a. Good Cholesterol (HDL) vs. Bad Cholesterol (LDL)

Most people cringe at the word cholesterol, associating the term solely with scolding from doctors and concerned family members. However, the truth is that there is both good cholesterol (HDL) and bad cholesterol (LDL). Whereas a higher HDL level is associated with a decreased chance of heart attack, too much LDL causes arterial plaque and leads to artherosclerosis. Artherosclerosis frequently results in heart attack and stroke.

Since there are the two types of cholesterol, it is important to understand that high blood cholesterol directly correlates to the intake of too much saturated and Trans fats. Regular exercise and consumption or fibrous and unsaturated foods are the keys to maintaining a lower, and therefore healthier, overall cholesterol level.  A vegan diet contains no dietary cholesterol and is, therefore, optimal for lowering LDL cholesterol efficiently and maintaining a healthy cholesterol balance. Indeed, according to the American Heart Association, “while the average cholesterol level in the U.S. is 210, the average vegetarian’s cholesterol level is 161 and the average vegan’s cholesterol level is 133. People with cholesterol levels below 150 are virtually assured of never having a heart attack, while nearly one-third of meat-eaters will die from one.”

b. What Numbers Mean in Cholesterol

Adults should have cholesterol levels checked at least once every five years. A cholesterol check yields four results: total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and Triglycerides. Below are the healthy cholesterol numbers recommended by doctors:

Total Cholesterol – less than 200 mg/dL (5.2 mmol/L)

LDL Cholesterol – less than 100 mg/dL (2.6 mmol/L)

HDL Cholesterol – greater than 40 mg/dL (1.0 mmol/L)

Triglycerides – less than 150 mg/dL (1.7 mmol/L)

If your cholesterol is at an unhealthy level, it is important to make changes in your exercise regimen and transition to a plant based diet to prevent the onset of serious illness.

c. Can Vitamin E Protect Your Heart?

Vegetable oils, nuts and leafy vegetables are excellent sources of Vitamin E.  Although Vitamin E may not prevent strokes, it has been shown to decrease the risk of heart disease. In conjunction with a healthy plant based diet, Vitamin E can be an effective supplement.

d. Four Fabulous Foods to Decrease Cholesterol Levels

Gobble Green (www.gobblegreen.com) meals are chock full of ingredients that lower LDL cholesterol.

1. Oatmeal and Oat Bran: These contain a high amount of soluble fiber, which loweres LDL.

2. Nuts: Not only are nuts high in fiber, but they contain the healthy fats you need to keep LDL in check.

3. Plant Sterols: Plant sterols occur naturally in plants and are also in a variety of foods including soybean oil, whole wheat, lentils, peas, nuts, and orange juice. 2 grams per day will lower your LDL by 10-15%.

4. Soy: Soy can lower LDL by up to 3%.

About the Writer – Deborah H. Land writes for the <a href=”http://www.cholesterolloweringdiets.net/”>cholesterol diet recipes</a>  site, her personal hobby blog she uses to help people lower bad cholesterol levels.

Go ahead and satisfy your sweet tooth. After all, it’s for your health…

U.S. researchers have discovered that the growth of several types of cancerous cells can be considerably slowed, and the risk of diabetes can be decreased, with maple syrup. Thirteen antioxidant compounds previously unknown to exist in syrup were discovered by University of Rhode Island’s Navindra Seeram. It has been reported that anti-cancer, anti-diabetic and anti-bacterial characteristics are present in some of maple syrup’s newly recognized antioxidants.

The Anti-Diabetes Properties of Maple Syrup

These delicious Gobble Green breakfasts contain maple syrup. Eat up for your health!

Maple syrup contains increased levels of abscisic acid and phytohormone. These substances can effectively defend your body against diabetes and metabolic syndrome. The acid has a unique role in controlling diabetes. It releases insulin through the pancreatic cells and promotes enhanced sensitivity of fat cells to insulin. Because of these unique actions, maple syrup can help control diabetes. The American Chemical Society in San Francisco has carefully reviewed these findings and their implications and has agreed that maple syrup may indeed be a key to preventing and controlling diabetes.

