Food Cures (23 page)
Authors: Carol Svec
SUPPLEMENTS
If you are trying to get your cholesterol under control, and want to consider supplements
in addition to
the food fixes, I recommend:
- Multivitamin.
To assure that you’re getting all the vitamins and minerals necessary for good health, consider taking a daily multivitamin. Choose a senior formula, which typically provides extra amounts of the B vitamins involved in homocysteine reduction
without
any iron. There is no need to take mega doses—100% DV of most vitamins and minerals is sufficient.- Soluble fiber.
I recommend getting as much soluble fiber from the foods in your diet as possible. However, if you can’t regularly eat five to eight servings of fruits and veggies a day, I recommend adding a psyllium soluble fiber supplement. Take 5 to 10 grams per day with a full glass of water. Common and respected brands include Metamucil, Fiberall, and Konsyl. Because fiber supplements can interfere with some medications, talk with your doctor before taking them. Common side effects include bloating and flatulence. Severe allergic reactions have been reported in rare circumstances.- Omega-3s from fish oil.
If you can’t get enough fish oil from your diet, I recommend taking fish oil capsules. I recommend a standard 1 gram (1,000 milligrams) daily for raising HDL or fighting general heart disease. These supplements also have been shown to lower triglycerides by 20 to 50 percent, but this effect requires a higher dosage of 2 to 4 grams.
Important note:
Dosages this high should only be taken under a doctor’s supervision. (It is possible to get a prescription for these higher doses, so you may want to check to see if your medical prescription plan will cover it.) There are two types of omega-3s: EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). Check the label to ensure that each gram contains at least 220 milligrams from EPA and 240 grams from DHA. (The remainder can be from either.) Store in the fridge to prevent rancidity. To prevent fishy burps, buy enteric-coated varieties, take with food, and split doses throughout day. Because fish oil acts as a blood thinner, it should
not
be taken by people who have hemophilia, or who are already taking blood thinning medications or are on aspirin therapy (unless approved by their doctor). People with diabetes should talk with their doctors before trying fish oil supplements because they may affect blood sugar.- Garlic.
Some studies show that taking garlic supplements for at least 4 to 25 weeks may reduce LDL cholesterol by 4 to 12 percent—not a mind-blowing reduction, but you may want to consider garlic if you want to try absolutely everything. Look for products standardized to provide 1.3% allicin, or aged-garlic extracts. I recommend taking 200 to 400 milligrams three times per day (for a total of 600 to 1,200 milligrams/day).
Important note:
Garlic can affect the way other medications work and some individuals may have adverse reactions, so always talk with your doctor before starting to take garlic supplements. Because garlic acts as a blood thinner, do
not
take garlic supplements if you are currently on aspirin therapy or blood thinning medications or supplements (unless approved by your doctor).- Sterols/stanols.
If you don’t use spreads and want to get the benefits of plant sterols and stanols without extra calories, you might consider taking supplements. My favorite is Cholest-Off by Nature Made. You have to take two tablets in the morning and two tablets at night (a total of four tablets a day), 15 to 30 minutes before a meal. If you are taking a prescription cholesterol-lowering medication, talk with your doctor before taking sterol/stanol supplements.
Follow this program if you high cholesterol, high blood pressure, if you have been told you have cardiovascular disease, or if you have had a heart attack or stroke. If you have a family history of cardiovascular disease, you may want to follow this program to help prevent future problems.
STEP 1…
START WITH THE BASICS
These are the first things you should do to get control over your cardiovascular risk factors:
- If it has been more than a year since your last doctor visit, consider going in for a heart disease check up. Blood levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, and other risk factors can change dramatically in one year. Get your most recent numbers. Ask about whether you also should be checked for blood ferritin, thyroid, and blood sugar levels.
- If you smoke, quit.
- If you are overweight, lose weight.
- Begin a program of regular exercise. Always talk with your doctor before starting, and consult your doctor immediately if you experience unusual chest pain, left arm pain or tingling, or general weakness during or after exercise.
