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Messages - jbb85

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General Discussion / Re: Giving up......the scale!
« on: November 04, 2013, 06:58:53 PM »
Skip the scale!!! What are you after for??? A number? I don't think so. You're after a nice view in the mirror.
Really, skip the scale. There's too many factors that can affect your CURRENT weight.

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Sorry to revive this a bit old thread, but I was just reading about blood pressure lowering foods and come across this thread.
Additional foods that also lower blood pressure (see which values are considered normal on this blood pressure chart) are:
Raisins
If you suffer from hypertension, have raisins stirred into your morning cereals. Combine raisins with nuts. For best results eat a handful of raisins three times a day.
Bananas
Eating foods that are rich in potassium can affect your blood pressure level. An ideal example of food that contains a lot of potassium and is not too expensive is a banana.
Watermelons
Consuming watermelons will improve the health of your heart. This healthy fruit contains a special amino acid which lowers blood pressure.
Tofu
Not only tofu, but eating all soy products can help people who struggle with elevated blood pressure as soy contains an ingredient called isoflavone which may help to lower blood pressure. Green tea also contains isoflavone.
Chocolate
Not expected to be on this list, but chocolate contains flavone, which may help to lower blood pressure. Do not buy a classic chocolate, but rather purchase a chocolate containing a high percentage of cocoa (at least 70%). Such chocolate is also filled with antioxidants. Do not overdo it though, as chocolate is very calorie-rich.
Chili
Many dishes can spiced with hot chili. Chili is rich in capsaicin, a substance proven to lower blood pressure.

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General Discussion / Re: CHOLESTEROL
« on: September 11, 2013, 10:08:54 AM »
I'm an IT guy, but lately I am focusing more and more in "health": healthy food, healthy lifestyle. I am far from perfect though, as I have many flaws of my own. I have a sweet tooth and pretty it's bad. But I'm struggling. This might be the reason I started to pay so much interest in my own health. I mean, health is our wealth, right?


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General Discussion / Re: Break Your Sugar Addiction!
« on: August 24, 2013, 05:18:14 PM »
I am really looking forward to that :) will see.

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General Discussion / Re: Blood Sugar Levels
« on: August 24, 2013, 05:16:48 PM »
Thanks for the heads up. I will do the blood sugar test on Monday...

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General Discussion / Re: CHOLESTEROL
« on: August 24, 2013, 11:55:40 AM »
Cholesterol. More and more scienists agree that cholesterol is a defensive reaction of your body when eating processed foods (these foods suffer destruction procedures of vital substances such as hydrogenation, homogenizing, irradiation, cleaning). If your body is acidic, loaded with undigested waste tahn this may lead to inflammatory conditions and injuries - and cholesterol tries to correct such conditions. Cholesterol is basically a material produced by your body that is used to repair damage. Cholesterol is also an integral element of all cell membranes, including the brain, and is hence not our enemy, but a friendly element.

Excessive cholesterol is a consequence, and hence lowering cholesterol with statins is not a solution - it is necessary to eliminate the causes of excessive cholesterol.

How do statins work in the body? Medicinal statin disables the enzyme in the liver, which is necessary for the production of cholesterol. When certain active substances interfere with the operation of organism, we run in the risk of jeopardizing organism balance. And statins significantly rob our organism of enzyme Q 10, which is needed for energy production in the cells. The consequences can be devastating, because in the long run an increasingly suffering issues arise, such as fatigue, muscle pain, muscle weakening, in worst case it may even result in heart failure. Risk of cardiac arrest is very high in patients that take statins, so it's best to avoid it. Also, impairment of muscle is a frequent side effect of statin drugs. The heart is an important muscle and statins can affect it, just like other muscles.

Statins have also been linked to:
Risk of nerve damage in the hands and feet and causes trouble walking, dizziness,
decreased mental abilities, depression, weakened immune system, porblems with the liver, they aslo found a possible link to increased risk of Lou Gehrig disease.

If you are worried about your cholesterol levels, and you have not yet started to lower the levels of cholesterol using statins, better think twice. You should know that cholesterol is your friend and not an enemy.

Why do we need cholesterol?

In general, people were convinced that cholesterol is a bad thing, something white and sticky with negative effects on health. It is about time that this myth stops. Cholesterol is really soft, wax-like substance, which is found not only in the blood stream, but in each cell of our organism, where it helps to form the membrane of cells, hormones, vitamin D, bile acids, and on the other hand helps metabolize fat. Cholesterol is also important for our nervous system, as without cholesterol neurological function are disturbed.

