Bad Cholesterol is pretty scary!

“LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol is often called bad cholesterol because it can build up in the walls of your arteries and form plaque, which can narrow and reduce the flow of blood through your arteries (arteries are the blood vessels that carry blood away from your heart). This plaque buildup can lead to a condition called atherosclerosis —also known as ‘the hardening of the arteries.’”  Source: https://www.repatha.com/high-ldl-causes-treatment/?WT.srch=1

Recently I heard news from a close friend of mine that her husband had an emergency surgery to remove his gallbladder full of gallstones. Gallstones may form when there is too much cholesterol in the bile. …
High levels of bilirubin can lead to formation of gallstones. …
In case the gallbladder is not able to empty often enough or if it is unable to empty completely, there may be a concentration of bile. …

I was not familiar with gallbladder which I thought was the same as the bladder that stores urine. They are two different body organs.

Gallbladder is a pear-shaped sac which is made up of a mucous membrane, a fibromuscular coat, and a serous layer. It lies in a depression of the posterior surface of the liver.

Urinary bladder is a part of the urinary system that stores urine produced by kidneys until urination takes place. It is found anterior and inferior to the pelvic cavity and posterior to the symphysis pubis. Bladder receives urine through ureters, the small tubes connecting two kidneys and the urinary bladder.

“Cholecystectomy is the medical procedure that surgically removes the gallbladder. Around 60% of the patients that undergo this procedure experience an improvement in their digestion, but for the 40% patients, they experience side effects and other discomforts. Diarrhea is a common side effect of removing gallbladder. Heartburn can also be experienced by people who have undergone cholecystectomy.
Unexplainable discomfort is usually felt by the patients a few days after the surgery. Bloating is the result of carbon dioxide pumped inside the body and remains there.
Difficulty in breathing. It is important that after surgery, deep breathing is now practiced. Heartburn is the result of improper digestion. Since there is not enough bile in the system, some of the fatty foods remain undigested and these fatty acids and gastric acids will try to regurgitate back to the esophagus, causing pain in the chest, neck, throat, etc.. “ Source: http://www.tandurust.com/digestive-problems/dangers-of-removing-gallbladder.html

Hopefully, my friend’s husband is one of the 60% patients that improve their digestion when the gallbladder is removed.

Anyway, I never realized that too much cholesterol in the body cannot only affect the walls of our arteries, but can cause problems on the other parts of our organs. Pretty scary!

How to Lower Cholesterol Naturally
These are the 7 steps you can take to lower cholesterol naturally. And if you follow all of them, you can count on a very high success ratio.

Eat a healthy cholesterol lowering diet. Some fats help lower cholesterol, while others can raise it. So get your fats right.

Reduce overall fat intake, avoid trans fats, limit saturated fats and replace “bad” fats with “good” fats, such as olive oil and those found in whole grains and omega 3 fish.

High fiber foods also help lower cholesterol naturally. They decrease “bad” LDL and increase “good” HDL cholesterol.

Do regular healthy physical activity. At least 30 minutes of exercise a day has been shown to decrease total cholesterol and improve “good” HDL cholesterol levels, while lack of regular physical activity can raise “bad” LDL cholesterol levels as well as lead to weight gain.

Reach and maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight can decrease “good” HDL levels and increase “bad” LDL and total cholesterol levels.

Eliminate sweets and refined foods. Few realize that eating sweets and other high glycemic foods increase triglycerides and cholesterol production. These foods are also addictive. Once you eliminate them, you’ll find that fruits, vegetables and whole grains actually taste sweet.

Cut out caffeine and alcohol – drink water. Both caffeine and alcohol have been shown to elevate cholesterol. So it’s best to switch to pure water and, at the very least, follow the “no more than one a day” rule.

Don’t smoke or use tobacco in any form. Smoking damages blood vessels, contributes to hardening of the arteries and is a major health risk for heart disease, stroke and other degenerative diseases.

Practice good healthy stress management. Just like cholesterol, a certain amount of stress is healthy – such as with exercise. But the link between excess stress and high cholesterol production is well established. So take time to relax, let go, meditate, enjoy yourself or do whatever it takes to keep your stress level under control.

Use the 7 steps to lower cholesterol naturally to reach optimum levels of:
Triglycerides less than 150 mg/dl.
Total cholesterol less than 200 mg/dl.
HDL “good” cholesterol over 40 mg/dl.
LDL “bad” cholesterol less than 100 mg/dl.

