Tag: Processed Foods

Good And Bad Cholesterol

Your body has both good and bad cholesterol. In order to increase the good and lower the bad you have many choices.

Of course, to control your good and bad cholesterol you can use medicine and diet factors.

If you want to control your cholesterol you can combine one or more of these factors.

Depending on you and what your cholesterol levels are, you may find that eating a little better and getting more exercise may be all you need to do to help lower your bad (LDL) and raise your good (HDL).

Of course, before you do anything make sure you talk to your doctor.

This is important because you may have other health issues in addition to cholesterol and your doctor can guide you through the process and help ensure that you don’t make one thing worse by concentrating on another.

So, here are some ideas that may help you get the cholesterol levels you need:

1. Cut down on the amount of fat you get from your diet by cutting back on foods like meats and dairy. And not eating out at a fast food place is kind of a no brainer.

2. Cut way back on the amount of sugar you get in your diet. And when figuring out how much sugar you get, don’t forget to include the amount of sugar that is in the beverages you drink.

If you start reading the labels of some drinks you will be amazed (appalled) at the amount of sugar they contain. Have you ever read the label for a so called energy drink?

Some people will substitute diet drinks but before you do you may want to ask yourself one question; is this sugar substitute really a good thing for my body?

My personal decision is to stay away from as many man made chemicals as I reasonably can. I don’t drink diet soda for that reason.

I know that small amounts of sugar won’t harm me, but I’m not so sure about any amount of artificial sweetener.

3. Figure out how much sodium you get in your diet and then cut back if you need to. Most people who eat a lot of processed foods will be getting a lot of sodium in their diet, possibly more than they should be.

All of these things can work together to help you keep not only your cholesterol levels in check but help keep your heart safe and strong too.

Instead of thinking that you can’t eat anything, here are some foods that may be able to help your cholesterol levels: walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts and pecans.

But, don’t get carried away. If you eat too many of these nuts you will be diminishing the benefit since these nuts are all high in fat. One cup a day is plenty.

Oatmeal and oat bran have also been shown to help lower cholesterol levels when eaten on a regular basis.

Fish and other foods high in Omega – 3 fatty acids such as salmon, albacore tuna, mackerel and lake trout.

As you can see, keeping your good and bad cholesterol levels in check may be as simple as adding or deleting some foods from

Treatment For Hypoglycemia

The best treatment for hypoglycemia is very simple, eat food. Eat good food. Food that is high in protein and low in carbohydrates is best. The carbs won’t trigger more insulin to be released and the protein will hold your blood sugar steady.

Hypoglycemia can be a life threatening situation if left untreated. Seizures, unconsciousness, coma and death can occur if your blood sugar goes too low. The normal range for blood sugars is between 70 and 110mg/dl. If you fall below the 70 mark you can be in some serious trouble. Any lower and you may not be able to function enough to call for help and you also may not be able to help yourself. This is dangerous.

Do not hesitate to get something to eat if you start to feel symptoms. You may start with some blurred vision, or get a little shaky if you need to eat. These early symptoms are telling you to eat something, that your blood sugar needs to come up. If you fail to heed the early symptoms then you could be in some serious trouble in very short order. It does not take too long for things to go from bad to worse when it comes to your blood sugar. You can be fine one minute and then in the blink of an eye you could be on the floor unconscious.

Here is what you need to do as your personal treatment for hypoglycemia.

Change the way you eat. Replace those high carb, over processed foods that are so easy to make with some high protein, low carbs meal that you prepare yourself. Can’t cook? Learn, it’s easy!

Start reading the labels of the things you usually buy. I decided long ago that I would not eat any processed food that had more than 10 grams of carbs in it. There is not much out there that matches that criteria. Unless you make it yourself, that is.

Cooking for yourself is really no big deal. Go buy yourself a cookbook and just start to follow the recipes. Start with some simple meals and when you get proficient at them then try to branch out to more difficult meals. It just takes some practice, that’s all. The more you cook the less intimidated you will feel.

Fresh foods are best and there is so much variety out there you will never get bored with the same old things. Get creative. Try new things, look for new recipes online and even get good enough to create your own. You may find things you never knew you liked.

Believe it or not, stress can play a significant role in how your body metabolizes sugar. When you feel stress, your body releases hormones that affect the absorption of sugar into your blood cells. If the sugar doesn’t get absorbed into your blood cells the way it should to be used for energy then the insulin will help your body store the sugar as fat. The the excess insulin will cause you to have to find treatment for hypoglycemia.

