What images do the word cholesterol evoke? Essentially it has a bad rep and is viewed as a devil that clogs your arteries thereby shortening your lifeline. Facts sometimes are stranger than what we believe and this is essentially the case with cholesterol. Cholesterol is required for many bodily functions. Without cholesterol men can’t produce testosterone and women can not produce estrogen. Our intestines can’t digest food without it and cells can’ t create their outer coating or membrane. So cholesterol is not that bad. When doctors ask you to lower cholesterol by that they mean bad cholesterol LDL and total cholesterol. Since the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP)

Oil controversy got murkier over the past decade. All kinds of theories have been proposed regarding the ideal intake of oil and its quantity.  Clarify your doubts with My Health Guardian….. Oils rich in omega 3 fatty acids are crucial for optimal health and metabolism. The parent fatty acid in the omega 3 fatty acid family is alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) which is an essential fatty acid found in high concentration in certain plant oils—flax seed, mustard, canola, walnut oil and in dark leafy greens. Olive oil: It’s believed that the best oil for heart is olive oil. Olive oil is made from the flesh of olives rather than seeds. This means that it requires less pressure and lower

Are you avoiding fat in your diet? Then you may be robbing your body of important health nutrients called Essential Fatty Acids(EFAs), that make us look good. Gone is the belief that fats make you fat. Fat can make you thin too. Omega3, an EFA, found in cold- water fish, greens—spinach, broccoli and sprouts helps with weight loss. Fat is an important part of a healthy diet. Increasing evidences give fats thumbs up for reducing risk of heart attack and stroke. They also help with our sugar and insulin metabolism. Fats, good one, make foods taste better. They help us enjoy the journey to a healthier lifestyle. Fats are not created equal–there are good fats and bad fats. Good Fats

There is nothing permanent in life, it flows, zigzags, creates dictums and erases them. Nuts have a nutty tale to share–while few years back they were considered as diet busting devils and ought to be banished from the plate for slimmer waistlines, they have resurrected themselves and are back on the platter now, for the same reason—slimmer waistlines. Not only the new nutrition mantra celebrates the goodness of nuts and insists that we have the poly-mono-omega3-dense-nuts, as they are vital to our health, but insists that nuts help us lose weight and keep it off. Make nuts an ally in your fight against diabetes and heart disease. Polished rice, potatoes, packaged foods—chips,

Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are one of two types of essential fatty acids (EFAs) that people need to consume to stay healthy. Our body acquires these fatty acids through diet. Omega-6 fatty acids are beneficial as well. They help regulate inflammation and blood pressure as well as heart, gastrointestinal, and kidney functions. Good dietary sources of omega-6 fatty acids include cereals, eggs, poultry, most vegetable oils, whole-grain breads, baked goods, and margarine. Coldwater fish like tuna, salmon, lake trout, mackerel, shrimp are rich sources of omega3. Plant sources include flaxseed oil and pumpkin seed oil. It is important to maintain an appropriate balance of omega 3 and

Technically almond is not a nut but the seed of the fruit of the almond tree. Almonds are an ancient food that has found its mention in the historical texts, including the Bible.   Healthy heart wants nuts Almonds are good for your heart. Though, it is hard to believe that a high-fat food can be good for your health, nourish your heart and lower LDL cholesterol too. We know that LDL cholesterol clings on our arteries and for a healthy heart we need to have less of them. Almonds are high in monounsaturated fats, the same type of health-promoting fats, as are found in olive oil. Almonds are rich in magnesium, potassium and have manganese, copper and riboflavin too. Magnesium is