The Anti-Cancer Potential of Maple Syrup

Researchers in Quebec recently conducted a study on the anti-cancer activity of maple syrup and their results were published in the Journal of Medicinal Food. According to their observations, these researchers believe that maple syrup has the ability to slow the growth of cancer cells. Specifically, the study revealed that syrup significantly slows down the growth of cancerous cells in the prostate, brain and lungs.

The Best Anti-Cancer and Anti-Diabetes Food

The following is from a study titled: Antioxidant Activity, Inhibition of Nitric Oxide Overproduction, and In Vitro Antiproliferative Effect of Maple Sap and Syrup from Acer saccharum, published in the Journal of Medicinal Food, and written by Jean Legault, Karl Girard-Lalancette, Carole Grenon, Catherine Dussault and André Pichette:

Maple sap and syrup from 30 producers in three Quebec, Canada, regions

were evaluated concerning the time of harvest and abstract antioxidant activity,

inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) overproduction and the anti-proliferative effect

of ethyl acetate extracts. The harvest time does not have an analytically notable

incidence on antioxidant activity of either maple sap or syrup extracts. Their Oxygen

radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) values are 12 +/- 6 and 15 +/- 5 mumol of Trolox

equivalents (TE)/mg, respectively. A cell-based assay also confirmed the antioxidant

activity. The ORAC assay was also used to establish the antioxidant activity of pure

maple syrup. The results show the pure maple syrup ORAC value of 8 +/- 2 mumol of

TE/mL to be lower than the blueberry juice value of 24 +/- 1 mumol of TE/mL but

similar to the strawberry juice value of 10.7 +/- 0.4 mumol of TE/mL and the orange

juice value of 10.8 +/- 0.5 mumol of TE/mL. Lipopolysaccharide-induced NO

overproduction in RAW264.7 murine macrophages was considerably inhibited by

maple sap and syrup extracts. It is believed that transforming maple sap into syrup

enhances NO inhibition action, because the syrup extract was considerably more

active than the sap extract. The maple syrup extracts induced the highest NO inhibition

at the season’s end, and the darker syrup was more active than the clear syrup. This

indicates that the activity could be partially attributed to some colored oxidized

compounds. Maple syrup extracts (50% inhibitory concentration = 42 +/- 6 mug/mL) and

pure maple syrup have a discriminating in vitro anti-proliferative action against cancerous

cells.

Reference: Journal of Medicinal Food. 01/02/2010; ISSN: 1557-7600, OI: 10.1089/jmf.2009.0029

About the Author – Sandy Harris writes for http://www.diabeticsnacks.org, her personal hobby blog focused on tips to prevent, cure and manage diabetes using healthy snacks and recipes.

Osteoporosis is a potentially crippling ailment characterized by a loss of bone density. There is a pervasive public belief that vegans have a substantially higher risk of developing osteoporosis than their dairy consuming counterparts.  However, two recent studies reported in Osteoporosis International and the Asian Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition show that vegans need not be excessively concerned about the onset of osteoporosis.

The first study, conducted in 2009 at the Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine in Vietnam, compared the bone densities of 105 vegan Buddhist nuns with those of 105 omnivorous women. Scientists measured all the women’s bone densities by specifically examining the hips and lower spinal regions as well as by performing full body scans. Although the vegan nuns consumed less calcium, there was not a notable difference between the two groups’ bone densities.

A second study conducted in 2008 at the Buddhist Dalin Tzu Chi General Hospital in Taiwan examined the bone densities of 1865 men and women with varying dietary habits. Based upon this study, the researchers concluded that the vegan population does not develop a disproportionate number of osteoporosis cases. Further, this study provided evidence that vegans’ bodies process calcium more efficiently than omnivores’ bodies since excessive meat derived protein consumption interferes with calcium absoption.