You can greatly reduce your all-around risk of both heart disease and stroke, the #1 and #3 causes of premature death in the U.S. by simply following these guidelines on how to lower cholesterol naturally.   Source: http://commonsensehealth.com/how-to-lower-cholesterol-naturally-in-7-steps/

List of Foods that Lower Cholesterol Naturally.  

Below is a list of foods that lower cholesterol naturally. You can use this list of cholesterol reducing foods as a guide when eating and should consider having a majority of these foods that lower cholesterol in your home.

– Oat cereal

– Cereals containing flaxseed or psyllium

– Whole grain cereals

– Pecan nuts, walnuts, olives, soy nuts

– Dried or canned beans, peas and lentils

– Corn, fresh, frozen or canned

– Soybean products

– Whole wheat bread

– All types of fruits, especially currants, grapes, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, citrus fruits, apples.

– Canola and olive oils and margarines made from these oils.

– All vegetables, especially onion, watercress, leeks, spinach, carrots, artichokes, avocado, broccoli, kale Brussels sprouts and cauliflower

– A variety of flavorings, herbs and spices, especially fresh garlic.

– Lean meats and chicken.

– Salmon, swordfish, tuna and trout

Source:  http://www.all-about-lowering-cholesterol.com/foods-that-lower-cholesterol.html

Another method of healing I found on line is Ginger Garlic Apple Cider Vinegar Mix:

1 piece of grated ginger, 1 glove of garlic, 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon of honey, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Liquefy with the use of Nutri Bullet blender. Consume 1 tablespoon of the mixture before breakfast and another before lunch or dinner.  This mixture lowers blood pressure and cholesterol naturally according to the website.

 

In God’s Presence

 

“We find ourselves in spiritual battles and physical hardships, and the enemy doesn’t fight fair. Though we aren’t spared from our definition of harm, those who trust God and lean on Him are spared from His definition of harm. He is a God who protects His people. Outside of His Presence, we’re vulnerable to the worst kind of harm; but in His Presence, nothing can touch us. He is our place of safety.

God doesn’t call us to be reckless, but He does call us to be fearless. No refuge is more secure than He is.

In whatever decisions you face, take fear out of the equation. If you trust God and honor Him, He hides you in the shelter of His Presence. He allows the war, but guards you from defeat. He protects those who are loyal to Him.”

Source: The One Year Experiencing God’s Presence Devotional: 365 Daily Encounters to Bring You Closer to Him

I believe this to be true. In my life, I’ve seen God’s miracles so many times. As I rely on Him each and every day, from the time I wake up to the time I go to bed, His guidance I depend on. He is really near when your mind is focused on Him. He speaks through my heart that He holds and keeps it safe.

Last year, I desperately prayed to God through Jesus, His Son, to revive this nation again. That Christians would stand firm on their faith, to breathe on His believers again.

O Lord hear, O Lord forgive us.
We have lost the awe of You.
Have mercy, have mercy.
O Lord, cleanse
Our hearts which are divided.
Stir the faith that we once knew
We’re thirsty, we’re thirsty.
O Lord restore
The church that bears Your name.
O Spirit send
A revival to this nation.
Breathe on us again,
Breathe on us again.

For in God, I will always trust and hope on His almighty power. The enemy of our souls is desperate to defeat Him by dividing the world, evil against good, but as believers, we already know who won. In the middle of this battle is where God is in the center. He won’t let those who love and is faithful to His plan and purposes get defeated. He covers them with His protection, He gives them strength.

“Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.”  Isaiah 40:31

“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil for You are with me” Psalm 23:4

“…Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might” – Ephesians 6:10

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up” – James 4:10

“Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me” – Psalm 54:4

Food Shopping for health and wellness

Ever since I’ve modified my eating habits for the past few years, I’m always conscious of what to buy at the grocery stores.  I have gained knowledge into the type of foods that  would either make me healthy or will eventually cause diseases to propagate in my precious body. I’ve learned so much about organic foods and GMO laden produce and food products. It’s scary when you think about what’s out there bad to eat.

When it comes to my health, I don’t want anymore to let food commercials dictate what I should eat. I was commercially sublimated during my younger years of busy and stress loaded life. When you’re young, you don’t think of food in terms of your health, but what would make you feel stuffed, glutted or engorged regardless of the bad consequences and that would satisfy your hunger pangs. Looking back, I had eaten quite loads of fast foods. They were delicious, for Pete’s sake! Ate in many restaurants, hole in the wall types, and some elegant ones. I let the chefs’ or cooks’ concoctions to rule my eating habits. It was fun while it lasted. As luck would have it, I was into workouts to save my life! Yes! You should see my collections of VHS and DVD workout tapes! I have tons! And I still have them, but now contemplating in donating them.