STEP 2…
YOUR ULTIMATE GROCERY LIST
The foods you choose are critical for good cardiovascular health. This list contains foods with high levels of nutrients that can help you get your risk factors under control, including magnesium, calcium, vitamin D, potassium, B vitamins, soluble fiber, and omega-3 fatty acids—plus some foods used as ingredients in the meal plans and recipes. You don’t have to purchase every item…but these foods should make up the bulk of what you eat for the week. If you find yourself getting bored, try some unfamiliar foods from these groups—they may become favorites. Skip dried fruit, fruit juice, and alcohol if you have high triglycerides. Skip grapefruit and grapefruit juice if you’re on any cardiac medication. Look for low-salt alternatives for canned and packaged favorites.
FRUIT
ALL fruits, but especially:
Apples
Apricots
Bananas
Berries (boysenberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries)
Cantaloupe
Dates
Figs
Grapefruit (skip if you’re taking medication)
Juice, calcium-fortified
Melon, honeydew
Oranges (and juice)
Papaya
Peaches
Pears
Plums
Prunes (and juice)
Raisins
Watermelon
VEGETABLES
ALL vegetables, but especially:
Artichokes (including hearts)
Arugula
Asparagus
Avocado
Beans (black, kidney, lima, navy, pinto, white, garbanzo)
Beets
Bok choy
Broccoli
Broccoli raab
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage (including Chinese)
Carrots
Cauliflower
Chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
Collard greens
Corn
Endive
Escarole
Kale
Lentils
Lettuce (all varieties, especially romaine)
Mushrooms (especially shiitake)
Mustard greens
Okra
Olives
Onions, especially red
Parsley
Parsnips
Peas (black-eyed, split)
Peas
Peppers
Potatoes, sweet
Potatoes, white
Pumpkin, fresh and canned 100% pure pumpkin puree
Radicchio
Seaweed
Soybeans (edamame)
Spinach
Squash, winter (acorn, butternut)
Swiss chard
Tomatoes (including tomato sauce, juice, paste)
Turnip greens
Watercress
Yams
SEAFOOD
Anchovies
Black cod (sablefish)
Herring
Mackerel (not king)
Salmon, wild (with bones)
Sardines (with bones)
Shellfish (shrimp, clams, Pacific oysters, crab)
Snapper
Trout (rainbow, wild)
Tuna (canned light)
LEAN MEATS/EGGS/SOY FOODS
Beef, lean
Chicken breast
Eggs (especially omega-3-fortified)
Pork tenderloin
Tempeh
Tofu (with calcium)
Turkey bacon, lean
Turkey breast, ground lean
Turkey breast, sliced
Turkey burgers
Veggie burgers
NUTS AND SEEDS (PREFERABLY UNSALTED)
MOST nuts, but especially:
Almonds
Brazil nuts
Butternuts (white walnuts)
Cashews
Flaxseed, ground
Hazelnuts
Macadamia nuts
Peanut butter
Peanuts
Pecans
Pine nuts
Pistachio nuts
Psyllium seeds, ground
Pumpkin seeds
Sesame seeds
Sunflower seeds
Walnuts
WHOLE GRAINS
Amaranth
Barley
Bread, whole grain
Cereals, fortified whole grain
Millet
Oat bran
Oatmeal
Pasta (preferably whole wheat)
Pita bread, whole wheat
Quinoa
Rice (brown, wild)
Rice bran
Tortillas, whole grain or spinach
Waffles, calcium-fortified whole grain
Wheat germ
DAIRY
Cheese (fat-free, reduced-fat)
Cheese, fat-free Cheddar (for meal plan)
Cottage cheese (fat-free, 1% reduced-fat)
Ice cream, low-fat
Milk (fat-free, 1% reduced-fat)
Soy milk, enriched/fortified
Yogurt (fat-free, low-fat)
Yogurt, frozen (fat-free, low-fat)
MISCELLANEOUS
Artificial sweetener
Basil, fresh and dried
Garlic
Hot sauce
Hummus
Margarine spread, reduced-fat vitamin D-fortified, soft tub, trans fat-free
Mayonnaise, reduced-fat
Mustard, Dijon
Nonstick cooking spray
Oil, canola
Oil, flaxseed
Oil, olive
Oil, walnut
Oregano, dried
Paprika
Parsley, fresh
Pepper, black
Pepper flakes, hot red
Rosemary, fresh
Sage, fresh
Salad dressing, reduced-calorie
Salsa
Salt substitute
Stanol/sterol spread, soft tub (regular or light)
Thyme, fresh and dried
Vinegar, balsamic or red wine
STEP 3…
GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND
If you want to do everything you can to reduce your risk factors, here are some additional things you might try: