Oat Bran Lowers Bad Cholesterol

About two years ago, I started adding oat bran to my daily oat meal in the morning. My blood test has consistently shown that oat bran helps lower my cholesterol levels; more precisely, it lowers only the bad cholesterol (LDL) not the good cholesterol (HDL). And, that's exactly what we want - increasing the HDL/LDL ratio.

Similar results have been found in many medical studies. So, how exactly does oat bran work to lower LDL? As you may already know, the liver use cholesterol to make bile acids, which contain cholesterol and are necessary in the digest process. Oat bran is very rich of soluble fiber and forms a gel in the digestive tract like what you see, when it is cooked in the pot. The gel binds onto bile and is eliminated along with the bowel movement. As the result, your body tries to produce more cholesterol to make up that loss by taking away cholesterol from your blood stream.

In addition, oat bran is one form of soluble fiber. As fermented in the colon, soluble fiber forms certain kid of fatty acids, which are absorbed by a vein in the abdomen and transported to the liver, where they inhibit cholesterol production.

I hope these facts give you enough incentives to start adding oat bran to you diet. To be effective, oat bran must be consumed along with a low-fat diet like the Fishtarian diet. If you plan to add oat bran to your muffins, you should consider removing ingredients, such as, york and butter from your recipe. Finally, wheat bran does not produce the same kind of result as oat bran.

Remember, we've got our new home. Visit and enjoy your stay at Fishtarian.com today.

[picture by: foodistablog]

Weight-Loss Diets and Lifestyle Change

There is a wide variety of weight loss diet plans on the market to choose from. Atkins, Zone, or Ornish? Low-fat, low-carb, or high-protein? "Which one is effective or the most effective?", you ask.

That used to be a hard question to answer, because of all the marketing twists and spins. A recent medical study published in New England Journal of Medicine was set to straighten this up. And, you may not be surprised by the findings, because your grandma already told you - burn off more calories than you consume.

The study included 811 overweight adults and randomly assigned them to one of four diets, each of which varied in fat, protein, and carbohydrates. Generally speaking, the group of dieters were recommended to cut 750 calories per day from their diet and exercise 90 minutes a week. After six months, the group reported an average loss of 13 pounds across the board. But, their weight climbed back up afterward and ended up only a loss of 9 pounds at two years.

In the end, the study found only 15 percent of the group achieved the goal of 10% weight loss from their starting weight. There was no winner among the four different diets. Dieters who stuck to their assigned diet plan and exercised as recommended reported better results.

So, the key to your success in weight loss is whether you can stick to your diet plan and continue to burn off more calories than you consume. Let's be candid. Practicing a diet plan for a long time or even for the rest of your life takes a personal commitment as serious as your marriage. The good advice for a successful marriage from your grandma has been the willingness to sacrifice some privileges as a single and compromise on a lifestyle that suits both parties in the marriage. That is perhaps the only sound advice to your successful diet plan - your commitment to a lifestyle change. And, that very same advice applies to people who look to manage their cholesterol levels with a heart-healthy diet like Fishtarian.

So, are you ready to make such commitment today?

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February Is Heart Healthy Month

Just want to pass on a good offer from one of my favorite restaurants, FreshChoice. FreshChoice is celebrating the heart healthy February with coupons to help keep our heart healthy. Although not a seafood restaurant that offers fish, this is a place where you find a wide variety of vegetables and soup so delicious and enjoyable. Enjoy a good meal at FreshChoice!

(Click to see the full sized promotion Ad!)

How to Naturally Raise Your HDL (Good Cholesterol)?

As discussed in my previous post "Does Food Matter with Your Cholesterol Level?" the total cholesterol (TC) is calculated using the following formula:

TC = LDL + HDL + (Triglycerides/5)

where:

• LDL refers to Low density lipoprotein or the "bad" cholesterol, because it can slowly build up in the inner walls of the arteries that feed the heart and brain.
• HDL refers to High density lipoprotein or the "good" cholesterol, because high levels of HDL seem to protect against heart attack.
• Triglycerides is a form of fat. People with high triglycerides often have a high total cholesterol level, including high LDL (bad) cholesterol and low HDL (good) cholesterol levels.
  

At clinics, the doctor typically looks at the following chart regarding TC:

• Desirable: Under 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL)
• Borderline high: 200 to 239 mg/dL
• High risk: 240 mg/dL and higher

While desirable to keep our TC under 200 mg/dL, it's even more important to keep our LDL/HDL ratio as low as possible. Published in Current Medical Research and Opinion, the 15 years prospective evaluation and study shows that a LDL/HDL ratio greater than 8.0 predicts an adverse CHD event. To keep a low LDL/HDL ratio, you either lower LDL or increase HDL. In this article, I'll discus my personal experience in raising my HDL level without any help from medicines such as statin.

Many medical studies have found Omega-3 fatty acids very effective in elevating HDL perhaps only next to Niacin. Over the past 10 years, I have practiced the Fishtarian diet which emphasizes on the consumption of cold-water fish (e.g. salmon and kampachi) rich in polyunsaturated fats.

The result has been incredible. My HDL has consistently stayed in between mid-60 and mid-70 over the course of 10 years. A year ago, I started adding flax and pumpkin seeds in my oatmeal every morning. In my most recent blood test, my HDL raises to 81 - the highest level in my medical history. Flax, sunflower, and pumpkin seeds contain significant concentration of Omega-3 fatty acids as good as those in the cold-water fish.

If you have difficulty in accommodating fish in your diet, consider the formulated Omega-3 supplements commonly found at your local pharmacies. They are proven to be as effective in some clinic studies.

Keep in mind that consumption of Omega-3 rich fish is only a small part of the Fishtarian living. The Fishtarian diet excludes all red meats to avoid saturated fats, but allows occasional consumption of chicken, when fish is not available. The diet also includes regular consumption of vegetables and fruits. The Fishtarian living also imposes exercises or fitness at a regular basis. It's a lifestyle change designed to keep your heart health. I'll get into more details in my future posts. Stay tuned.

This post is also available on eHow and HubPages.

[picture source: http://flickr.com/photos/jlastras/]

Easy Ways to Get More Fiber in Your Diet

(NewsUSA) - "Eat fiber." You've probably heard this advice. But if you're like most Americans, your diet still falls short. Experts recommend eating 25 to 30 grams of fiber each day, but most Americans eat only around 10 grams.

Numerous studies say that diets high in fiber, or the indigestible part of plants, provide health benefits. Fiber promotes normal digestion and naturally prevents constipation. And for people who want to lose weight, a high-fiber diet is a great way to go -; high-fiber foods fill stomachs with fewer calories, allowing dieters to eat more and still lose weight.

There are two main types of fiber. Apples, oranges, carrots, potatoes, oats, barley and beans all contain water-soluble fiber.

• Water-soluble fiber helps regulate blood sugar and blood cholesterol levels.
• Water-insoluble fiber traps water and helps move food through the intestines. It can be found in vegetables, wheat bran, corn bran, rice bran and most other whole grains.

You need both types of fiber, so aim to eat many different fruits, vegetables,
legumes and whole grains throughout your day. Eat fruits and vegetables with their skins for extra fiber. Focus on whole grains like oatmeal, bran cereals, brown rice, millet and barley. You can also find 100 percent whole grain breads and pastas at many supermarkets. Even with these changes, you may still have trouble meeting your fiber intake goals, so taking a product that contains both soluble and insoluble fiber, such as Herbalife's Active Fiber Complex (www.herbalife.com), can help you get the maximum benefit that fibers provide.

Here are some tips to sneak fiber into your diet:

• Replace your morning OJ with a whole orange. Fruit juices often contain added sugars, and they almost never have fiber. Switching from fruit juice to fruit will help you meet your daily fiber needs.
• Snack on raw vegetables. Dip raw vegetables, like cauliflower florets, baby carrots and celery, into black bean salsa or hummus to boost your fiber intake.
• Buy whole-grain pastas and breads. Make your pasta salad with whole-grain pasta to enjoy fiber's health benefits. When baking breads, muffins and cookies, consider replacing some or all of the white flour with whole wheat white or whole-wheat pastry flour.

Suddenly upping your fiber intake can upset your stomach, so slowly incorporate high-fiber foods into your diet, and drink plenty of water.

How does Food Impact Your Cholesterol Levels?

[Updated 1/6/09]

People are now more conscious about what they eat these days for various reasons. Some are concerned of their weight and keep track of the calories of every meal. Others avoid sugar-rich food due to the concern of diabetes. But, how does the food affect your total cholesterol value and eventually your heart health? Or, does it at all?

The term "total cholesterol value" (TC) is calculated using the following formula:

TC = LDL + HDL + (Triglycerides/5)

where:

• LDL refers to Low density lipoprotein or "bad" cholesterol, because it can slowly build up in the inner walls of the arteries that feed the heart and brain.
• HDL refers to High density lipoprotein or "good" cholesterol, because high levels of HDL seem to protect against heart attack.
• Triglycerides is a form of fat. People with high triglycerides often have a high total cholesterol level, including high LDL (bad) cholesterol and low HDL (good) cholesterol levels.
  

