, or delay seeking medical advice, because of something you read in this site.
What Is A Good Smoothie For High Cholesterol
If you want to make a good smoothie that helps lower cholesterol, aim for a combo of fibre-rich fruits, berries and leafy greens, oats, soy yogurt, nuts and seeds.
There are infinite combinations you could try, mixing and matching different ingredients every time.
We even have an entire article where we explain how to build up a balanced smoothie, from liquid bases to healthy toppings, with tips on serving sizes and nutrition. Check it out if you need some inspiration!
But for today, we did all the hard work, and we came up with 9 amazing cholesterol-lowering smoothie recipes you can try. So all you have to do is blitz and sip!
About That Sailor Man
Popeye the Sailor Man made his debut in 1929 in a comic strip called “Thimble Theatre” and jumped to animated cartoons in 1933. According to Comics Kingdom, he was a “good guy underdog with bulging forearms, a mean uppercut and a penchant for canned spinach.”
Popeye’s love for spinach became a common plot device popping open a can often gave him super-strength. Spinach growers credited Popeye with a 33 percent increase in U.S. spinach consumption and saving the spinach industry in the 1930s, according to Comics Kingdom.
In 1937, Crystal City, Texas, a spinach-growing town, erected a statue to honor Popeye and his creator, E.C. Segar, for their positive influence on Americas eating habits, making Popeye the first cartoon character ever immortalized in public sculpture.
Some sources claim that the reason Segar chose spinach as the source of Popeye’s strength was due to an error in an 1870 study that measured the vegetable’s iron content. The scientist who conducted the research is said to have misplaced a decimal point, giving spinach ten times the amount of iron it actually has. However, author Mike Sutton says this story is a myth, and that spinach was chosen for its vitamin A content.
Recommended Reading: Shrimp Has High Cholesterol
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
Dark Chocolate And Cocoa
Cocoa is the main ingredient in dark chocolate.
It may seem too good to be true, but research verifies the claims that dark chocolate and cocoa can lower bad LDL cholesterol .
In one study, healthy adults drank a cocoa beverage twice a day for a month.
They experienced a reduction in bad LDL cholesterol of 0.17 mmol/l . Their blood pressure also decreased and their good HDL cholesterol increased .
Cocoa and dark chocolate also seem to protect the bad LDL cholesterol in your blood from oxidation, which is a key cause of heart disease .
However, chocolate is often high in added sugar which negatively affects heart health.
Therefore, you should use cocoa alone or choose dark chocolate with a cocoa content of 7585% or higher.
Summary
The effect seems strongest in people with high cholesterol.
SummaryThere is some evidence that soy foods can reduce heart disease risk factors, especially in people with high cholesterol.
Also Check: Pork Chops Cholesterol
Foods That Can Help You Lower Your Cholesterol
High cholesterol and heart disease go hand in hand. More than 71 million Americans have high cholesterol, putting them at greater risk for a heart attack or stroke. With heart disease being the leading cause of death in the United States, its easy to understand the national focus on managing cholesterol levels.
Do you have high cholesterol? Does a family member? Its important to know your numbers and be proactive with your health. The American Heart Association campaign Heart360 and The Power of Knowing Your Numbers helps you look at the big picture related to your health. Proper nutrition, exercise, weight management and not smoking are all part of leading a heart-healthy life.
Diet and nutrition play an important role in managing and lowering your cholesterol. Pomona Valley Health Centers in Claremont, Chino Hills and Pomona are here to help you be heart healthy, starting with your diet. Weve pulled together a list of ten foods that can help you lower your cholesterol and decrease your risk of heart disease.
You Can Help Prevent A Stroke By Eating Spinach Every Day
Eating spinach every day means you’ll be taking in a good amount of potassium, which lowers blood pressure, keeps blood vessels relaxed, and helps prevent sodium in salty foods from causing high blood pressure. Regulating blood pressure is also how potassium prevents stroke.
Eating too much sodium overwhelms the kidneys so they can’t filter it all out, according to Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. This causes sodium to build up in the body and when this happens, the body tries to hold onto whatever water it has to balance out the high level of sodium. However, more water means more blood in the body, forcing the heart to work harder. That strain on the heart can make blood vessels stiff, which can lead to high blood pressure and stroke.
In addition to potassium, nitrates in spinach can also work to prevent strokes, according to Harvard Health. Since nitrates relax blood vessels much like potassium does, the chemical keeps blood pressure from getting dangerously high and possibly leading to stroke.
Read Also: Is Tuna High In Cholesterol
You Could Be More Prone To Developing Kidney Stones If You Eat Spinach Every Day
You may be surprised to learn that there is a downside to eating spinach every day. It turns out that spinach contains a chemical that, if ingested in too high a quantity, can contribute to kidney stones. Ouch!
