High cholesterol and diabetes are rampant in America and cost our healthcare system billions of dollars and thousands of unnecessary deaths. Plenty of medications are available, but there are restorative approaches you can use to correct the way your body to process cholesterol and sugar like it once did. Here are 5 easy steps to reducing your risk of falling prey to these killers:
- Hormones directly affect your body's ability to metabolize cholesterol and sugar. For example, progesterone, testosterone and thyroid levels must be in balance for the body to process cholesterol and sugar. In fact for many, correction of these alone will completely correct both these issues. If you don't know your levels, it is important to work with our office to manage this important part of your health.
- Many studies directly correlate nutrition with cholesterol and sugar control. Important nutrients for sugar control include Chromium, Vanadium, Vitamin B3 and Magnesium. Although, most of your nutrients should come from food and especially superfoods; the AMA advises a pure multi-vitamin/ mineral supplement to compensate for inadequacies from poor diet and soil quality. There is a blood test called Spectracell which can identify your individual nutrition levels.
- Omega 3, specifically from fish oil, has been shown to have a dramatic effect on cholesterol. Increasing fish intake and adding concentrated, enteric-coated fish oil at 2.5 grams is an effective strategy.
- A 7-day vegetable cleanse is another great way to manage your cholesterol and diabetes risk. This helps your bowel and liver improve processing cholesterol and sugar. The cleanse involves eating vegetables only, raw or cooked for 7 days in soups, roasted vegetables, salads and organic vegetable juices. Add fresh herbs to your diet and experiment with creating healthy alternatives you enjoy. Drink plenty of water. A good benchmark is to drink half your weight in ounces, every single day. Fiber is another healthy goal. Shoot to have 30 - 40 grams per day in your diet from insoluble and soluble sources. During your cleanse you should ELIMINATE the following foods:
- Meat, fish, dairy, eggs (they are acid forming)
- Sugar, Alcohol, Soda, Tea/Coffee
- Canned, boxed, processed, refined foods should be minimized and every effort should be made to avoid over cooking or microwaving your food. Results include lower cholesterol, sugars and weight loss.
- Use an effective herbal cholesterol lowering supplement or sugar lowering supplement. Over-the-counter supplements can have serious issues with purity, quality and efficacy, and as your healthcare provider our office can recommend the best supplements for you.
If you need help creating a plan that works for you, schedule an appointment with your healthcare provider so they can work with you to create a plan around your personal needs and lifestyle. Remember, the goal is to make changes you can live with in the long term.
Don't forget to be kind to yourself and celebrate every success, no matter how small. The race against high cholesterol and diabetes is won through consistent, healthy choices. As your healthcare provider we look forward to being part of your life and are here to assist in any way we can.
