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Maintain Clear Arteries to Live Longer, be More Vigorous, and be a Stronger Athlete
by Ralph Teller |
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To be more Vigorous, to Live Longer and to be a Stronger Athlete it is important to maintain Clear Arteries. But, maintaining clear arteries is not just important for athletes to reach their Ideal Performance State, it is important for all of us regardless of age. Having Clear arteries also helps us achieve and maintain an efficient and strong Metabolism which is a key factor in enhancing Longevity.
Maintaining Clear Arteries mechanically is important because the EASE of the circulatory system in circulating blood for the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to all cells is an important indicator of health. The arteries also provide for the mobility of the proteins and cells of the immune system which are also an important indicator of health.
How to Naturally Maintain Clear Arteries
There are several things we can do to keep our arteries clear including:
Stay Hydrated. Adequate water is essential to help flush the arteries of plaque. Water also helps expand the blood vessels and makes the arteries more elastic. Also, adequate hydration raises the metabolism and allows for stored fat to be burned more efficiently. Good hydration also tends to slow the heart rate and reduce blood pressure.
Regular Aerobic Exercise. Regular sustained aerobic exercise keeps the arteries elastic and vibrant to bring nutrients to the body's cells.
Get Good Nutrition from Natural Foods. Eating a variety of unprocessed natural foods such as fruits, whole grains, nuts, fish and lean beef and chicken which are all packed with nutrients will help keep the arteries clear.
Maintain High HDL ("good")Cholesterol Levels.
Our blood contains two primary types of cholesterol, (i) Low-Density Lipoprotein or LDL ("bad") Cholesterol and (ii) High-Density Lipoprotein or HDL ("good") Cholesterol.
(i) Too much LDL circulating in the blood
can cause the LDL to slowly build up in the inner walls of the arteries, including the arteries that feed the heart and brain. The LDL, together with other substances, can form a thick and hard plaque deposit
on the inner walls of the arteries. These hard deposits can narrow the arteries, make them less flexible and limit the arteries capability to deliver oxygen and nutrients to all cells of the body.
(ii) About 1/4 to 1/3 of all cholesterol is carried in the blood by HDL Cholesterol. High levels of HDL seem to protect against heart attack.
Medical experts believe that HDL carries LDL away from the arteries thus preventing the buildup of LDL on the inside of artery walls.
13 Strategies to Increase HDL to Maintain Clear Arteries
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13 Strategies to Increase Your HDL to Maintain Clear Arteries
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- Regular Aerobic Exercise. Regularly engaging in aerobic sports such as Swimming, Running, walking, Cycling or Hiking long enough to raise your heart rate (say 30 or 60 minutes) can increase your HDL. Recent evidence suggests that the duration of exercise, rather than the intensity, is the more important factor in raising HDL Cholesterol.
- Maintain a Healthy Weight. Being overweight can increase your LDL Cholesterol levels and reduce yuor HDL Cholesterol, an otherwise place a stress on your cardiovascular system.
- Avoid Trans Fats. Trans fats are artery-clogging fats known to increase LDL Cholesterol and decrease HDL Cholesterol. Trans fats are found in margarine, shortening, fried foods (french fries, fried chicken), doughnuts, cookies, pastries and crackers. Hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil contains trans fats.
- Eat More Monounsaturated Fats. Good healthy fats can raise your HDL levels without raising your total cholesterol. Sources of healthy fats include olive oil, peanut butter, avocado, salmon and chicken.
- Eat Soluble Fiber. Fiber can increase your HDL Cholesterol while decreasing LDL Cholesterol. Fiber is found in fruits like apples, oranges, pears, peaches, berries and grapes, seeds and nuts, oat brain, dried beans, Whole Grains such as oatmeal, barley, rye and wheat, and vegetables. At least two servings a day is ideal.
- Avoid Processed Carbohydrates. Carbohydrates from heavily processed foods, white sugar, bleached flour, potato chips, etc. causes your blood sugar to rise. High blood sugar levels have been linked to decreases in HDL levels.
- A little Red Wine. One glass of red wine (cabernet sauvignon or merlot) may increase HDL levels. However, go over one or two glasses will do more damage than good.
- Eat enough Good Fat. Too little fat in your diet can lead to a deficiency of essential fatty acids. Too little fatty acids in your diet can lead to lower HDL levels.
- Quit Smoking. Quit smoking will result in an increase in HDL levels and otherwise improve your metabolism and cardiovascular health.
- Eat Foods high in Niacin (Vitamin B3). Niacin is an important vitamin to normalize cholesterol. Studies have found that Niacin can increase HDL by 30% while lowering total cholesterol by between 10 percent to 25 percent. Very good sources of Niacin include Crimini mushrooms, yellowfin tuna, chicken breast, calf's liver, halibut, asparagus, salmon and venison.
- Eat Foods High in Omega-3 Fatty Acid. This essential fatty acid. The following are excellent or very good sources of Omega-3 fatty acid: fish, fish oil, flaxseed, walnuts, brocoli, cauliflower, cabbage, oregano and cloves
- Eat Lots of Onions. Onions can significantly increase HDL Cholesterol. Eating half an onion a day can raise HDL levels by as much as 30%.
- Get Good Sleep. Sleep relaxes, rejuvenates and makes our cardiovascular system stronger.
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Publications on Natural Ways to Keep Arteries Clear
 LDL and HDL Cholesterol: What is Bad and What is Good, American Heart Institute
HDL Cholesterol: The Good Cholesterol, WebMD Heart Health
High Cholesterol?: The Top 12 Strategies to increase your HDL Levels, SixWise.com
HDL Cholesterol: How to Boost your "Good" Cholesterol, Mayo Clinic
Raising your HDL Levels, Richard N. Fogoros, MD, about.com
Healthy Fat: Do you know which ones to choose?, Jennifer Hutchinson, ironman.com
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