Lower Cholesterol Naturally With Red Yeast Rice

Among people who are prescribed statins by their doctors, as many as 40% stop taking them in less than a year. Cost may be one factor, however, side effects are usually the reason. Doctors usually dismiss the existence of side effects.

Scientists at the University of California, San Diego investigated how doctors responded to complaints of side effects by their patients. Side effects normally reported included debilitating muscle weakness, pain, and memory loss. The findings might surprise you. Rather than reporting adverse events to the FDA, many doctors denied that the drugs could cause undesirable symptoms. They told their patients they were imagining pain, mistakenly attributing symptoms to aging, and refusing to believe or simply ignoring patients' complaints.

For centuries, red yeast rice has been used in traditional Chinese medicine to gently lower cholesterol. It is used to remedy indigestion, diarrhea, circulation and aid in spleen health. Studies in humans since the 1970's have shown that it can lower total and LDL (bad) cholesterol.

UCLA conducted an eight-week study comparing red yeast rice with a placebo in 83 people with high cholesterol. The results, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that it reduced total and LDL cholesterol significantly.

Also published in the American Journal of Cardiology and other scientific journals, based on research in China, showed that among 5,000 people with high cholesterol, it significantly reduced rates of heart attacks and heart disease related deaths.

It is recommended for lowering unhealthful cholesterol levels. It should not be taken with statin drugs. Some experts recommend avoiding grapefruit juice while taking this supplement. Because it has a statin-like effect, it may deplete the body of certain levels of CoQ10. It is recommended that patients take 100 to 200 mg of CoQ10 when taking red yeast rice, or use a formula that combines it with CoQ10. This supplement can be found at your local health food store or vitamin and supplement stores.

Side effects of prescriptions drugs have always been my concern. Since prescription drugs always seem to mean additional prescription drugs to counter side effects, I have researched alternatives and found that homeopathic remedies were not only safer, but very effective. If you're looking to better your health through natural cures, you can visit my website at Healthy Foods For All

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Rice Cakes - Are They Really Good For You?

Rice cakes became popular with the advent of the low fat diet. In fact, some people are fanatic about their rice cakes, snacking on them constantly because "they contain no fat, so they are healthy!" As a snack, however, they may not be the best choice.

Let's take a look at the label. An average rice cake has:

Calories: 35
Total fat: 0.3 gm
Cholesterol: 0
Sodium: 29
Carbohydrates: 7.3 gm
Fiber: 0.4 gm
Sugar: 0.1 gm
Protein: 0.7 gm

OK, so they are low in calories and have very little fat. But they also have very little fiber and very little protein. So what is left?

Carbohydrates

Now there is nothing wrong with carbohydrates in the proper setting. But here we have carbohydrates without any fat, very little fiber and very little protein.

Without protein, fat or fiber, carbohydrates are easily digested and converted to blood glucose very quickly. This is called the glycemic effect, and indeed, regular rice cakes are a type of grain that ranks high on the glycemic index. What the rice cake is, essentially, is a food that will give you a sugar jolt!

As a snack, this is a poor choice, not only for people trying to lose weight, but for people whose goal is to eat in a healthy manner. By constantly supplying a rush of blood sugar, insulin gets produced in excess. Blood sugar levels rise, then drop suddenly due to the excess insulin, and this can create more hunger pangs. So you want to eat another rice cake.

Granted, there are not a lot of calories, but really, wouldn't it be better to choose a snack with more nutritious ingredients? Even if it had more calories, something like a piece of fruit would provide vitamins, minerals and fiber. Because of the fiber, it would be digested slower and not spike the blood sugar as quickly, so it would be more satisfying.

Or, do I even dare say, eat a snack that contains protein and fat (the good type of fat) such as a handful of nuts?

Snacking is not bad. Some experts suggest that eating three small meals and two snacks daily is a good way of providing optimum nutrition, but only if we are choosing wisely. Eating is about feeding our bodies what they need to thrive. Choosing snacks that are nutritiously empty is a lost opportunity. An apple versus a rice cake is like a vitamin supplement versus a sugar pill.

Pamela Post is a Registered Nurse with a Masters Degree in Public Health. For the past 10 years her interest has leaned toward nutrition and health maintenance. Additional information on the glycemic index of grains [http://www.glycemicindexpower.com/glycemic-index-grains/] and other food types, can be found at [http://www.glycemicindexpower.com]

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Rice and Steaming Rice to Make a Healthy Food

Steaming Rice provides the easiest and stress-free means to cook raw rice. I think this is also to healthiest way to prepare rice. Healthy and healthier food preparation is paramount to our health. There are a number of places to find information concerning rice. This includes the variety of locations that grow rice in the USA along with information on a variety of topics related to rice. The USA Rice Federation is such a place.

One thing I liked about this site from the link above was they do not provide sensationalized data. The site is part of a 'Political Action Committee' making them bias. Even with the bias, intended or obvious, the information is both sound and accurate. Rice is very healthy to eat. Due to the immense competition from the grocery and food services industry, the rice federation provides advocacy through lobbying as a special interest group.

There is a lot of misinformation regarding Rice too. One place to find inaccurate information is your local grocery store. While the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) requires labels with nutritional data, they often boast and make claims that are not accurate. This happens all too often. One example is fiber, another is vitamin content, protein content and I am sure there are others Whole Grain foods receive publicity claiming to reduce weight, reduce cancer risks and other health problems with absolutely no proof. People purchase these items based on claims that sound more like "Magic" rather than common sense nutrition.

The most accurate and reliable nutritional information is free to view, print, and easy to access from the United State Department of Agriculture (USDA). I recognize this is part of the United States Government. However, our tax dollars pay for so much that most people are simply unaware of. Another link I obtained from the USA Rice Federation is an interesting and informative link to the USDA Nutrient Database. At this database, you can obtain nutritional information on anything available in the United States. The nutritional information includes amino acids, lipids, minerals and vitamins. I must admit that of my own skepticism. However, the more time I spent here, led to a greater reduction of this skepticism.

Fiber is vital to anyone's diet. It is necessary on a daily basis. What you may find from your diet will get-your-attention as to what composes fiber. Plant husks or shells or covers or whatever label in the structure of a plant is important to understand if you truly wish to learn the specifics of what Rice is nutritionally and what makes Brown Rice rich in fiber. Remember, Rice is the Seed of a Plant. If you not familiar with plants and their seeds, than rice is, a seed and grain that deserves more attention to accompany your knowledge for healthy eating for a healthy diet.

Steaming rice provides the means of preparing rice in a healthy manner. A quality steamer enables preparation that enables rice preparation in an easy and low stress way. Who would want a way to prepare and cook food that can be both healthy, easier and reduce stress? I want everyone who reads this article to know that was my first rhetorical question submitted in an article to this publication company. A quality steamer cooks rice, an important and healthy grain along with vegetables. There is a long 'way to go' for rice to be as important a grain as it is in much of Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and the West Indies.

Healthy Food Preparation Products is a passion of this author. Writing about healthier foods and healthy food preparation is a major part of this passion.

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