Harvard Health names spinach in their list of “stone-forming” foods. The site explains how kidney stones develop, writing: “Kidney stones form when certain chemicals become concentrated enough in the urine to form crystals.” The stones continue to get bigger and then move into the urinary tract. That’s when things get painful as the stone can lodge there and cause the urine to back up.
Harvard Health explained that stones happen when calcium mixes with another chemical. Oxalate, like that found in spinach, is a common culprit. The good news is that it usually takes a large amount of it to cause this uncomfortable side effect. It’s always a good idea to drink lots of water to make sure that your system is getting flushed out. The publication also recommended drinking citrus juices like orange juice, which can aid in preventing kidney stones.
Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity Assay
The oxygen radical absorbance capacity assay was carried out on a FLUOstar OPTIMA fluorescence plate reader with fluorescent filters according to the method of Park et al. . The results were calculated based on the difference in the area under the fluorescence decay curves between the blank and each sample. ORAC ROO· was expressed as mol of Trolox equivalents .
Read Also: Does Pasta Have High Cholesterol
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.
Spinach Supports Brain Health
The anti-inflammatory effects of spinach make it a key contender for protecting the brain, particularly with aging. In one study, researchers tracked the eating patterns and cognitive abilities of more than 950 older adults for about five years. They saw a significant decrease in the rate of cognitive decline among those who consumed larger amounts of green leafy vegetables. The data indicated that people who ate one to two servings of leafy greens daily had the same cognitive abilities of a person 11 years younger than those who consumed no leafy greens.
You May Like: Does Shrimp Raise Cholesterol Levels
Dna Damage Determination By Alkaline Comet Assay
The alkaline comet assays were conducted by the modified method described by Singh et al. . For the measurement of antigenotoxic activity of spinach in vitro, human leukocytes were incubated for 30 min at 37°C with varying concentrations of WE or EE dissolved in DMSO . Following incubaton, leukocytes were resuspended in PBS with 200 M H2O2, incubated on ice for 5 min, and washed with PBS. The slides were then immersed in a lysis solution and incubated for 1 h at 4°C. Next, the slides were equilibrated in electrophoresis buffer for 40 min. For electrophoresis of the DNA, an electric current of 25 V/300±3 mA was applied for 20 min at 4°C. The slides were washed three times with a neutralizing buffer and treated with ethanol for another 5 minutes before staining with 20 L of ethidium bromide . A fluorescence microscope was used to image the slides and Komet 4.0 software was used to analyze each image and determine the percent fluorescence in the tail .
May Be Good For Your Brain
In addition to boosting your mood, eating spinach and other leafy greens may have other beneficial effects on your brain.
In a 2018 study published in Neurology, researchers found that green leafy vegetables were positively and significantly associated with slower cognitive decline in dementia-free older adults . Even better, these benefits appeared with just one single serving of leafy greens per day. But whats most impressive? The rate of cognitive decline among those who consumed the most greens, compared to those who consumed the least, was the equivalent of being 11 years younger.
Don’t Miss: Cholesterol In Shrimp Good Or Bad
What Do I Eat To Lower My Cholesterol
You dont necessarily need to go fully vegan, but a diet that emphasizes plant-based foods is highly recommended for reducing your LDL levels. Some of the best foods to eat on a low-cholesterol diet include:
Nuts and Legumes Nuts like almonds and walnuts, and legumes such as beans, lentils, and peas, are good sources of protein which can replace unhealthy processed meats. Nuts make healthy snacking, also providing a rich source of calcium, potassium, and magnesium.Berries Fruits, particularly those that are high in fiber, are great for lowering your levels of bad cholesterol. Fiber helps by binding to cholesterol and allowing some of the excess to leave our bodies by passing through the excretory system.Green Vegetables Dark leafy greens like spinach and kale have been shown in studies to reduce LDL levels and may also help prevent bad cholesterol from binding to the arterial wall.Fatty Fish Fish like salmon and sardines are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, which reduce inflammation in the body and help prevent plaque buildup and hardening of the arteries.Avocado This superfood is enjoying a real cultural moment of late, and its no wonder. Avocados are a great source of healthy fats and HDL cholesterol, plus they taste great on just about everything.
May Help Support Eye Health
Spinach contains the antioxidant-rich carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin. These compounds provide pigment to plants and are also responsible for many of their health benefits, particularly to your eyes. Lutein and zeaxanthin have been extensively studied for their association with a reduced risk for cataracts and age-related macular degeneration, a condition that may, over time, result in blurred eyesight or blindness.
According to a 2016 pilot study, consistent intake of lutein-rich spinach increased macular pigment optical density, visual acuity, and blood levels of lutein. The 11 healthy participants consumed 75 grams of frozen spinach containing 10 mg of lutein every day for 2 months.
