More Diet Tips

OK - I am somewhat of a minor celebrity at work (hey - he's the guy that lost a lot of weight...)

Kind of funny, but folks ask me how I did it, what did I do? Well, I came across this article, and realized that without consciously being aware of it, this is exactly what I was doing:

A February 2005 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that eating a daily mix of potentially cholesterol-lowering foods for one month-including vegetables (notably okra and eggplant), almonds, barley, oats, psyllium seed, soy protein, and a spread enriched with substances called plant sterols-reduced cholesterol levels much more than a low-fat diet did; in fact, those foods lowered cholesterol almost as much as the common statin drug lovastatin (Mevacor).

In a small clinical trial, published in June 2004 in Clinical Nutrition, drinking a glass of pomegranate juice every day for one year reduced blood pressure; decreased the oxidation that causes the "bad" LDL cholesterol to stick to the artery walls; and reduced the clogging of the carotid arteries in the neck. (Such clogging can lead to a stroke.)

None of that evidence is conclusive. So you don't necessarily need to consume large amounts-or even any-of those special foods, in part because other items in a balanced diet may provide comparable benefits. For example, the best dietary approach to reducing blood pressure is not to guzzle pomegranate juice but to follow the much broader DASH diet, high in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy foods.

Similarly, consuming more plant foods and less animal fat is probably the best nutritional strategy for lowering cholesterol levels and possibly unclogging the arteries. (Of course, losing excess weight is also essential for achieving both of those goals.) And even if the evidence for a particular food's benefits were incontrovertible, eating it every day might crowd other valuable items out of your diet-or just prove to be intolerable over the long haul.