Recently my husband had a physical, which included blood work. He was informed that his lipids are "slightly elevated." He wasn't given medication. He was thrown a bit by this news because he is careful about what he eats and has started exercising pretty regularly. I read about it online, and discovered that a tendency toward high blood cholesterol/lipids is inherited. Though this probably brought hubby some relief, it didn't change the fact, and so he/we are on a mission to change it. The first thing I did, of course, was to look into natural remedies. I turned to the Holistic Moms Network. (for more info. on HMN, see the button/link on my blog) I immediately started to receive responses from people around the country. The one that stuck out to me was a woman who said that taking Metamucil reduced her cholesterol by around 40 points in about 3 months. Wow! I went online and did a little research on this. The information was there and very available. The
National Fiber Council has a neat section called "What Fiber Does For You." which includes the statement,
Fiber can help lower cholesterol by absorbing fat and cholesterol from food. (Pat Baird, registered dietitian and NFC Vice-chair)"
I told hubby about this, and bought some right away. Right on the front of the can it reads, "Helps Lower Cholesterol!" Metamucil is known for its other popular use, which is to assist with bowel functioning. But it obviously has a pretty great secondary (or is is primary?) use. So we're using it. We took some last night. The can I got is orange flavor, and I liken it to drinking apricot nectar. It wasn't bad.
*Note: Although the information on the can recommends taking one heaping tablespoon in at least 8 oz of water THREE times a day, it also recommends starting off using it ONCE per day, and building up to three times a day. It stresses that it is important to add the powder to at LEAST 8 oz of water. The stuff is kinda thick, and can be hard to swallow if not diluted well.
**Another note: It is (hopefully obviously) most important to eat a diet that is high in vegetables and fruits, low in meats and dairy, and low in fried foods and junk. Exercise is key too. And know your history. If your folks have or had high lipids/cholesterol, you are more likely to develop this issue also.
Update: Please read my 1/21/11 post on Metamucil and Heartburn
I love Metamucil! The orange flavor is really good, and psyllium husks are a great source of fiber. That's great that you all are learning what to do to correct your own health--that's really a great thing to do, to get to know YOUR body and better yet, to know what to do when things are going wrong.
ReplyDeleteGreat job, Dais!
~Kristi (Calico Prairie)