Midlife Cholesterol Increases Dementia - Danger of High Fat & Low Carb Diets

 

Holistic Habits by Cheryl A. Mothes, Ph.D. Natural Health Nutrition Counselor

Content is a daily radio script from my KHIS radio spot - tune in at 6:15 (CST) every morning to Justin and Meredith’s morning show on 89.9 FM.

 Having high cholesterol in your early 40s is associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia decades later. And your cholesterol doesn’t have to be THAT high – if yours is over 240, you have a 57 percent higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s compared to if it is under 200. It’s that the clogging of the arteries inside of the brain - the same thing that causes heart attacks and strokes, is choking off blood flow to the memory centers in the brain.  On this Meatless Monday, reduce saturated fat intake to help ALL your blood vessels!

  Yesterday we mentioned the increased risk of dementia in your later years if you have high cholesterol in your 40s – like way higher and recommended reducing your saturated fat intake to slow brain aging and improve blood flow to all your vessels.  How can we cut down on saturated fat?  By cutting down on things like cheese, cake, ice cream, chicken, pork, and beef.  Plantify your plates with whole foods like delicious bean dishes, and sweet potatoes, so MUCH is out there that heals instead of harms, and you can find great recipes at Nutritionfacts.org!

  Just five days of a high-fat, low-carb diet impairs energy metabolism in the heart, as well as cognitive function, showing such diets are detrimental to the heart and brain. It turns out that certain types of bacteria die and release “endotoxins", which are highly inflammatory.  The highest levels of them are found in meat – both red meat and white meat.  Having elevated levels of endotoxins may be detrimental to healthy aging, associated with a large range of diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and depression.  Try cutting down or cutting out the meat and replacing it with nuts, seeds, beans, and veggies – try it for 2 weeks and see how much better you feel and function!

 Yesterday we mentioned endotoxins that are highly inflammatory – five days on a high-fat, low-carb diet, and endotoxin levels in the bloodstream roughly double. In fact, even a single meal can do it! A recent trial showed that a single meal high in saturated fat can impede attention, compared with an identical meal high in the kind of fat found more in nuts, seeds, and avocados. And this cognitive deficit was present five hours after the meal.  ALL of us – kids in school, parents, whatever we do each day – can benefit from a bump in our brain functioning by eliminating saturated animal fat.   We can live longer, and live stronger through our nutrition! 

It's Fix-it Friday and how about some Banana Protein Bites!

 INGREDIENTS

3 each banana -- dehydrated.

10 each dates -- pitted.

½ cup natural peanut butter -- or nut butter of choice

1 cup walnuts

3 tablespoons chia seeds

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon water

 INSTRUCTIONS

 1. Pulse the dates and walnuts to crumbles. Add the dehydrated bananas and pulse again. Add the nut butter, chia seeds, spices, and vanilla. Add water if needed to achieve a rolled ball consistency. Roll into 1 oz balls and refrigerate. 

A Blast from the Past!

It is hard to believe, but your body holds about 60,000 miles of blood vessels! Along with your heart, they make up our circulatory system -roadways that carry blood to every cell in our bodies. But when your circulation is poor, it slows or blocks the blood flow of the critical elements our cells need to function optimally. We do not think about it, but the cells in our eyes need oxygen and nutrients, as well as our ears, our muscles, and every other cell in our bodies. If we have poor circulation, our cells simply do not get all the oxygen and nutrients they need, which is bad in so many ways. One of the best ways to increase circulation is through nutrition - eat more plants and less meat and less salt - all of which will keep your blood pressure and cholesterol levels in check to have clearer blood vessels. It is Meatless Monday so check out meatlessmonday.org for great meatless ways to increase your blood flow! 

Yesterday we talked about those 60,000 miles of blood vessels in our bodies that deliver critical. oxygen and nutrients to each of our cells. We can all benefit from increasing our circulation and of course, a wonderful way to do that is by increasing our movement. Walking every day, 30 minutes, outside in the sunshine is the best exercise our bodies can receive. Put your hands on your waist and inhale DEEPLY, trying to push your hands out with this lateral breathing. Then exhale hard through your mouth. This gets oxygen and nutrient exchange optimized! Take breaks during the day to do the same thing. Boost your circulation starting today, to live longer and live stronger - and have a terrific Tuesday everyone!

 It is all about increased circulation this week - we already covered the importance of eating right and exercising. It is interesting to note that stretching and doing yoga, with twisting and those inversion moves like downward dog. n improve blood flow. One of the best ones is called "legs” up the wall" where you simply lay down on the floor next to a wall and elevate your legs on it for a few minutes, and take deep, lateral breaths. Smoking is the habit that is hardest on our blood vessels - the sooner you quit, the sooner your health will get better. Have a wonderful Wednesday everybody! 

More about increasing our circulation today and here is a surprising one. Drinking tea and green tea adds antioxidants that increase the width of our blood vessels, which of course helps our bodies pump blood more easily. Eating iron-rich foods also helps us carry that much-needed

oxygen to our cells and spinach and beans are the best at providing it. More omega-3 fatty acids improve our circulation, and the best source is algae - hard to get for sure, so the supplement.  Wholier is the best option. Lastly, staying hydrated - we cannot say this enough - through hydrating foods (plant-based whole foods) and water is critical for keeping our blood flowing as it should. Your health on-the-shelf tip is to buy green tea, beans, spinach, Wholier supplements, and whole foods to be your best when it comes to great circulation. 

Our last tips this week for great circulation include decreasing stress - yes, stress keeps our blood pressure up and our blood vessels constricted. It is important to downshift and find time to pray, meditate, and do yoga - whatever works best for you. Insight Timer is a wonderful free app with

various lengths of excellent meditations. Also, sitting is NOT good for our circulation and a lot of

other things. If you are sitting quite a bit each day, consider getting a standing desk or taking very

frequent breaks to get up and move around. Those populations in the Blue Zones who live longest and best move every 20 minutes. Enjoy a wealth of health and have a fantastic Friday everyone!