Dr. Ron Rosedale, MD, who is recognized as a leader in the field of sciences "anti againg" says: Cholesterol is a vital component of every cell membrane on Earth. There is no living being that can live without cholesterol. This tells us that cholesterol is not bad, but it's actually our best friend. Without cholesterol you and me would no longer exist. The fact that the liver can use cholesterol again and again shows its importance. It's no wonder that lowering cholesterol levels too much increases the risk to die. Without cholesterol we would not be able to produce hormones such as estrogen, testosterone, cortisone, and many other vital hormones. Yet another example of how cholesterol is important, is the task of the HDL cholesterol, which mission is to pick up cholesterol from the tissues and arteries and transport it back to the liver. If bad cholesterol was harmful to the organism the organism would try to get rid of it, but cholesterol actually returns back to the liver. Why? Because the liver can re-use it! Our body produces it because it is so vital for our health!

Do you really have high cholesterol?

Sally Fallon, President of the Weston A. Price Foundation, and Mary G. Enig, expert in organic chemistry, have gone so far on the subject of cholesterol that call high cholesterol "a newly invented, or fake disease" that started to appear when the experts learned to measure cholesterol levels in the blood. There is also one interpretation of high cholesterol and that is that the increase in cholesterol is a partial result of an inflammatory condition in the organism. The body sends cholesterol to the site of inflammation or injury, to help in the treatment and to help rpair the damage. At that time, the body produces more cholesterol. Conventional method of lowering cholesterol is totally wrong, because picking on the symptoms, not the detection and elimination of the causes of inflammation in the body, leads to high cholesterol.

Dangers of excessively low cholesterol levels

A general belief is that for a healthy heart it is necessary to lower total cholesterol levels below 200 mg / dl. But the fact is that lowering cholesterol does not resolve the underlying causes and may threaten our health. Extensive research in Holland found out that individuals with the lowest cholesterol were six times more likely to commit suicide. It has been shown that individuals with chronically low cholesterol have depressive symptoms. Cholesterol affects the metabolism of serotonin-substance, which is involved in regulating our moods. Dozens of other studies show that low cholesterol is linked with aggressive behavior due to disturbances in the activity of serotonin. One meta-analysis has even shown that people who take statins are more likely to suffer from cancer and Parkinson's disease.

How do we know that our cholesterol is really too high?

Below 150 mg/dl is trated low, the optimal is over 200 mg/dl, anything above 300 mg/dl is too high. Relation between the HDL cholesterol and total cholesterol is an indicator of risk for our heart. The ratio is obtained by dividing the HDL to total cholesterol. Ideally, the ratio should be 25 percent,  but higher is better. If the ratio falls below 15-20 percent you are in danger, if percentage is under 10 percent that means that our heart is in great danger. You can do the same with triglycerides and HDL. The ratio should be below 2.

How can we safely optimize cholesterol levels?

75% of cholesterol is produced by the liver, which are influenced by the amount of insulin. Our activities should be directed to regulate insulin, as with insulin we also regulate cholesterol. Insulin is effectively reduced by exercising and propriate diet. Food that increases insulin also contribute to higher cholesterol levels because it stimulates the liver to produce more cholesterol.
Hope this helps.

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General Discussion / Re: Blood Sugar Levels
« on: August 24, 2013, 09:01:52 AM »
Hey. Sorry to revive this old thread, but I used the site search and enter blood sugar levels and this topic showed up.
My question is - what are normal and expected blood sugar levels for someone who is 27 years old? Are there any "normal" blood sugar levels at all, or does blood sugar level depend on individual alone? I've bought a finger prick tool and want to do blood sugar test. My problem is that I have a sweet tooth and that I've been eating so much chocolate in the past few years that I'm worried that I've damaged my pancreas? Is this even possible? Someone told me that eating so much sugar can lead to diabetes (even though there is no history of diabetes in my family)?
Anyway, I've found this values for blood sugar levels:
less than 6.1 (140) on an empty stomach - normal blood sugar level
between 6.1 (140) and 6.9 (169) on an empty stomach - limit value
more than 7.0 (172) on an empty stomach - possible diabetes
more than 11.0 (260) anytime - possible diabetes
Are this values ok?
I am doing the finger prick test on monday... hope all goes well.

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General Discussion / Re: Break Your Sugar Addiction!
« on: August 24, 2013, 08:37:20 AM »
Thanks for warm welcome!

How fast will this phase last? :(

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General Discussion / Re: Break Your Sugar Addiction!
« on: August 23, 2013, 10:55:19 AM »
I'm a sugar addict as well, but I'm struggling hard to reduce my sugar intake :(

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