Raising HDL

I found this article on tips of how to raise HDL, the "good chlolesterol".

http://heartdisease.about.com/cs/cholesterol/a/raiseHDL.htm

I'm writing down the summary, from what I learned.

HDL stands for high-density lipoprotein. It is the "good chlolesterol" that we need in our blood. The more good chlolesterol in our blood, the better. HDL is known to "clean" our blood vessels, bring the excess chlolesterol to the liver to process. The normal level should be above 40 mg/dL. Aim for 60 mg/dL.

How do we increase our HDL levels?

1. Aerobic exercise.
Walking, jogging, bike riding, anything that makes your body move and become active. From what I am reading, 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week is recommended. And 30 minutes a day can be broken down into 10 minute increments.

2. Lose weight
Aim to be on your normal weight bracket. This depends on your height. For a 5'9" person, ideal weight is between 130 - 168 lbs. Here's something I checked on a BMI chart dial that we have here at home. The healthy weight range depends on the height. Under the range, and you are underweight. Over the range, you are considered overweight.

5'3" -> 106 - 140 lbs
5'4" -> 108 - 145 lbs
5'5" -> 112 - 150 lbs
5'6" -> 115 - 154 lbs
5'7" -> 120 - 160 lbs
5'8" -> 125 - 164 lbs
5'9" -> 130 - 168 lbs
5'10" -> 132 - 176 lbs
5'11" -> 135 - 180 lbs
6'0" -> 138 - 184 lbs


3. Minimize the transfatty acids.

4. Do not smoke.

5. Drink alcohol moderately.
One to two drinks a day. Beer drinkers, one to two bottles a day?

6. Increase monounsaturated fats in diet.
Canola oil, avocado oil, olive oil, fats found in peanut butter.

7. Eat food with lots of fiber.
Fruits, vegetable, oats.

8. Omega-3 fatty acids are good.
Fish like salmon has lots of omega-3.

Tips for cancer proofing

I found this article in Men's Health Online.
http://www.menshealth.com
I thought to put this on my blog, as a summary, to remind me. And if you happen to see this, it may give you some tips.


1. Drink Pomegranate Juice.
Pomegranate is a fruit, a red fruit. The deep red juice contains polyphenols, isoflavones and ellagic acid. The juice has been shown to delay the growth of prostate cancer.

2. Eat Blueberries.
Blueberries has pterostilbene, fights colon cancer. Blueberries has a big dose of Vitamin C,

3. Relax.
Slow down your fast times. The more you spend in the present moment, the more relaxed you will be. Most mental anguish occurs over stuff that's already happened or that may or may not happen in the future.

4. Selenium.
It is Se, element number 34 in the chemical periodic table. It is measured through the toenails. Check the site: http://www.seleniumhealthtest.com

5. Eat Sushi.
Sushi has seaweeds, with is low in calories and fat. Sushi provides heart-helping fiber, bone building calcium and iron. The seaweed sheets used in sushi also provide vitamins A & C. Sushi has lots of protein. Check the Korean seaweed-fortified drink, EntroPower (http://www.entropower.com)

6. Spend more time with the sun.
Vitamin D is necessary for the best functioning of immune system. Vitamin D causes early death of cancer cells. Vitamin D is found in sardines, salmon, shitake mushrooms.

7. Do not smoke.
Smoking and second hand smoke is bad for you.

8. Exercise.
Increase frequency and duration. Intensity is not so much important, than duration and frequency of exercise.