Although vegans are at no greater risk for osteoporosis than omnivores, these studies do not indicate that vegans should be entirely unconcerned with this disease. In order to decrease the liklihood of developing osteoporosis, vegans should regularly consume naturally calcium rich foods such as broccoli, soybeans, almonds, and blackberries. Regular exercise is also key to maintaining strong, healthy bones.

The British Journal of Cancer reports optimistic news for vegans. British scientists studied the diets of over 61,000 men and women for 12 years. At the end of 12 years, the scientists recorded how many subjects developed stomach, bladder, ovarian, and lymphatic cancers in the three dietary categories reviewed: vegan, pescetarian, and omnivore. For each type of cancer tested, vegans developed a significantly lower number of cases than did meat eaters.

The National Cancer Institute currently predicts that stomach cancer will be diagnosed in over 21,000 American men and women in 2010 and will cause over 10,000 deaths. The lifetime risk of stomach cancer is 1 in 113.

Of men and women born today, 2.41% can expect to be diagnosed with urinary bladder cancer during their lifetimes. That’s 1 in 41 people. Almost 71,000 American men and women are diagnosed annually with bladder cancer and over 14,000 of these bladder cancer cases prove fatal.

For women born today, 1.4% can expect a diagnosis of ovarian cancer during their lifetimes. The National Cancer Institute estimates that more than 21,000 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer and over 14,000 women will die of ovarian cancer in 2010.

The National Cancer Institute predicts that over 70,000 American men and women will be diagnosed with lymphoma in 2010 and that more than 20,000 of these cases will prove fatal.

The position of the American Dietetic Association on vegan diets is that they are associated with fewer cases of cancer as well as fewer cases of type II diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, and death from heart attacks. Some nutrients that the ADA regards as healthy and particularly high in vegan diets are fruits, vegetables, nuts, soy products, fiber, and phytochemicals (phyto=related to plants).

Don’t let yourself and your loved ones become a statistic. Join Gobble Green in the movement for disease prevention and make the transition to a vegan diet in 2010.

A research study conducted by the Department of Preventive Medicine at the University of Southern California and the Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center in Los Angeles looked at the amount of meat women ate during pregnancy and compared that figure with the number of brain tumors diagnosed in their children over the next twenty years. The study revealed that the more meat the mothers consumed, the more likely their children were to have brain tumors. In fact, children whose mothers ate cured meats twice daily during pregnancy developed more than two times as many brain tumors as children whose mothers abstained entirely from meats.

The research teams at the University of Southern California and the Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center decided to test their findings further to see if the original results were a purely American phenomenon. They collaborated with nine study centers from seven countries and studied 1218 international cases with 2223 controls. This larger international study yielded the same results. Diets in more than two thousand mothers of children with brain tumors and more than a thousand mothers of healthy children were analyzed and compared. Again, the researchers found that children whose mothers ate meat during pregnancy had a significantly increased risk of developing brain tumors. Conversely, this study found that children whose mothers regularly ate cruciferous vegetables had a significantly decreased chance of brain tumor development.

Many scientists believe that it is the nitrosamines in cured meat which cause brain tumors. Nitrosamines have been shown to cause brain tumors in lab animals when their mothers are fed cured meats. The reason cruciferous vegetables reduce cancer risk is because they contain the phytochemical sulforaphane, which stimulates enzymes that prevent cancer. Sulforaphane has repeatedly shown the ability in lab experiments to help maintain healthy cells and blood vessels in the brain, which typically prevents migration of cancer cells.

Cruciferous vegetables include a wide variety of species: mustard greens, arugula, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, kale, cabbage, radishes, turnips, bok choy, and kohlrabi. Broccoli and cauliflower have the highest concentration of sulforaphane.

Since the research on sulforaphane is still in its early stages, there is no known minimum dietary requirement for it. On the other hand, cruciferous veggies have always been part of a healthy diet. Now we just have one more excellent reason to eat them regularly!

Blueberries help prevent the onset of many aging related diseases.

