To Lower and Control High Cholesterol Levels , Books, CookBooks and recipe software
The books and cookbooks featured in the selection that follows were chosen with great care as to the value of the content and the reputation of the authors in the field of either cardiovascular care, cholesterol metabolism or nutrition. However, self-diagnosis and self-treatment may sometimes be very ill-advised. Make sure you discuss with your Doctor or Dietitian regarding your treatment or cholesterol lowering recipes, diet plan or menus. Users of a good, reliable recipe or cooking software program with nutritional analysis features will benefit greatly from those talks. Your very own computer may be a most powerful tool to assist you in planning your diet.
hM strongly recommends using the information and healthy recipes provided on this website under the professional supervision of your doctor or registered dietitian . Whether you are seeking to improve your general health, reverse heart disease, control diabetes or your weight, always assume that getting professional advice from your MD or RD is best.
The hm Journals BookStore
As a supplement to the articles in the hM Cholesterol Chronicles or the hM Nutrition Journal, here are a few examples from a selection of
BOOKS and COOKBOOKS to assist in the control of cholesterolemia and the maintenance of lower blood cholesterol levels.
The Harvard Medical School Guide to Lowering Your Cholesterol, By Mason W. Freeman, Christine E. Junge
This is a hybrid book (cookbook + information book); each section starts with recipes and then presents related health and cholesterol facts. The first section suggests breakfast recipes and then discusses the intake of fruits, the choice of the right cereal and the use of substitutes to bacon and sausages in order to maintain a lower blood cholesterol level.
The following sections present, in sequence:
-RECIPES FOR SOUPS, including the use of low-fat and cholesterol-lowering ingredients. It also provides some facts about soups in cans, boxes, mixes and styrofoam cups.
-RECIPES FOR SALADS, the use of whole grains and legumes, discusses salad dressings and fat content and choices of oils and mayonnaise alternatives for better cholesterol control.
-RECIPES WITH VEGETABLES AND SOY. It explains the use of soy, the role of fiber and the antioxidant content of vegetables.
-RECIPES WITH FISH AND SHELLFISH. The section covers the role omega-3 fatty acids, the recommended frequency of fish intake and explains why one should always choose wild salmon over farm-raised.
-RECIPES WITH WHITE MEATS. Topics include the use of salt and substitutes, how to flavour without salt and warns against nuggets and frying (fried foods are NOT ideal for people with high ldl-cholesterol).
-RECIPES WITH RED MEATS. Insists on selecting the leanest cuts. Also provides some cholesterol facts on fast-food.
-RECIPES FOR DESSERTS AND SNACKS. What are better snacks? What are the best grains and fats to use?
AN APPENDIX to the contents of the book describes the risk associated with high cholesterol, the therapies and dietary considerations.
Know Your Fats : The Complete Primer for Understanding the Nutrition of Fats, Oils and Cholesterol, By Mary G. Enig
Controlling Cholesterol For Dummies (For Dummies (Health & Fitness)), By Carol Ann Rinzler
Harriet Roth's Cholesterol Control Cookbook, By Harriet Roth
Betty Crocker's Low-Fat, Low-Cholesterol Cooking Today, By Betty Crocker Editors
American Heart Association Low-Fat, Low-Cholesterol Cookbook, 4th edition: Delicious Recipes to Help Lower Your Cholesterol, By American Heart Association
Low-Cholesterol Cookbook for Dummies, By Molly Siple, MS, RD
Cook'n Low Fat Low Cholesterol , Software Program Complement Healthy eating made easy and convenient, including your favorite foods!
This book has to be one of the most relevant, patient-oriented, books on cholesterol that have come across. hM recommends this book because of the outstanding quality of its content (such high quality should not be surprising: it's published by the Harvard Medical School) .
This book starts by explaining what cholesterol is all about. Reading it will teach you the important differences between the different types of cholesterol, HDL (very good), LDL (very, very bad), the sources of cholesterol: your diet and that which is manufactured by your body. Later in the book the authors describe the relationship between cholesterol and heart disease. They also describe eloquently the nature of coronary heart disease and the associated risk factors. The present methods of treatment are also explained.
