Food Pharmacy to Fight Cholesterol
Hardening of the
arteries is associated with genetics, diet and lifestyle as underlying causes,
and clogging of the arteries by something called “plaque” can lead to a fatal
heart attack or stroke. The plaque is made up of cholesterol, calcium, and
other materials found in the blood. High blood cholesterol, which affects 1 in
6 adults, is one of the major risk factors for plaque build-up.
While you can’t change your genetics, and your doctor
can prescribe medications that can control cholesterol, you can also take a
proactive and preventive approach by aligning your diet to support better
cardiovascular health. The following are some of the foods that can help lower
your cholesterol.
Mustard
Greens (Φύλλα Σιναπιού)
By its name, you might guess that mustard greens might
be used to produce the condiment mustard – and you would be right! The seeds of
the plant are used to make mustard. The leaves, however, are a delicious leafy
green you can find in the produce section of the grocery store. They are rich
in natural substances called sulforaphanes that, when eaten, help the body get rid of bile acid
in our gut. Bile acids are used by the body to make cholesterol – so the less
bile acid results in less cholesterol. Some cholesterol-lowering medicines help
get rid of bile, too – but this is a natural way to do it using food.
Preparation
Tips: What’s the best way to
eat mustard greens? They are tasty raw in a salad, but researchers have
actually shown that steaming mustard greens makes them even more potent in
their ability to lower cholesterol! Raw or cooked, try adding mustard greens to
your diet.
Dark Chicken Meat
Everyone knows that chicken is one of the healthier
meats, but most people think the white meat, such as the breast, is the best
cut. The dark meat found in thighs and legs is actually healthier for your
heart. Dark meat contains a special vitamin called menaquinone (vitamin K2) that’s
also found in some hard cheeses. Vitamin K2 interferes with the body’s ability
to make cholesterol in the blood, and researchers have shown that vitamin K2
prevents hardening of the arteries, as well. When the levels of K2 were
measured in the blood, people who ate more K2-containing foods had more than a
50% reduction in the chance of dying of heart disease.
Preparation
Tips: Chicken thighs are
often the preferred part of the bird in Asian cooking, and the legs are tasty
roasted or stewed. Just make sure you trim away the skin and any fat before you
cook them. And here’s the best part: dark meat is cheaper than chicken breast.
A healthy serving to eat is 4 oz. per day, which measures out to be a portion a
little bit bigger than a deck of playing cards.
Persimmon (Λωτός)
Persimmons are a delicious orange fruit that grows in
California, Asia and in the Mediterranean, where they are called “kaki.” Their
season is late fall and winter, so they are a cool-weather treat.
Persimmons look a lot like tomatoes, and like tomatoes, they contain a natural
substance called beta-cryptoxanthin that is
related to vitamin A. Researchers
have shown beta-cryptoxanthin can protect the good form of cholesterol in our
blood called HDL, or high-density lipoprotein, and it can also prevent
hardening of the arteries. Want to know another benefit? It fights belly fat,
as well!
Tips: When you eat a persimmon, just make sure you don’t eat
the skin. Cut it away, or eat around it like you would an orange slice.
The reason is that some varieties of persimmon have skins that are astringent.
That means it makes your mouth pucker. Just enjoy the tender sweet flesh. A
persimmon a day is heart-healthy.
Pistachios
Pistachio are a cholesterol-lowering superfood. It
contains a natural antioxidant called lutein that can raise the good cholesterol (HDL) and lower
the bad form, called LDL (low density lipoprotein).
Tips: How much is heart-healthy? About 1/3 of a cup each
day. That’s about 50 kernels of shelled pistachios. They’re also a great source
of fiber in your diet.
Some
Heart-Healthy Foods are Also Cancer fighters
Here’s the best news of all: the same natural
substances I just mentioned that lower cholesterol – sulforaphanes, vitamin K2,
beta-cryptoxanthin and lutein – also protect against cancer! So, the next
time you go to the grocery store, think about stocking your fridge and your
pantry with some of these delicious foods that are good and good for you in
more ways than one.
At the non-profit Angiogenesis
Foundation, we are working to bring this type of practical, lifesaving
information to the public through our Eat to Defeat Cancer campaign.
To get recipes and more information on foods containing the heart-healthy
substances that can also fight cancer, click
here.
