This morning I’m making up a batch of protein power oatmeal and then going for a spa pedicure with my friend.  Later today the boys and I are going on an outdoor adventure to try out my son’s new metal detector.  But first – a little bit of info I found.  I confess: I surf the web a lot.  I am always looking for inspiration, information and entertainment. Yesterday I found this site: http://www.happyhealthylonglife.com/happy_healthy_long_life/ a blog written by a medical librarian. She had a great list of information about cutting cholesterol. I realized that I was doing a lot of these things last summer, which is probably why my cholesterol was so good at my last check up. But good to be reminded, so I can incorporate back into my menu plan for the week:

Harvard Heart Letter’s Top 11 Foods That Lower Cholesterol–vol. 20(2): Oct. 2009

1.  Oats – soluble fiber

2.  Barley & other whole grains – soluble fiber

3.  Beans – soluble fiber

4.  Eggplant & Okra – soluble fiber

5.  Nuts – 2 ounces a day can lower LDLs by about 5% (based on previous research)

6.  Vegetable oils – I’m not advocating this one, but it’s on the Harvard list as a replacement for butter, lard, & shortening

7.  Apples, grapes, strawberries, citrus fruits – these fruits are rich in pectin, a soluble fiber that lowers LDL

8.  Foods fortified with sterols and stanols – 2 grams a day can lower LDL cholesterol by about 10%.  My comment:  skip the fortified margarine & juice & take them in supplement form

9. Soy – consuming 25 grams of soy protein a day (10 ounces of tofu or 3 cups of soy milk) can lower LDL by 5-6%

10.  Fatty fish – the omega-3s lower LDLs & triglycerides.  My comment: skip the fish & go for high-grade pharmaceutical quality fish oil, or the algae vegetarian equivalents.  Note: recent research by Dr. Christopher Gardner of Stanford University has shown that flax does not come anywhere close to the triglyeride-lowering effect of fish oil. Very disappointing. 

11.  Fiber supplements – the least appealing way to get soluble fiber.  2 tsp a day of psyllium, which is found in Metamucil, provides 4 grams of soluble fiber