Gout Home Remedies

Gout is one of those diseases around which there has grown myths and half-truths and it is no wonder then that gout home remedies have themselves too become the stuff of misinformation.

Once considered the disease of aristocrats and rich old men, gout has since thrown off that guise and is now recognized as an arthritic disease of the joints that can affect anyone regardless of social background.

Basically gout is caused by a build up of uric acid in the tissues around the joints. Uric acid is the waste product from the purines found in some foods and this acid goes on to form crystals that are deposited around the tissues and joints. It is these crystals that cause the intense pain, typically in the big toe, that the gout sufferer endures.

Most of the gout home remedies then are centered around minimizing the effects of a gout attack and then controlling the frequency of attacks.

Keeping a close eye on the diet is a great foundation on which to base all gout home remedies. A low fat, low cholesterol diet is key and should be introduced once gout has been diagnosed. That means avoiding sugary foods and processed foods. But above all eradicating from the diet those foods rich in purines is a great way forward. These kinds of foods are typically, but not exclusively: red meats, seafoods, yeast based foods and liver and kidney meats.

Alcohol, particularly yeasty beers should also be reduced or even cut out of a gout sufferers diet. This is because beer encourages the body to produce uric acid which for anyone looking to manage and reduce their attacks of gout, is not something that should be encouraged.

Cherries are pretty much seen as the champion fighters of gout and many a gout sufferer is urged to include cherries into their regular diets because they so effectively reduce the levels of uric acid that causes the painful crystals to form underneath the affected joints.

Applying an ice pack to the inflamed joint is also one of the gout home remedies that has been proven to work and give ease to the gout sufferer. The ice pack will help to reduce the swelling and can even be wrapped in a towel around the affected joint for prolonged relief. In the same way, the affected joint can be held under a running cold tap for a couple of minutes as this has been shown to give some ease.

Overall what has been proven to be a winning home remedy for gout is to keep the body weight down to a healthy level, cut out those foods listed, keep well hydrated and take as much regular exercise as is at all possible.

Arthritis Remedies For A Much More Active Life

Most, if not all, sufferers of arthritis have been exposed to the medical pills, ointments and treatments for arthritis. All of which might or might not have worked to varying degrees and so searching around for arthritis remedies that will bring some relief has become central to their lives, which is no surprise really because arthritis is a painful condition to try and live with.

As well as trying to live with the pain, there is the added knowledge that arthritis can ravage the body and leave the sufferer with debilitating and disabling joints that will severely affect a persons standard of living and ability to do everyday things.

Arthritis remedies then usually begin in how to effectively manage and eliminate the pain associated with this condition. One of the main methods of managing arthritis is to look at the diet of the sufferer. It is widely held that switching the diet from one that is high in animal proteins and processed foods to a diet that closely resembles a vegan diet is highly effective in treating arthritis. Foods such as red meats, rich dairy products such as cheeses and eggs etc. should be replaced by nuts, whole grains and fruits and vegetables.

Arthritis remedies that involve reducing the swelling that this disease causes in the joints of the sufferer are highly thought of and suggested. Ice packs applied to a newly affected joint is a proven method to ease pain and reduce painful swelling. However, what needs to be added to this point, is that icing a joint can often lead to the joint stiffening and becoming inflexible. It is for this reason that icing of an arthritic joint is usually suggested at the end of the day.

Alternatively, applying heat to the affected joint also works well as arthritis remedies go. Heat works the opposite way to ice and so the best time to often use a hot water bottle or heat pack is at the beginning of the day. The joints have been stiffened throughout the night and a warm heat pack can often loosen up the joints and give more flexibility for the rest of the day.

It might sound counter-intuitive, but exercise is also a proven remedy for arthritis. Of course depending on the level of mobility that a suffer might have, exercise in its full range might not be possible. However as soon as arthritis is diagnosed, exercise should be placed at the top of the list. Without exercise, the bones and joints quickly become stiff and immobile and any hope of reclaiming the flexibility needed to live an independent and active life might disappear for good.

Massaging the affected joints with soothing oils, incorporating exercise and adjusting the diet are all proven and worthwhile arthritis remedies that can effectively offer relief and a much better quality of life to anyone struggling with arthritis.