Diet to lower cholesterol

When people refer to the cholesterol they are usually talking about LDL – low density lipoprotein, or the bad cholesterol. It is bad because high levels of it lead to atheroscleroris (thickening of arterial walls, which reduces the blood flow) which is one of the primary causes of cardiovascular disease. Therefore, it is important that LDL is kept under control.

Fortunately LDL can be lowered by 10-20% just by making some diet changes. National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP for short) sets guidelines for what is called TLC diet, TLC stands for Total Lifestyle Change. The key to this diet is to reduce or eliminate consumption of “bad” fats, saturated and trans-fats. This diet is quite simple to follow.

Red meat should be eaten as little as possible, no more than 35 ounces per week. Instead of red meat you should eat more fish. Vegetables and fruit should make up significant part of your diet. Use low fat dairy products.

When cooking, don’t use butter, margarine, lard or any other shortenings reach in saturated or trans-fats. Use liquid cooking oils instead, such as canola, olive, peanut, soybean or sunflower oils. Avoid mayonnaise, creams and other fatty seasonings, use herbs and spices instead.

Eat whole grain breads. Don’t eat too much sweets, try to avoid processed (factory made) sweets at all cost. Choose fruit or vegetables for your snack.

To get better effects, this diet should be combined with exercise. Diet change alone won’t do you much good if all you do is sit on the couch.

Bacteria and fungi in gyms

Exercise is essential for your well being and if you care for your health you go to gym regularly, unless you have some other form of exercise. Gyms are great places for keeping your body in good shape; however there are some dangers there as well.

Gyms often attract a lot of people and that could mean bacteria and other pathogens. People are often in contact with various surfaces such as benches, floors, showers, etc. All of these surfaces can contain bacteria. This is especially true for porous surfaces, such as floor mats or bench padding.

Sweat that drips from everyone’s bodies can contain bacteria and fungi and the moist environment that it creates is ideal for further development of fungi. Fungi that cause athlete’s foot are very common in gyms.

Luckily it is quite easy to protect ourselves from these things – just make sure that you avoid having physical contact between your skin and various surfaces. Wear socks and gloves and cover benches with a clean towel.

On the other hand, mold could be more dangerous. Many gyms have molds in the ceiling. These molds can easily form from moisture from saunas, people’s breaths and sweat and after they have established themselves in the ceiling they generate millions of tiny spores that can infect our lungs. There is no easy way to protect yourself from this threat; you can’t really wear a gas mask in a gym. So, if your gym has mold in the ceiling, complain to the manager, or change the gym.