The authors then move on to what is also of real consequence to you: lifestyle changes such as necessary dietary changes - i.e. cholesterol lowering diet - and the benefits of a well-tailored exercise program. They also describe the current drug treatments and medications such as statins and others. Raising the level of the good HDL Cholesterol has recently been identified as of prime importance in heart disease prevention or reversal, a section of the book covers this topic. Some "Alternative" approaches are also presented at the end of the book: CoQ 10, natural stanols and policosanol as well as soy to lower cholesterol. hM NOTE: alternative natural substances have an efficiency which is, at best, less than 10% that of prescribed drugs: If you are a cardiac patient, DO NOT STOP taking your cholesterol lowering medication because you started using "natural" products.
The quality of the content of this book is exceptional, in line with the reputation of the Harvard Medical School - heartMonitron's opinion..
The hM Cholesterol Chronicles cover the basics on cholesterol, lowering, diet and control
The examples above represent only a small fraction of the selected books and cookbooks. A web page cannot hold the selection available at http://astore.amazon.com/heartmonitr02-20 You can browse the whole bookstore by clicking on the bar below.
Eating for Lower Cholesterol: A Balanced Approach to Heart Health with Recipes Everyone Will Love, By Catherine Jones
Dr. Mary G. Enig PhD is a nutritionist and a biochemist. If you are not familiar with fats, the metabolism of fats and cholesterol... this book will make you very knowledgeable on the subject. It will become your reference book after you have read it.
The author starts by explaining the basics on fats. She then proceeds to explain the use of fats by the body and the cholesterol link. The important steps, from the digestion and absorption of fats to the physiological consequences related to fats and cholesterol are discussed. This includes the required balance of fats, the does and the don'ts.
The sources of fats and oils, vegetable and animal fats, are covered in this book, from canola and olive oil to lard and butter. Mono-unsaturated and poly-unsaturated fats are explained.
The book ends with a summary of fats and cholesterol facts, including dietary recommendations.
This is a very serious book, it reminds one of classic college textbooks. It is however written for the layman and is easy to read. We recommend this book to those people who are very committed to bringing down their cholesterol levels. A solid understanding of what happens with the fats we ingest is key to reducing the bad ldl-cholesterol levels
What if you wish to have an easy-to-read overview of the current cholesterol related knowledge, without necessarily going into the depth of too many "scientific" details?
This book is soundly documented and explains simply what heart disease is about and the relationship that exists between HD and high cholesterol. It describes the nature, the sources and role of cholesterol, the "good" HDL and the "bad" LDL cholesterol. Later in the book it explains dietary strategies to lower total and LDL cholesterol.
In the last chapters, it explains the benefits of exercise and, finally, this book describes therapeutics means. These include the choice of nutrients, supplements and the prescribed medications such as statin drugs. It has recommendations as to which foods to avoid and as to which foods to favour: the ones that help lower cholesterol. The author also points to which fats to choose. She also discusses the dangers of smoking and the risks associated with excess weight.
Harriet Roth is a nutritionist and the former director of the Pritikin Longevity Center Cooking School. She has written extensively on the subject of cooking to lower cholesterol. Her book is a "What to do" book and a "How to do it" book. In the first part, the principles behind her cholesterol-lowering approach are explained. She describes what cholesterol is, what the sources of cholesterol are and what the numbers mean. A discussion of the role of fats and fiber follows.
Then, she describes what she calls "A Cholesterol-Control Lifestyle". She describes the staples for a low-cholesterol lifestyle, covers which foods we should stay away from and which foods we should favour.
Later in the book, she proposes cholesterol control diet elements and also points out to the desirable effects on a person's weight. Guidelines for recipes and menus are presented.
The book ends with a very interesting feature: sample recipes that illustrate how to turn family favourites into healthier, low-fat, cholesterol lowering recipes. That feature alone can be very useful. You can certainly use the same principles and use them to improve many of your own family favourites.
The recipes described in this cookbook are based on a food pyramid and guidelines such as the ones recommended by the American Heart Association. The cookbook is based on the assumption that low-fat and cholesterol-lowering cooking does not mean you have to do away with all the recipes you have come to love and enjoy. It proposes minor changes and some appropriate ingredient substitutions. There are 175 recipes that illustrate how to be friendly to your coronary arteries by managing fats and cholesterol through a healthier diet. These range from snacks and appetizers to poultry recipes, salads, beef containing recipes and fish recipes.
