Reduce Cholesterol and Live

There was a time when the phrase "meat and potatoes" referred to a family or person who had solid, basic values and enjoyed the good things in life. Regularly having high-cholesterol steak with potatoes smothered in butter was considered a sign of a healthy and affluent lifestyle. Top that off with a whipped cream desert and a few hours on the couch, watching your favorite television programs and all was right with the world.

Then medical researchers began to notice that lots of the "meat and potatoes" people were dropping dead of heart attacks and strokes. Post-mortem examinations showed that hearts, arteries, and important capillaries were blocked with a thick waxy substance called cholesterol. That meat and potatoes diet for high cholesterol was killing people. When the blood can't get through, bad things happen.

Lowering cholesterol - is it just a hype?

The researchers discovered that people with lower cholesterol lived longer and began to look at a low cholesterol diet as a way of saving lives. The recommendations included not only foods lower in cholesterol, but also foods that actually lower the body's level of cholesterol.

The results have been extremely positive people, even those who have had previous heart problems, who switch to a low cholesterol diet show a marked decrease in heart disease and strokes. Fish, chicken and vegetables and healthy low cholesterol recipes have replaced the steaks and exercise has taken the place of the couch.

Today, a cholesterol test is a regular part of almost every medical exam. If the cholesterol level is too high, patients are given cholesterol lowering diets and cholesterol lowering medications. The word is out: A normal cholesterol level can mean a longer and healthier life.

--M.A.D.