At clinics, the doctor typically looks at the following chart regarding TC:

• Desirable: Under 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL)
• Borderline high: 200 to 239 mg/dL
• High risk: 240 mg/dL and higher

I used to struggle with my cholesterol level 10 years ago. My annual checkup consistently showed my cholesterol level beyond the borderline range and sometimes even rose up to 270. It was particularly frustrating, after I was prescribed to the statin drugs over a long period of time. In fact, my doctor had continuously raised the dosage of my statin medicine year after year; from 10 mg to 20 mg and then again to 40 mg. The high dosage of the statin medicine that helped many others somehow did not seem to be effective to my body.

The experiment with the "extreme diet"

Curious to resolve the myth, my doctor suggested that I experimented with my diet. He suggested that I limited my diet only to fish and vegetables for a month without the statin medicine. For a person who had enjoyed all kinds of foods, the suggested restriction on diet was no less than a harsh punishment. I agreed to give it a try at the end due to my frustration with the disappointing outcomes of my blood tests year after year.

For the following month, I limited my diet to one single dish - spaghetti. I carefully chose the spaghetti sauce that contained neither meats nor saturated fat. I added to various vegetables (mostly spinach) as well as a piece of Orange Roughy fillet or baked salmon. It probably sounds like a horrible meal to many of you. Yet, I was determined to find out what would happen and managed to stay disciplined through the entire month.

I took another blood test at the end of the month and showed up at my doctor's office a week later to learn the results. I could feel my heart beating like crazy and blood vessels exploding, while waiting for my doctor to make the disclosure. Guess what my total cholesterol value was? 160! That number coming out of my doctor's mouth simply blew me away with tears in my eyes. I never forgot that moment of excitement in my life. The outcome of my one-month experiment with my diet had since then changed my whole life.

Where would I go from here?

That night, I decided to continue this experiment and seek a balanced diet that would kept my heart healthy without any medication. After all, I didn't think I or anyone in the world would settle to eating only spaghetti for the rest of our lives. Over the course of the last 10 years, I have learned a lot about foods and diet. It has been a lifestyle change. That's what I want to share with you at the Fishtarian blog. Stay tuned.

Fish: The Best Source of Proteins

Many of us already know the importance of proteins to our body. Proteins play a crucial role in the membrane to ensure our body cells can live as efficiently and effectively as possible. Today in our modern world, we have abundant sources of proteins to choose from. They come from animal meats, such as, beef, pork, chicken, fishes, and etc. They are also available from vegetables, such as, beans and nuts. The question is: What is the best source of proteins?

It is a question less about animal or vegetable proteins, but more about what comes with them. While providing quality proteins, beans, nuts, and whole grains offer healthy fiber, vitamins and minerals. Salmon and Kona Kampachi, on the other hand, are rich of Omega-3 fatty acids, which is proven to be effective in lowering cholesterol in your blood vessels. With regular inclusion of salmons in my meals, I have kept my cholesterol in check and stayed away from heart diseases.

Although Salmon and Kampachi are fishes of excellent choice, each kind of fishes has its unique texture and flavor. Small fish such as Orange Roughy is sweet and tender, while large fish such as tuna tends to be a bit chewy. You should be aware that some long-live fishes and shellfishes contain higher level of mercury that may cause harms to children's nervous system, though. Although how much intake is considered safe is debatable, you should at least read the FDA/EPA report to understand the facts.

Another controversial subject with regards to fish is: wild v.s. farm-raised fish. In a 2006 Harvard School of Public Health study, printed in the Journal of the American Medical Association (10/06), it was shown that the consumption of fish, all fish, including farmed-fish, may reduce the risk of coronary death by 36% and total mortality by 17%. A similar report was released by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Although higher level of PCB's, dioxins, and/or artificial coloring is found in farmed fish, it is not considered alarming. Thanks to the new farming technology, Kona Kampachi is currently raised in so-called "open-ocean" fish farms near Hawaii. The Kampachi fish farms are far away from the shore to avoid potential pollutions and are much less crowded. The farms are in 2,000 feet deep of the ocean to allow Kampachi to develop Omega 3 fatty acids.

There are a wide verity of cooking techniques that I would like to share with you in my future posts. I enjoy Sashimi - raw fishes as well as grilled ones. I hope all fishtarians enjoy fishes as much as they want.