Make blueberries a staple in your diet. This super food protects the body against the damaging effects of free radicals and prevents the onset of many aging related diseases. According to the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, blueberries are one of the foods with the highest antioxidant activities. Blueberries contain healthy anthocyanins and phenolics as well as 14 mg of Vitamin C and 0.8 mg Vitamin E per one cup serving. If you don’t like eating fresh blueberries, try adding this super food into your diet via Gobble Green’s decadent blueberry pancakes! (http://gobblegreen.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=6)

The slaughter of Marcus reveals that children killing pets is no longer considered worrisome by many parents. 

As part of a school project, schoolchildren who reared a lamb from birth and named it Marcus overrode the outcries of some fellow students and animal rights activists by voting to send their school pet to the abattoir. The student council, comprised of fourteen children aged 6-11, voted 13-1 to have Marcus slaughtered at just 6 months old. Marcus was raised with care and attention. He trusted human beings, much like a pet dog or cat. Supported by headmistress Andrea Chapman, the student council seemingly had little difficulty betraying the docile lamb they played with and bottle fed. Despite countless offers by animal rights organizations and celebrities to provide Marcus with sanctuary, Marcus was heartlessly sent to slaughter by his child caregivers. Worse yet, his limbs were auctioned off by the school to raise money for the purchase of more school pets. The money from Marcus’ demise was supposed to buy piglets for the children to raise and then condemn to death. Fortunately, international outcry over Marcus’ fate has caused the animal farming project at this school to be put on hold indefinitely.

Marcus was heartlessly sent to slaughter by the children he trusted.

There was no reason for Marcus not to be spared. Thousands of dollars were offered to the school by activists and public figures to save his life. With the right kind of support from teachers and parents, Marcus could have taught the children an invaluable lesson about compassion and commitment. Rather, Marcus’ demise has shown these children that there are no repercussions for killing animals.

If you don’t believe that disregard for animal life severely impacts a child’s psychological development, consider the findings of American Sociological Association expert Amy Fitzgerald. According to her research, communities with slaughterhouses where the population is largely immune to animal cruelty consistently have higher rates of violent crime than demographically comparable areas without slaughterhouses. There is also substantial research which confirms that youths who are raised to knowingly condone the mistreatment of animals for sport, produce, or other purposes are more likely to become violent adults.

In 1979, sixteen year old Brenda Ann Spencer shot eight children and one police officer at Cleveland Elementary School in San Diego. Upon her arrest, Brenda famously stated “I don’t like Mondays. This livens up the day. It was just like shooting ducks in a pond. The children looked like a herd of cows standing around; it was really easy pickings.”

Despite the tragic ending to Marcus’ story, it is important to note that his death was not entirely in vain. Although the children on the student council who voted for Marcus’ slaughter may be unrepentant, many of their non-enfranchised peers are reporting difficulty sleeping and are even openly committing to a vegan lifestyle. Having lost a beloved pet, some of the children are thinking about where meat comes from for the first time and are rejecting the bloody spoils of a soulless industry.

Give the television a rest and start walking your way to better health.

Do you find yourself feeling under the weather despite exercising regularly and eating a healthy, plant based diet? According to WebMD, common household activities may be responsible for your runny nose, infection, or lethargy. For example, using a sponge with only light rinsing in between uses actually spreads bacteria and makes your countertops less sanitary. Clean your sponges in a bleach and water solution after every use or avoid using these bacteria magnets altogether. Vacuuming with a conventional vacuum can also be detrimental to your health, especially if you suffer from allergies or asthma. Locate a vacuum with a high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter in order to reduce air contamination when you clean your floors. For people who are less concerned with keeping a clean house and more interested in what is on television, keep in mind that you burn more calories staring at a blank wall than you do watching the tube. Don’t add to the global obesity problem by buying into an excessively sedentary lifestyle! Protect your health by reducing the amount of television you watch and increasing the time you spend doing physical activities like walking, jogging, and biking.