In order to assist you, the Betty Crocker people provide a series of charts, graphs and tables describing the calorie, fat and cholesterol content of favorite ingredients. The cookbook also comes with a "control chart". It also includes a handy substitutions list that you can use to modify your own favorite recipes. Reference information as to the effects of some ingredients (like fats) on your cholesterol levels is included. Another useful tool is the metric conversion chart.
Nutrition facts are displayed with each recipe contained in this cookbook. Many come with beautiful photos. Examples of weekly menus are given, along with nutrition and cooking guidelines. This is a cookbook that could be an excellent source of inspiration in your planning delicious cholesterol-reducing recipes and meals. The cookbook can be a good source of "raw" recipes for users of a recipe software program that can perform nutritional analysis and sort the fat content into saturated, mono and poly-unsaturated fat content. You can then modify these recipes (or any recipe) to suit exactly your health requirements.
This cookbook is most trustworthy when it comes to being frank about cholesterol-lowering diets and cholesterol reducing-drugs. No, it does not promise an overnight miracle backed by a pseudo "money back guarantee". However, it proposes principles that are backed by very large clinical trials. Resorting to these principles has been found to sometimes REVERSE heart disease. The principles behind the recipes are outlined at the end of the book. They are backed by very large clinical trials, conducted by trustworthy medical authorities in Oslo, Los Angeles, Minneapolis and Helsinki.
The rationale behind the recipes in this cookbook is based on a huge body of evidence derived from solid epidemiological, medical and scientific evidence that that points to a direct link between diet and a person's blood cholesterol level and consequent heart disease. One fact is emphasized strongly: a 1% decrease in serum cholesterol means a 2% decrease in the risk of a heart event. In other words, reducing your blood cholesterol level from 250 milligrams per deciliter to 200 mg/dl means a 40% decrease in risk.
This cookbook includes recipes that cover breakfast to dinner, including snacks. The recipes are to be used as examples of what you can do to improve your cholesterol profile. It also points out to the fact that, sometimes, diet may not be enough to lower your cholesterol. In this case the AHA is supportive of using cholesterol-reducing drugs such as statins. Actually, recent studies indicate that the combination of proper cholesterol reducing diet and statin drugs looks like a winning "double-punch" to reverse heart disease.
The author, Molly Siple is a registered dietitian. The cookbook is easy to use and features the usual icons associated with this series.
The introduction explains briefly and simply some strategies to lower cholesterol and suggests foods suitable to help control it. She also points out those foods to avoid. The recipes cover all types of meals, from breakfast to dinner. They are further divided as to the type of foods, i.e. grains, meats, fish, vegetables, beans... etc.
A metric conversion guide can be found in the appendix. The cookbook offers a quick glance at the type of recipes that can help lower and control cholesterol. This book is not exactly meant to be used by people who suffer from severe hyper-cholesterolemia, but is well-suited use by people with "borderline" cholesterol levels. -
Note: This is a complement to the "Cook'n" recipe software. This cooking software must be installed on your computer before you can use this complement.
While the content of the CD is similar to the Betty Crocker cookbook described above. The useful advantage to the user is that you can modify the recipe parameters to match your health or cholesterol control requirements.
Here is an example. Assuming that the recipes you find in most cookbooks have a content yielding between 23% and 30% of calories derived from fat. A person with severe hypercholesterolemia or a cardiac patient wishing to reverse heart disease may want to reduce this to 15% or less. The aim would be to reduce ldl-cholesterol to a level below 70 mg/dl ( DO THIS UNDER MEDICAL SUPERVISION).
The main software allows you to modify the recipe and analyse the nutritional content. It also allows you to prepare and analyse daily, weekly and monthly menus or meal plans.
The CD contains 120 recipes that can be used as starting base to devise a serious and efficient cholesterol lowering diet plan. The recipes that are featured in the hM NUTRITION JOURNAL have been conceived using such computer-assisted techniques. The table that follows illustrates what could be done with all time favorite. In the heart care version, the percentage of calories from fat was reduced from a nasty 36% to a healthy 16% ... and a very low saturated fat content. Some learning is required, but the long-term benefits in terms of efficiently lowering and controlling your cholesterol levels are well worth it.
