Southern Coast Home Design - Index

Southern Coast Home Design - southerncoasthomedesign.com - Index

SCHD Special Section
Health Fitness & Beauty
The old adage “An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of
cure” has never been truer than when it comes to nutrition.
Cardiovascular disease is still the number one killer, and measures to
prevent the build of plaque in blood vessels are closely tied to food
choices. Hypertension and diabetes certainly contribute
to the toxic environment, but one of the key
ingredients in the development of vascular disease
is the lipid makeup of an individual. Lipids in the
blood refer to the cholesterol and triglyceride components.
Cholesterol is an important ingredient as a
building material for all the hormones, and the liver
is where cholesterol is manufactured. Most of the
cholesterol in the blood comes from this liver production,
and the rest is related to the diet. Foods
high in animal cholesterol (meats and eggs) only
contribute to about 20 percent of the total, hence
restricting high cholesterol foods has an important
but limited impact. Other dietary choices, on the
other hand, have a greater impact on the levels by
regulating what kind, and how much, the liver manufactures.
The good cholesterol, HDL (high density),
which removes plaque from vessel walls, is
increased by fish oils, almonds, and red wine just to
The “Low Down” on Lipids
By Dr. Kenneth Mitchell, MD
Medi-Weightloss Clinics
1020 North Palafox Street, Pensacola.
Call 850-444-4997
www.mediweightlossclinics.com
name a few. One of the bad cholesterols, VLDL (very low density,)
is reduced by carbohydrate restriction and the other bad one , LDL
(low density), is reduced by oatmeal, rice vinegar, blueberries, and
soy products. The LDL levels are of particular importance by
physicians who treat patients with medications.
Certain medications such as statins, fibrins, and
even Niacin (B vitamin) are used to lower
these levels when lifestyle changes have not
been effective.
Triglycerides on the other hand are closely
tied to carbohydrate intake. Excessive sugars
are stored as fats in the form of triglycerides.
This fatty molecule can clog vessels in the
same way as cholesterol and responds very
nicely to diets low in simple sugars.
So one can see that “you really are what
you eat.” Here at Mediweightloss Clinics, we
are not only promoting weight loss with an
excellent diet, we are promoting wellness by
lifestyle changes in food choices. Give us a call
at 850-444-4997, and start the new you today.
- Ken Mitchell M.D.
850.444.4997