I lost some weights, maintained the weight loss, but eventually succumbed to gaining extra pounds. That’s when health problems surfaced. My blood pressure went up and I was not feeling so good anymore. This led me to research about the causes of high blood pressure and how to manage it naturally. I went through different types of high blood pressure meds and most had bad side effects. It was frustrating. My salvation: plant based foods! They are miracle foods. But then I’ve learned that not all plant based foods are created equal.

Most grocery stores carry food produce that are laden with dangerous pesticides. Even the ones on the grocery shelves. To top it off, most are GMO or genetically modified foods. They are foods genetically altered to look attractive to our eyes and genetically enhanced to have longer shelf life!

“The rise in autoimmune diseases, infertility, gastrointestinal problems and chronic diseases may be associated with the introduction of GM foods. In a position paper by the American Academy of Environmental Medicine, the authors ask all physicians to consider the role of GM foods in the nation’s health crisis, and advise their patients to avoid all GM foods whenever possible. The Academy also recommends a moratorium on GM seeds and calls for immediate independent safety testing and the labeling of all food items containing genetically modified products. As of 2010, the U.S. does not require food manufacturers to identify foodstuffs produced with genetically modified crops.”

How To Avoid GMOs
“The best way to avoid GMOs is to cook at home using certified organic ingredients. Organic foods, by law, are non-GMO. When buying produce such as corn, look for the PLU code on the label — if it begins with 9, it is organic. If you use packaged or prepared foods, look for “USDA Certified Organic” on the label. Packaged foods that contain at least 70 percent organic ingredients are not permitted to contain GMOs. Assume that all restaurants are serving GMOs. The vast majority of non-organic products sold in a conventional supermarket, including pet foods and baby foods, contain some form of GMO corn, soy or other ingredients.”

Source: https://www.livestrong.com/article/216714-dangers-of-gmo-foods/

I only have one body to live on and one life to live. But I have capabilities to control what I will eat. This day and age, there are tremendous information at my beck and call to help gain knowledge on protecting my health.

Today’s breakfast – organic cereal with 11 grams of fiber and 9 grams of protein with some blackberries

I’m thankful and grateful for stores that are popping up and carrying organic and non GMO foods. Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and now Aldi. Groceries near us are carrying organic produce and non GMO products. On the side of our world, we have HEB and Kroger and even 99 Ranch that dedicate organic food sections, or organic and non GMO products spread all over their food shelves. You just have to hunt and look for them. And because of the increase demands for organic and non-GMO products, the overall costs are moderately going down. Now that Amazon owns Whole Foods, I’ve seen organic pricing getting to the level, in some degree, with their conventional counterparts.

It cost me such a lot of hours of research to get where I am with my health now. I am, more than ever, pays attention subsequently to what I require for myself to be able to give the necessary defense, to protect my body from the radical changes that poor eating habits entail. I promised myself to succeed.

 

 

 

Walking for health and energy

Today, I walked along the sidewalks of Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris!

Although I’ve been to the country sides of France, during our travel, we intentionally decided not to be in Paris at all.

Today via Live Stream, I felt like I was there and walked the streets of this popular tourists destination. I’ve discovered these Live Stream videos on You Tube last year and I incorporated these video walks with my treadmill exercises. I really enjoyed it. I’ve gone to different parts of the world via these Live Streams. I’ve gone to Hawaii, Australia, Wales (in real life, we were in Wales in 2014), the country sides of Great Britain and some places here in the U.S.

I really enjoy these virtual walks on my treadmill. It’s mostly a 30 to 35 minutes of walking. The videos are well done and I actually feel like I was there at these places walking and enjoying the sights.

These Paris street sidewalks are just like walking on the streets of the Los Angeles Rodeo Drive but on a bigger scale. They also have stores popular in the U.S. like Sephora, Disney, Gap, QuickSilver, Abercrombie & Fitch, among others.

Some of the health benefits of walking include good physical and mental health, protection from heart ailments, diabetes, cancer, and other types of chronic conditions. Further studies show that walking increases bone mineral density and prevents the condition of osteoporosis.