From the hM NUTRITION JOURNAL :
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Tools
Heart Health
Diabetes Care
Lowering Cholesterol
Weight Loss
Complete Cholesterol (including HDL, LDL) and Glucose Meter: The Cardiocheck Blood Testing Device
You likely want to monitor how your cholesterol-lowering diet plan, menu and recipes are working. The CardioCheck model suggested in this page is the one capable of measuring directly both the hdl AND the ldl cholesterol fractions. There is another model that is much less expensive ( 20% of the price of this one). However, that model, like most dual meters on the market, does NOT provide direct measurement of the LDL fraction. You have to derive it indirectly by performing some calculations.
Since LDL is the "bad" and dangerous fraction of the total cholesterol in your blood, hM has elected to suggest the more expensive model which measures it directly, without your having to perform any algebra. You can also determine the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL.
While monitoring glucose at home has been possible for years, doing the same for cholesterol had not been possible until recently. The meter, monitor or "blood testing device" shown on the left allows a person to do it with ease. It uses a stick a strip just like the easy-to-use home glucose meters used by diabetics. There are different strip panels that you can use:
-The Lipid Panel (measures cholesterol, HDL, triglycerides; calculates LDL cholesterol and TC/HDL ratio)
-The Metabolic Chemistry Panel (measures HDL, triglycerides and glucose)
-The CHOL+HDL+GLU Panel (measures cholesterol, HDL, glucose and calculates TC/HDL ratio)
-The CHOL+HDL Panel (measures total cholesterol and HDL)
-The CHOL+GLU Panel (measures cholesterol and glucose)
and others : -Cholesterol -LDL Cholesterol -HDL Cholesterol -Triglycerides -Glucose -Ketone (ß - hydroxybutyrate)
Some learning is necessary. As with any meter with a needle, this device must be used in a safe manner according to the instructions.
This meter meets the requirements of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). A very similar CardioCheck model is proposed to doctors for use in their clinical practice. The suggested device's accuracy will allow a person to assess how he/she is doing in his/her effort to lower or control cholesterol levels.
Category: Information Books on Cholesterol, LDL Lowering, Care, Management, Diet and Control.
Category: Liipids, Nutrition and Information book on: Reducing, Management and Control of high blood levels.
Category: Cholesterol Lowering Diet Recipe Books or CookBooks.
Category: Cholesterol Lowering Diet Recipe Books or CookBooks.
Category: Cholesterol Lowering Diet Recipe Books or CookBooks.
Category: Recipe or Cooking Software Complement for reducing high LDL levels.
Category: Personal cholesterol meter or monitor for home use.
Category: Cholesterol Lowering Diet, Recipe Books or CookBooks.
Category: Information Books on Cholesterol, LDL Lowering, Care, Management, Diet and Control.
Category: Cholesterol Lowering Diet, Recipe Books or CookBooks.
Medical terms are commonly misspelled : The most frequent misspellings of the terms relevant to this page are: Cholestrol, Colesterol (Spanish), Colestrol, and Artheriosclerosis.
"The Harvard Medical School Guide to Lowering Your Cholesterol" explains total cholesterol levels, the good hdl, the bad ldl levels and how it affects you
"American Heart Association Low-Fat, Low-Cholesterol Cookbook" : Delicious Recipes to include in your diet plan and menus to Help Lower Your Cholesterol,
"Betty Crocker's Low-Fat, Low-Cholesterol Cooking Today" displays the nutritional analysis of every recipe in the book.
Eating for Lower Cholesterol: A Balanced Approach to Heart Health with Recipes Everyone Will Love, By Catherine Jones
Know Your Fats : The Complete Primer for Understanding the Nutrition of Fats, Oils and Cholesterol, By Mary G. Enig
"Cook'n Low Fat Low Cholesterol" , Software Program Complement. Healthy eating made easy and convenient, including your favorite foods! The main software lets you perform tne nutritional analysis of any recipe, plan your meals, diet and menus
Complete Cholesterol (including HDL, LDL) and Glucose Meter: The Cardiocheck Blood Testing Device. Measures the total, the good and the bad cholesterol levels
"Harriet Roth's Cholesterol Control Cookbook", for healthier recipes, diet plans and menus