Also Check: Are Crabs High In Cholesterol
Vegetables That Lower High Cholesterol
Vegetables grow on the ground or under it. If you want to lower your cholesterol, raise them to your dinner plate–at least 4 1/2 cups every day–say nutrition experts at Harvard University’s School of Public Health. The soluble fiber in vegetables is credited for lowering your “bad” cholesterol, or low-density lipoprotein, LDL. The best vegetables for the purpose are the green, leafy ones and the intensely colored ones.
Is Spinach Good For Babies
In fact, everything mentioned in the list above makes spinach useful for both adults and children. It does not contain any harmful substances, but is full of vitamins and minerals. These are extremely needed for babies from birth.
However, you should start giving spinach to your child only from 7-8 months after birth. The only suitable way of cooking is making a spinach puree.
There are also some additional benefits of eating spinach for babies, such as prevention of rickets and the formation of strong bones and teeth. Moreover, this vegetable helps your babyâs stomach get used to new foods.
Nevertheless, you can give spinach to your baby only before flowering. After that, this plant accumulates a lot of oxalic acid, which is harmful for health.
It is also important to thermally treat spinach before giving to a child. You should always wash and boil it nicely.
You May Like: Are Pork Chops High In Cholesterol
May Help Boost Your Mood
Some people may find that consuming spinach makes them happy. One telltale sign is declaring loudly, publicly, and repeatedly, I yam what I yam. Its not just in their heads, though theres solid scientific evidence that spinach is good for our brains and may actually help boost mood.
In one 2018 study, researchers examined the mental health effects of eating raw versus cooked or canned fruits and vegetables on young adults. They found that eating raw, unprocessed produce predicted significantly better mental health outcomes compared to cooked or canned produce. Spinach was among their top 10 fruits and veggies, which were most strongly related to mental health.
Another 2018 study among mice went as far as to suggest that spinach specifically offers anti-stress and antidepressant properties. The researchers observed that frozen spinach powder extract increased glutamate and glutamine levels in the prefrontal cortex of the brain. Low levels of these two compounds often appear among people with depression.
Is Feta Cheese Good For Your Cholesterol
cheeseyourcholesterolcheesescheesesfetacheesecheeses
In this regard, what is the best cheese to eat if you have high cholesterol?
Cheese and cholesterol
| Saturated fat per 1 oz. | |
|---|---|
| mozzarella | |
| 30 mg | 6 g |
Also, is feta cheese heart healthy? Feta is a brined, white cheese with a soft and creamy texture. Compared to other cheeses, it’s low in calories and fat. It also contains a high amount of B vitamins, phosphorus and calcium, which can benefit bone health. At the end of the day, feta is a delicious and healthy addition to most people’s diets.
does feta cheese cause high cholesterol?
Cheeses to limit include:Cheese with 25 to 27 mg cholesterol per ounce, including cheddar, Swiss, feta, Muenster, and American processed cheese.
Is cheese bad for your cholesterol?
Cheese is high in cholesterol, but, according to the USDA Dietary Guidelines from 2015, there is no clear link between the cholesterol-rich foods that a person eats and their blood cholesterol levels. Instead, it is the saturated fat in cheese that is responsible for raising cholesterol levels.
Read Also: Does Shrimp Have Good Cholesterol Or Bad Cholesterol
Are Plant Sterols Good For Lowering Cholesterol
Plant sterols are compounds that have a similar structure to cholesterol and occur naturally in plant-based foods.
They compete and interfere with cholesterol uptake in the gut. This way, less of the cholesterol you eat is actually absorbed. In turn, your body takes the “bad” cholesterol that’s already in your blood and sends it to the liver. Consequently, your LDL blood cholesterol goes down but not your “good” HDL cholesterol.
Food sources of plant sterols include legumes and cereals. But, we’re not asking you to make a lentil smoothie, of course. Other awesome plant-based foods rich in sterols include fruits, vegs, and nuts, which are great for smoothies.
Good sterols for smoothies: silken tofu, soy yogurt, almonds, walnuts, pistachios, cashews, flaxseeds, carrots, spinach, strawberry, blueberries, bananas.
Cellular Antioxidant Activity Assay
HepG2 cells were seeded at a density of 5×104 cells/mL on 96-well microplates. Twenty-four hours after seeding, the growth medium was removed, and the wells were washed with phosphate buffered saline . Triplicate wells were treated for 1 h with 100 L of extracts dissolved in treatment medium. Wells were washed with 100 L of PBS, and 80 M of AAPH in 100 L of PBS plus 40 M DCFH-DA was applied to the cells. Following the addition of the AAPH solution, the 96-well microplate was placed into a FLUOstar OPTIMA fluorescence plate reader at 37.8°C. Emission at 535 nm was measured with excitation at 485 nm. Triplicate control and blank wells were included on each plate: control wells contained cells treated with DCFH-DA and an oxidant, AAPH blank wells contained cells treated with PBS without AAPH.
Also Check: Cholesterol Hydrophobic