| juices |
Nearly every health condition responds well to appropriate fruit and vegetable juices. A fresh juice is a great way to start the day. To help reduce your cholesterol levels, I recommend beet, blackberry, parsley and pineapple juice. Grape or cherry juice is always good too. One of my favorites is carrot, apple and ginger. Drink 16 oz. of one of these juices per day, or at least a couple of times per week.
Like many fruit juices, pomegranate juice contains antioxidants, especially polyphenols. However, pomegranate juice contains antioxidants at much higher levels than other fruit juices. Antioxidants are thought to provide several heart-protecting benefits, including reducing low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or "bad" cholesterol). Most studies have used a daily dose of 1.5 ounces of pomegranate juice to ensure maximum benefits.
If you want to create your own juice cocktail, here’s a list of cholesterol-lowering juices:
- Carrot, apple, ginger, orange and strawberry juices have been known to lower bad cholesterol
- Juice from green leafy veggies (think kale and spinach) are excellent sources of B-complex vitamins
- For natural zinc, drink ginger, turnip, parsley (even though it’s bitter tasting), garlic, or carrot juice
- If you want to increase your potassium, drink parsley, garlic, spinach, cantaloupe and banana juice
- For more bioflavanoids, drink grape, parsley, lemon, or lime juices
- For more vitamin C, drink kale, green pepper, or parsley juice
- Vitamin E improves blood circulation, which helps to lower cholesterol; the best vitamin E juices for you are spinach, carrot and asparagus
- More magnesium might could possibly raise your good cholesterol. Those juices are beet, garlic, parsley and spinach
- Low on copper? Drink carrot, garlic, or ginger juice
- Studies have shown that chromium might raise good cholesterol levels. These juices include potato (pasty flavor), green pepper, apple and spinach juice
While I’m recommending juices, beware that many juices are high in calories and should be consumed in moderation. Fresh juices should be a part of a healthy diet, and avoid juices with added sugar. Make sure to read all labels for ingredients and choose 100% fruit juices not make from concentrate. Extra sugar means extra calories and it is always better to eat your calories than to drink them.
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| melsQuiz answer |
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| melsBuzz |
- The goji berry has become a star in health food stores and has been touted as a wonder cure for everything. Growers claim that goji berries are richer in protein than whole wheat, has more beta carotene than carrots, offers essential fatty acids, contains more vitamin C than oranges, and so on. Drinking goji berry juice is great for you, but is expensive. Buy it as a treat every once in a while.
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| melsAdvice |
- Whatever you drink, drink it in moderation and as a part of a balanced, high fiber, low-fat diet and not as a replacement for healthy foods. As great as fruit and vegetable juices can be for you, the juice is definitely not a replacement for the actual thing.
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| DidYouKnow? |
- Noni Juice is a popular item at most health food stores, and early research has shown that people who drink noni juice have seen significant reductions in total cholesterol and triglycerides, but what the headlines don’t say is that most of this research has been funded by the manufacturers of noni juice. What we do know is that noni juice will not hurt you, except if you have kidney problems, because Noni juice is very high in potassium.
- In 2003, the Coca-Cola Company launched a cholesterol-lowering orange juice in the U.S. under its Minute Maid brand that contains a plant sterol. Many experts believe that foods designed to lower cholesterol will become one of the hottest sales categories in health foods
- Grape and apple juices contain very little vitamin C and are naturally higher in sugar, while orange juice is naturally low in sugar and high in vitamin C and potassium
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| melsTips |
- Even though its an acquired taste, add fresh garlic to any juice cocktail
- Drink 2 ounces of pomegranate juice a day. If you cannot find pomegranate, try cranberry juice (make sure there are no added sweeteners)
- If you like a burst of energy while lowering your cholesterol, add fresh ginger to any of your juices. This will also help boost your immunity during cold and flu season
- Read labels. Not all juices are created equal. Look for juices with labels that read 100% fruit juice. Anything less than 100% is probably nothing more than sugar, water and fruit flavor.
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| melsQuiz |
- According to most nutritionists, which is the healthiest and most affordable juice?
- The goji berry is the fruit of what plant?
- Now that you know the goji berry plant, it is also known by three other names. What are they?
- In 2002, which were the Top 5 juice-drinking countries based on juice sales?
- According to researchers, which fruit juice had more antioxidants than any other 8 ounces of 100% juice?
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| melsQuiz Answers |
- Orange juice
- Lycium barbarum
- Wolfberry (or Chinese wolfberry), Duke of Argyll’s Tea Tree and Matrimony Vine
- Canada, U.S., Germany, Austria, and Sweden
- Cranberry
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