 

 

Press toward the Goal

In March 2002, a discovery of who Jesus really is, has changed my life completely and has brought tremendous hope in me. It was an awakening to something higher than my earthly thoughts. My life before this wake up call was mundane. A busy life but tiresome and wearisome. Routinely repetitive and headed to a very sad, empty and hopeless existence. Job was okay, some glimpses of limited happiness. But in all, there’s dissatisfaction in everything, brooding over an unseen future. I felt like everything had come to a dead end. People at work started to annoy me. I started to lose patience. To survive, I buried myself to the task at hand at work, but I dragged each day. I saw things done unfairly, but I would just bite my tongue. A lot of backbiting, it was so stressful that I had to do soundbites or brief catchy comments to my trusted friends just to let out the frustrations.

My sense of anger had built up in me, but there was no way out. I felt like I would always get the short end of the stick. I felt I’m surrounded with naughty “children” in need of a smack.  The nastiness of the environment seemed to affect my private and personal life. I look forward for weekends and vacations hoping beyond hope that the ones concerned would get their act together. I started doubting that the sun in the east will shine. It was all a pipe dream. Haven’t we all wish a castle in the sky? I could not seem to escape and could not do anything rushed. All my life, I’ve had to play the hand I was dealt. I’ve learned to endure and used my own strength. But it was tiring.

One day as I looked out the window by my upstairs bathroom, I cried out to God, is this all there is in life? Is it always a rat race out there?! The September 11 tragedy made it more pronounced that there are people that always would cause havocs in people’s life. May it be at work, your personal life, and just about anywhere you go, most people hate people. I never knew as to why? What is wrong with the world?

One fateful Holy Week in March, 2002 was destined to give me answers I’ve never thought of, and that would open my eyes beyond what I could not comprehend in the natural life I was part of.  It changed my outlook and attitude of sinfulness, selfishness, covetousness and self absorbed, self-centered ways.It started on this one particular and significant day during this Holy Week, and a vacation week for me, when my hubby in passing said something about Jesus Christ that got my nerve rattled. I was perturbed and it brought me to search the internet about Jesus Christ that I had never done before, just because I did not have time for it. I was very far away from religion and was just so self-absorbed with all that was happening around me and was only focused on things that affected me.

On line, I was so surprised of what I found out and discovered. I encountered for the very first time verses in the Holy Bible and I could understand it and the Word is like a sword that went through my heart and opened it wide. Jesus was not on the cross, like I always would see in the church, that He is forever on the cross! He was teaching and walking with His followers. He was actually talking and sharing His first hand knowledge about God. He resurrected from death and lives! My heart was touched and I started crying. Right there and then, I felt like He came to the computer room and held me and said: “I have not abandoned you!”I felt so overwhelmed and my whole body was trembling. The experience had given me a lot to think about. But I did not know where to start. I just spent the whole vacation week searching for Jesus that led to several links that explained that God, because of His love for us, sent His Son to this world to teach us and reveal to us who God really is. And God sent Jesus to give us salvation and an eternal life spent in heaven by dying on the cross for us. Before Jesus was born, God offered forgiveness of sins through sacrificial system only and through a rabbi and done in the Holy Temple only. No one can come to the Holy God, but only through His appointed prophets. These made people alienated, isolated or estranged from God and did not know Him at all and did not have any relationship with Him. Not because God did not want to, because He does, He always does. It’s our sins that separated us from Him. God so loved us that He planned for the longest time to give us a Savior that will ultimately save us from our sins and from ourselves and give us hope and a surety, that for those that believe and accept His Son Jesus as our Lord and Savior, repent and turn away from sins, will receive His forgiveness and salvation and an eternal life in Heaven with God and Jesus. This is God’s offer of mercy and Grace to mankind. Jesus alone, fulfilled God’s requirements in the olden times of forgiving sins, before Jesus came to the world. Jesus is the Light that led us to know who God really is. He is the Way to an eternal life in heaven and the Truth to God’s Plan of salvation, hope, peace and joy that only God can offer through Jesus Christ.Not only did Jesus’s death and resurrection reconcile us with God, but He has given us the right to be called children of God and an intimate relationship with Jesus and God here on earth as well. Jesus’s followers are no longer condemned. They are no longer isolated, alienated and estranged from God. That is God’s Good News and amazing Grace He is offering to us all. What a great and faithful God we have!

 

Maintenance Monday

After the weekend, Monday is a good day to start getting the weight down to at least where I feel my weight loss effort is a success! Not that I gained some extra pounds since the last time I blogged my weight progress. At this stage of my conscious food mindfulness, I would say if I gained a pound or two, it’s quite easy to lose the unwanted pounds because it’s not much.

