Radical Advice – Step Up on A C E Foods

Experts have long suspected that there is a link between cancer, heart disease and diet and 35 per cent of all cancers are now thought to be linked to diet. Cancer and heart dis-ease are thought to start with damage to cells caused by ‘free radicals’, destructive by-products of oxygen which attack our blood vessels and vital organs causing irreversible cell damage. Vitamin C, vitamin E and beta-carotene, a from of vitamin A, can protect against cancer and heart disease by eliminating free radicals. These vital vitamins are known as anti-oxidants or free radical scavengers and they mop up the destructive reactions caused by free radicals.

Leading government health agencies now advise that the best protection against cancer and heart disease is to eat more foods rich in the ‘ACE’ vitamins. ACE vitamins are found in the following:

Beta-carotene: dark green leafy vegetables, yellow and orange vegetables and fruits such as spinach, broccoli, peas, cress, aspara-gus, carrots, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, apricots, peaches, cherries, mangoes, cantaloupe melon

Vitamin C: citrus fruit, strawberries, blackcur- rants, kiwi fruit, raw cabbage, green leafy vegetables, green peppers, potatoes, Swedes, parsnips, tomatoes nuts, seeds, whole grains, soya beans, vegerable oils especially sunflower oil, fish liver oils, green leafy vegetables

Three good portions of vegetables and two of fruit each day is the best way to ensure that you get enough of the ‘ACE’ vitamins

Doctors at Harvard Medical School also believe that anti-oxidants present in beta-carotene may reduce the effects of LDL, or ‘bad cholesterol’.

Cutting Cholesterol

Cholesterol is a substance that is found naturally in all human and animal tissues. Manufactured in the liver, cholesterol is essential to a number of body processes such as the metabolism of fat and the formation of hormones. Most of the cholesterol in the bloodstream is made in the body, but some foods which we eat contain cholesterol (dietary cholesterol).

Cholesterol is carried in the bloodstream by special proteins called lipoproteins. They come in two types- high density lipoproteins (HDLs) and low density (LDLs). HDLs are sometimes called ‘good’ and LDLs ‘bad’ cholesterol. The higher your HDL level the lower the risk of heart disease.

You can affect your total cholesterol level by reducing your intake of saturated fat. This is found in fatty meat products (pies and sausages), full fat dairy foods, biscuits and cakes. High cholesterol foods include shellfish, egg, offal and dairy foods.

The best way to lower total cholesterol and to lose boost HDL levels is to makes lifestyle changes-particularly diet and exercise. Follow The Walk Slim Diet by cutting saturated fat and eating more complex carbohydrates, fruit, vegetables, fish and white meat. And walk aerobically at least 4 times a week for 30 minute at a time

Stay Slim Forever

Using The Walk slim Diet, you will easily be able to lose 3 to 4 pounds a week until you get back to your goal weight. Then it’s simply a matter of following the rules of healthy eating and walking a minimum of 4 times a week for 30 minute at an aerobic rate to maintain your weight and ling term fitness.