Too high levels of bad cholesterol can damage your arteries, your heart and can raise the
risk for rapid loss of kidney function.
And, if you have BOTH high cholesterol levels and kidney disease, you should ABSOLUTELY
take action quickly.
because when two risks factors for heart disease are present together the situation needs to
be taken very seriously.
Now the good news: there are 5 VERY POWERFUL superfoods that can significantly lower your
bad cholesterol.
The incredible part: Some of these foods are actually better than prescription drugs in
fighting bad cholesterol.
My name is Katherine and this is 00kidney.
I've been working with kidney disease patients for 7 years, now.
And there's one thing I can guarantee you: lowering cholesterol levels is a goal you
can absolutely achieve, with the right diet and lifestyle and the 5 superfoods of today's
video.
So don't forget to share this video with anyone you know who suffers from high cholesterol
levels, they will thank you!
Now, let's start with our number 5!
Garlic Garlic has been used for centuries both as
an ingredient in cooking and as a medicine.
It contains the powerful plant compound called allicin, very well known for its benefits.
- It can lower blood sugar levels and improve insulin sensitivity in people with diabetes.
- it can lower blood pressure - it even has antibacterial properties
Now, there are even studies suggesting eating a clove of raw garlic a day can lower cholesterol
levels by 9-12%.
And while these results are encouraging, more recent research has shown conflicting evidence
about these cholesterol-lowering benefits.
It seems like it only works for some people and not for everyone.
To solve this problem, researchers from the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, in
Iran, added lemon juice to garlic.
In their study, published on the international journal of prevention medicine, people with
high cholesterol level had very significant results when eating 20 grams of garlic per
day with a tablespoon of lemon juice.
Their cholesterol dropped.
Now, this is a very recent study and the first time testing this method, so more research
is needed.
Now, you may still consider adding garlic to your diet, because the other properties
it has are very well documented.
It can really do wonders for people with high blood pressure or diabetes.
And, if you don't like the odor garlic causes, you can also consider the possibility of getting
the allicin you need from garlic supplements.
Actually, many studies on garlic utilize aged supplements - which are considered more effective
than other garlic preparations.
As an added bonus, some of these supplements can entirely solve the problem of the bad
odor garlic can cause.
I'm leaving a link in description if you want to know more.
Time for our number 4, this one is absolutely guaranteed to lower your cholesterol.
If you can eat it.
NUMBER 4, Avocado
Avocados are an exceptionally nutrient-dense fruit.
They're packed with vitamins, minerals, and potential health benefits
Most of all, they're rich in polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, great to lower your
blood cholesterol levels.
And there are solid scientific studies to support this incredible claim:
in a study on the cholesterol lowering properties of avocados, people on a moderate-fat diet
who ate an avocado every day, had lower bad cholesterol levels than those
on a similar diet without an avocado a day.
And even lower than those who were on a lower-fat diet.
Research has suggested benefits including a reduced risk of stroke, cancer, and coronary
artery disease, along with improved diabetes control.
Now, these incredible properties, supported by science, would make avocados great for
people with kidney disease.
So, let's answer the most important question about avocados.
Can people suffering from kidney disease eat them?
Unfortunately, there's a problem here: avocados are literally one of the richest sources of
potassium in the world.
The quantity of potassium they pack is staggering: a medium sized avocado, weighting about 200
grams, contains up to 1000mg of potassium.
That's a lot of potassium.
It's the same you would get from eating 2 and half bananas.
And this is definitely a problem.
It means that, even with portion control, avocados can be dangerous for someone with
kidney disease stage 4 or 5.
Now you may ask: Katherine, why are you talking about avocados if we can't eat them?
Well, there's a reason why this fruit can be still a part of a healthy renal diet:
Let's take a look at this table
As we can see here, Not all kidney disease patients have a potassium
allowance.
It's a misconception that kidney disease always means low potassium diet.
Actually, many people in stage 3 or lower of kidney disease can have all the potassium
rich fruits they want.
As you can see, potassium allowance varies greatly with the stage of chronic kidney disease.
People In stage 4 and 5 of CKD, usually you will have to limit potassium to about 2.000
to 2.700 mg a day, as we can see here.
So, if you're in stage 4 or 5 you cannot have avocados, alright?
But as you can see, people in stage 3 of CKD can have an allowance of up to 4.000mg of
potassium per day.
And that means that these patients don't actually need to limit the consumption of this nutrient.
So, many kidney disease patients can still eat potassium rich foods in stage 3, ok?
But this is only true if you don't have a potassium restriction.
In that case, avocados are not for you.
Now, if you didn't know about this or if you want to know more about how to manage your
potassium levels, this video up here is for you.
But don't' go away yet, there are still the 3 most powerful superfoods I want to show
you today, ok?
And they are perfectly suitable for patients in all the stages of CKD:
Like our number 3: this one is exceptionally powerful at lowering your bad cholesterol
and has no potassium or phosphorus to worry about
Number 3 Extra Virgin Olive Oil
A staple food of the Mediterranean diet.
And, after knowing about all the health benefits for your kidneys it has, extra virgin olive
oil will become a staple in your diet too.
The main benefit of olive oil lies in its ability to improve HDL or good cholesterol
levels, and to reduce LDL or bad cholesterol and triglycerides.