What is hard for me now is to lose that last 5 pounds. My body seems to not want to let go. Today, I started using again the small cups I’ve used when I started this weight loss journey. I have tons of those small cup sizes and I know I will not ran out. The challenge is how long will I be able to stick to the calorie counting. What’s nice is I do not have to weigh my food by using my food scale. The length of time that I’ve used it to lose 16 pounds, which is about 6 months, I’ve mastered the tedious food weighing technique.

I’ve gained 30 pounds through the years, and getting down to where I am now, was a 4 year struggle, and the hardest is eating less than my usual intake. It took me to so many researches and guides to healthy lifestyle changes. I’ve learned that the unwanted pounds I was carrying led me to borderline hypertension stage 1. I initially took the precaution of taking prescribed blood pressure medication but eventually it manifested some awful side effects. I was described different kinds, and the end result was the same. The pestering side effects; and I’m not about to take another medication to cure the side effects!

There must be a better way, and there was, a natural way to lowering and controlling the blood pressure from escalating. Losing weight and plant-based food – a Dash and Paleo lifestyle eating. I don’t think of it as a diet but a lifestyle overhaul. Adapting Intermittent  Fasting at the same time made weight loss a success. To this day, Intermittent Fasting for me is a way of life. Giving the digestive system a chance to rest has given my body to repair itself.

Homemade cooking is the best way to lose weight and control what gets into my body. I’ve mostly used organic ingredients. Today I’ve made this dish – It’s a pastured raised ground veal. I cooked it with some white onions, garlic, 2 tablespoons of scallions and some green pepper with some lime juice. Stir fry them together, until meat is cooked.  I bought the veal at Whole Foods and it’s already pre-mixed with Taco seasoning which are all natural. It’s Gluten free, although I do not have a problem with gluten, and there’s no MSG added and no nitrates. It’s manufactured by Strauss free raised. It has natural spices, paprika salt, cottonseed oil. It would be good with organic tortilla, but it’s good with brown rice as well.

“Veal is enriched with vitamin B. This vitamin is essential for energy and healthy metabolism. Other than vitamin B, veal is a rich source of vitamin B-12, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, and pantothenic acid. People who consume beef on regular basis can easily switch to a smarter and healthy choice with veal. People living with a strict calorie regimen, still get a taste of life with veal as it delivers only 179 calories from a 3 ounce top round cut. There is no difference in the calorie segment for the people eating beef or any kind of other red meat.”  Source: http://benefitof.net/seven-secret-health-benefits-of-veal-they-do-not-want-you-to-know/

I don’t eat very much red meat. I try to vary my everyday homemade Protein menu: fish, seafood, poultry, some white meat, and once in a while steak. Everyday, we have our morning veggie and fruit smoothie; and our meal always have a veggie salad to the mix.

I’ve also made today Chayote with wild caught Shrimps from Whole Foods. I cooked it with onions, garlic and tomatoes and added some chicken broth and some salt (I use coarse Kosher) to taste. When the Chayote is well cooked, I added the Shrimps and cooked for about an additional 5 to 10 minutes and it was ready to serve. It was delicious! “Chayote is a gourd plant, eaten in similar fashion to the summer squash, cucumbers and melons. You can add raw chayote to salads or cook them in meat or vegetarian dishes. … Chayote can also help support weight loss efforts, as it is low in calories and fibrous. Furthermore, chayote is a rich source of dietary fiber, antioxidants, iron, manganese, phosphorus, zinc, potassium, copper and vitamins B1, B2, B6 and C. Another strong suit of this vegetable is its folate content, which is helpful for cell division and DNA synthesis.” Source: Mercola.com

If I want some rice with the meal, I always make organic Brown Rice mixed with tri-color organic Quinoa. “Health benefits of brown rice include better functioning of cardiovascular system, digestive system, brain and nervous system. It is loaded with powerful antioxidants which provide relief from a range of ailments such as hypertension, unhealthy levels of cholesterol, stress, mental depression and skin disorders.” Source: Organic Facts  I only eat a cup of Brown Rice/Quinoa as it’s not low in calories. If I eat more, I will gain weight.

“Researchers attribute the health benefits of quinoa to its complete nutritional makeup. Quinoa is close to one of the most complete foods in nature because it contains amino acids, enzymes, vitamins and minerals, fiber, antioxidants, and phytonutrients. Quinoa is one of the most protein-rich foods we can eat. It is a complete protein containing all nine essential amino acids. Quinoa contains almost twice as much fiber as most other grains. Quinoa contains Iron. Quinoa contains lysine. Lysine is mainly essential for tissue growth and repair.” Source: https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-4994/7-Benefits-of-Quinoa-The-Supergrain-of-the-Future.html