Seventeen male odor donors were on “meat” or “nonmeat” diet for 2 weeks

wearing axillary pads to collect body odor during the final 24 hours of the diet.

Fresh odor samples were assessed for their pleasantness, attractiveness,

masculinity, and intensity by 30 women not using hormonal contraceptives.

We repeated the same procedure a month later with the same odor donors, each

on the opposite diet than before. Results of repeated measures analysis of variance

showed that the odor of donors when on the nonmeat diet was judged as significantly

more attractive, more pleasant, and less intense. This suggests that red meat consumption

has a negative impact on perceived body odor hedonicity.

Although this study at Charles University is one of the first organized research studies to be conducted on the topic of vegan sexuality, many authors, behavior analysts, dieticians, and other professionals have long claimed that vegans make better lovers. Vegans do generally have more energy, lower BMIs, fresher breath, and more radiant skin as a result of eating a plant based diet. Further, polls have revealed that vegans and vegetarians are more confident about their physical appearances than omnivores. Since experts say that sex is 90% psychological, it only stands to reason that non-meat eaters make superior lovers.

Tobey Maguire, Casey Affleck, and Joaquin Phoenix are just a few famous sexy male vegans.

If you remain unconvinced of vegan males’ superior sexiness, then consider scientific research from the Erectile Dysfunction Institute which shows that eating meat is one of the most common causes for male impotence. Meat clogs up arteries leading to all organs, lowers sperm count, and decreases sperm life. Further, meat eaters have 13 percent less testosterone than vegans on average. After all, cows which produce milk and meat are repeatedly injected with hormonal growth formulas that are full of estrogen. Vegan men are literally manlier than omnivore males because they don’t consume estrogen via meat, dairy and eggs and, therefore, retain higher levels of testosterone throughout their lives.

Next time your male friends balk at salad, vegetables, and fruits, let them know that the manliest men go vegan!

Don’t kid yourself. Fish feel pain.

Even if pescetarians are able to rationalize supporting the cruel fishing industry, they should revisit their argument that fish consumption is healthy. Although fish has been touted as a miracle food with huge advantages over chicken, beef, and pork, the truth is that eating fish can cause more harm than good for your health. More than 60% of calories in fish come from fat. Fish fat reduces the actions of insulin in the body and increases the risk for high blood sugar and diabetes. Although a common argument for eating fish is the “need” for Omega-3 fat, scientific evidence has shown that Omega-3 fish fat actually increases a person’s likelihood of developing cancer and heightens the risk of metastasis. The New England Journal of Medicine reports that, in addition to the aforementioned health risks associated with a pescetarian diet, many fish have such high amounts of mercury that eating them actually increases your risk of having a heart attack by as much as 50%.  Fish are also high in cholesterol and contain acidic protein that increases the risk of osteoporosis.  Eskimos consume more fish than most populations on our planet and, not surprisingly, have the highest rates of osteoporosis on Earth.

Eskimos have the highest rates of osteoporosis on Earth.

Oftentimes the reported health impacts of consuming fish do not even take into account biomagnification. Dr. John McDougall explains biomagnification as follows:

Fish eat other fish that eat plankton and algae, which are

contaminated with environmental pollutants.  Because these

chemicals are attracted and concentrated in the fat of the fish, they

become even more concentrated as the chemicals move up the food

chain, by a process known as biomagnification. The fish most heavily

laden with chemicals are those such as the tuna, swordfish and shark,

which are predators of smaller sea life.

Unfortunately, those most affected by all this contamination are the

ones highest on the food chain – our unborn and breast-feeding children,

living off of their mother.  Polychlorinated biphenyl exposure (PCB) of

children born to women who had eaten relatively large quantities of fish

resulted in poorer intellectual function of the children, compared to

other children, shown by lower scores on a preschool IQ test, and poorer

verbal IQ and reading comprehension at 11 years of age.

Whether your food selections are motivated by a desire to be cruelty-free or a dedication to healthy eating, fish is not the wonder food that many claim and should not be considered an ethical or nutritious dietary staple.