Laura Livesey - The Everything Low-Cholesterol Cookbook

If youre reading this, its likely that you, or someone you know, has been diagnosed with high cholesterol. You probably received a typical cholesterol test report giving you the levels of your total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol (so-called bad cholesterol), HDL cholesterol (so-called good cholesterol), and triglycerides. You might be wondering whether you should take prescription drugs like statins, go on a diet, or switch up your lifestyle. Its normal to have a lot of questions at this stage!

The short answer is that experts estimate that a whopping 6090 percent of your heart-health risk factors can be dramatically improved by changing your lifestyle. This is great news because its not your genetics that holds all the cards! Your habits can determine your destiny.

When it comes to the treatment of heart disease risk factors, a heart-healthy diet and lifestyle, versus cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins, is now considered the best treatment protocol for the vast majority of patients. A March 2022 study on statin use, published in the British Medical Journal by a team of researchers from Australia, Denmark, Ireland, and the US, performed a meta-analysis of twenty-one randomized clinical trials undertaken between 1987 and 2021. They found that the relationship between LDL cholesterol reduction by the common cholesterol-lowering statin drugs and the risk of death, heart attack, and stroke is weak or inconsistent. A few people, such as middle-aged men with existing coronary artery disease, do still benefit from cholesterol-lowering medications, but prescription drugs come with side effects that youll want to avoid, if possible. While high cholesterol (including high LDL) is no longer considered the most important risk factor for heart disease (its actually the ratio between your triglycerides and your HDL levels), you can put your high-cholesterol diagnosis to great use as a powerful wake-up call to review and update your health habits.

What habits should you look at? Over the last decade, there have been huge scientific advancements in the understanding of heart disease, and due to this, government recommendations have changed dramatically. Plants are still wonderful and should fill the majority of your plate. But the low-fat and high-carbohydrate method of eating for heart health is now defunct. Healthy fats are crucial to get on your plate, and often. Protein is also moving into center stage. Its an important tool to help you live longer. And with the increase in fats and proteins comes a recommended decrease in carbohydrates (sugar, refined carbohydrates, and even some previously recommended whole grains). Carbohydrates can spike your blood sugar, which over time is a key factor in creating the insulin resistance that ultimately drives heart disease.

You can do a lot with just one easy change. At every meal, eat at least a few spoonfuls of vegetables (fiber) first, then protein, fats, starches, and sugars (in that order). A 2015 study conducted by Cornell University found that the order in which you eat different types of foods has a dramatic impact on your body. By eating fiber first at every meal, you reduce the overall glucose spike of that meal by 73 percent, as well as your insulin spike by 48 percent, which is comparable to the effect of diabetes medication! This one habit change works whether you have diabetes or not, and has helped thousands of people lose weight. Try eating the (Chapter 9) at the start of your lunches and dinners to put this into practice. And eat dessert (sugars) at the end of a meal, as opposed to on an empty stomach.

Whether youre dealing with high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or extra weight around your middle, youll find two hundred easy and satisfying recipes to help make your transition to a heart-healthy lifestyle more doable.

Start the day with high-protein foods that contain fiber. Try a (Chapter 11).

Along the way, The Everything Low-Cholesterol Cookbook will teach you about powerful foods and nutrients that can dramatically reduce your risk for heart disease. And with the tasty and satisfying recipes in this collection, you dont have to worry about feeling deprived as you change your eating habits. You can turn your high-cholesterol diagnosis into good news by using it as a reason to finally make those healthy changes youve been meaning to make. Take the first step today, and after thirty days of heart-healthy eating, youll be amazed at how good you feel!