These effects are caused by the high amount of polyphenols it contains.
Ok, so what we have here is a superfood that doesn't just lower bad cholesterol but improves
good cholesterol levels.
This may seem less important, but the balance between LDL and HDL is really critical, for
our heart health.
WHY IS HDL CHOLESTEROL SO IMPORTANT?
High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol is known as the "good" cholesterol because
it helps removing other forms of cholesterol from your bloodstream.
HDL cholesterol is a friendly scavenger that cruises the bloodstream removing harmful bad
cholesterol from where it doesn't belong.
And this prevents bad cholesterol from doing damage to your body.
But what result can you expect from adding extra virgin olive oil to your diet?
One five-year study gave older adults at risk of heart disease 4 tablespoons (60 ml) a day
of extra virgin olive oil alongside a Mediterranean diet.
The olive oil group had a 30% lower risk of major heart events, such as stroke and heart
attack, compared to people who followed a low-fat diet.
Incredible.
But remember to choose extra virgin olive oil, alright?
The less processed the better.
Now, the kidney health tip of the day: if you are serious about improving your kidney
health, there are some steps you can take to lowering
your cholesterol levels very quickly:
Step 1 Remove all junk foods and processed foods from your diet
-Trans fats are the very first thing to remove: they are widely used in baked goods, fried
foods, snacks and many other processed foods.
Really bad for your cholesterol levels.
-Salt is bad too.
Excess of sodium is not just dangerous for your overall health and cholesterol levels,
but is also very dangerous for the health of your kidneys.
-Sugar: this is maybe the worst offender.
It can cause weight gain, diabetes, heart disease and high cholesterol.
Step 2 - add to your diet foods rich in omega 3s,
such as salmon and chia seeds, and in soluble fiber, such as leafy greens.
Step 3, consider starting an exercising routine.
in combination with a healthy eating plan, exercising can dramatically improve your cholesterol
profile.
Great for your heart and kidney health!
And obviously, take advantage of the superfoods of today's video, including our number 2
Number 2, almonds!
While nuts in general are an exceptionally nutrient-dense food, really healthy, almonds
are a must for people with kidney disease!
There are several reasons why I'm telling you this:
- Almonds are packed with antioxidants that can neutralize free radicals
- they can also help weight loss - Almonds, more than any other nut, can fight
inflammation - Almonds are also particularly rich in L-arginine,
a really healthy amino acid that lowers your blood pressure.
Another great benefit of almonds: they're exceptionally rich in magnesium.
And many people don't know this, but kidney disease patients are at risk for magnesium
deficiency.
And when you don't have enough magnesium your blood pressure is going to skyrocket.
Now, almonds, luckily for us, are one of the best sources of this nutrient.
This makes almonds a must for people with kidney disease!
Now, let's take a look at their potassium and phosphorus content:
For about 20 almonds, you're going to get about 200mg of potassium, which is acceptable,
and 136mg of phosphorus.
Phosphorus levels are a bit high, but since it's phosphorus from a plant food, your body
is going to absorb just about half of it.
So, there's no reason why you shouldn't add almonds to your diet.
Ideal quantity to get all these benefits is about 10 to 15 almonds a day.
Ok, but the reason we are here today is finding healthy food to lower your cholesterol, right?
So, how good are almonds at this?
Well, almonds are full of phytosterols.
These plant compounds are structurally similar to cholesterol, so, what they do is blocking
the absorption of cholesterol in your intestines.
The result?
And according to several studies, Eating 2-3 servings of almonds per day for
4 to 16 can decrease your bad cholesterol by more than 10 mg/dl!
And incredible result, and, yes these are just nuts, not prescription drugs!
And this is just our second superfood, so you can imagine how good the results from
the number one can be!
Let's see it!
number 1 the most powerful superfood to lower your
cholesterol is...
Number 1, apples!
Here we go, one of the healthiest superfoods ever!
Apples are EXTREMELY rich in flavonoids, antioxidants and dietary fiber.
These phytonutrients have shown the most powerful properties in reducing the risk of diabetes,
hypertension, heart disease and even cancer!
One of these phytonutrients is the flavonoid epicatechin, responsible for the blood pressure
lowering effects apples have.
What this flavonoid actually does is acting as an antioxidant on LDL cholesterol and reducing
the oxidation.
Yes, everyone knows that apples are healthy, but...
CAN APPLES REALLY LOWER CHOLESTEROL LEVELS?
Studies on apples found out that the amount of dietary fiber present in two medium sized
apples was able to lower total cholesterol by 10% or more!
Now, the researchers who did this study were so proud of the results that started to call
apples the "miracle fruit".
Ok, you will never find the same quantity of studies proving the benefits of a single
fruit than apples.
And there's one last study I want to quote about them.
A large study comparing the effects of eating an apple a day to taking statins, a commonly
prescribed drug to lower high cholesterol levels - concluded that apples would be almost
as effective at reducing death from heart disease as the drugs.
So these are the 5 most powerful cholesterol lowering superfoods.
Use them wisely to improve your health!
And remember that, in many cases when you make a change for the better, improvements
in your health will be faster and better than you can hope.
This is all for today.
A new video is coming next Tuesday, stay tuned!
Thank you for watching, I wish you all the health in the world!