Food and Drink

The Myth of Good and Bad Cholesterol
Most people view cholesterol as a bad thing, but the truth is there are actually two types of it. There is good cholesterol (HDL) and there is bad cholesterol (LDL). You’ll know you have too much LDL if you end up with plaques in your arteries. This results in a blood flow block in your arteries as the opening gets smaller. Your high blood cholesterol is not the result of taking in dietary cholesterol. The presence of saturated fat and Tran’s fat is the reason for the high cholesterol. Exercising often and taking in fibrous and unsaturated foods will keep your cholesterol down.
What do the Cholesterol Numbers mean?
On an average, adults will usually need to have cholesterol checks every five years. Each time you get a cholesterol check it will yield four results – total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and Triglycerides. You will probably need more exercise and dietary change if you go above or below the healthy levels.

• Total Cholesterol - less than 200 mg/dL (5.2 mmol/L)
• LDL Cholesterol - less than 100 mg/dL (2.6 mmol/L)
• HDL Cholesterol - greater than 40 mg/dL (1.0 mmol/L)
• Triglycerides - less than 150 mg/dL (1.7 mmol/L)

Heart Protection and Vitamin E
Getting your Vitamin E is best done through eating nuts, leafy vegetables and a lot of vegetable oils. This helps reduce your risk of getting a heart disease but does not prevent attacks.
Five Great Foods to Lower Your Cholesterol

1. Oatmeal and Oat Bran: These contain a high amount of soluble fiber, which can lower LDL.
2. Fish: Fish is a great source of omega 3 fatty acids, which lowers LDL and raises HDL.
3. Nuts: Not only are nuts high in fiber, but they contain the healthy fats you need to keep LDL in check.
4. Plant Sterols: This is found in foods like margarine, salad dressing, orange juice, and functional cookies. 2 grams per day will lower your LDL by 10-15%.
5. Soy: This popular meat replacement can lower LDL by up to 3%.

Plant Sterols and its Healthy Benefits
Plant sterols can be found in foods such as Benecol Spread, granola bars, VitaTops Muffin Tops and fat free milk. To help your heart, you should eat a lot of plant sterols-packed food and stop eating foods with saturated fat. You should know that this does not balance out a diet rich in saturated fats. To be in control of your cholesterol, you should still eat healthy and exercise often.

About the Author - Deborah H. Land writes for the cholesterol and high blood pressure diet blog, her personal hobby website she uses to help people eat healthy to lower bad cholesterol levels.

This is an actual account as relayed to paramedics at a chili cook-off in Texas...
Note: Please take time to read this slowly. If you pay attention to the first two judges, the reaction of the third judge is even better. For those of you who have lived in Texas, you know how true this is. They actually have a Chili Cook-off about the time Halloween comes around. It takes up a major portion of a parking lot at the San Antonio City Park. Judge #3 was an inexperienced Chili taster named Frank, who was visiting from New Jersey.

Frank: "Recently, I was honored to be selected as a judge at a chili cook-off. The original person called in sick at the last moment and I happened to be standing there at the judge's table, asking for directions to the Coors Light truck, when the call came in. I was assured by the other two judges (Native Texans) that the chili wouldn't be all that spicy; and, besides, they told me I could have free beer during the tasting, so I accepted and became Judge 3."

Here are the scorecard notes from the event:

CHILI # 1 - MIKE'S MANIAC MONSTER CHILI
Judge # 1 -- A little too heavy on the tomato. Amusing kick.
Judge # 2 -- Nice, smooth tomato flavor. Very mild.
Judge # 3 (Frank) -- Holy crap, what the heck is this stuff? You could remove dried paint from your driveway. Took me two beers to put the flames out. I hope that's the worst one. These Texans are crazy.

CHILI # 2 - AUSTIN 'S AFTERBURNER CHILI
Judge # 1 -- Smoky, with a hint of pork. Slight jalapeno tang.
Judge # 2 -- Exciting BBQ flavor, needs more peppers to be taken seriously.
Judge # 3 -- Keep this out of the reach of children. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to taste besides pain. I had to wave off two people who wanted to give me the Heimlich. They had to rush in more beer when they saw the look on my face.

CHILI # 3 - FRED'S FAMOUS BURN DOWN THE BARN CHILI
Judge # 1 -- Excellent firehouse chili. Great kick.
Judge # 2 -- A bit salty, good use of peppers.
Judge # 3 -- Call the EPA. I've located a uranium spill. My nose feels like I have been snorting Drano. Everyone knows the routine by now. Get me more beer before I ignite. Barmaid pounded me on the back, now my backbone is in the front part of my chest. I'm getting drunk from all of the beer.

CHILI # 4 - BUBBA'S BLACK MAGIC
Judge # 1 -- Black bean chili with almost no spice. Disappointing.
Judge # 2 -- Hint of lime in the black beans. Good side dish for fish or other mild foods, not much of a chili.
Judge # 3 -- I felt something scraping across my tongue, but was unable to taste it. Is it possible to burn out taste buds? Sally, the beer maid, was standing behind me with fresh refills. This 300 lb. Woman is starting to look HOT. Just like this nuclear waste I'm eating! Is chili an aphrodisiac?

CHILI # 5 - LISA'S LEGAL LIP REMOVER
Judge # 1 -- Meaty, strong chili. Cayenne peppers freshly ground, adding considerable kick. Very impressive.
Judge # 2 -- Chili using shredded beef, could use more tomato. Must admit the cayenne peppers make a strong statement.
Judge # 3 -- My ears are ringing, sweat is pouring off my forehead and I can no longer focus my eyes. I farted, and four people behind me needed paramedics. The contestant seemed offended when I told her that her chili had given me brain damage. Sally saved my tongue from bleeding by pouring beer directly on it from the pitcher. I wonder if I'm burning my lips off. It really ticks me off that the other judges asked me to stop screaming.

CHILI # 6 - VERA'S VERY VEGETARIAN VARIETY
Judge # 1 -- Thin yet bold vegetarian variety chili. Good balance of spices and peppers.
Judge # 2 -- The best yet. Aggressive use of peppers, onions, garlic. Superb.
Judge # 3 -- My intestines are now a straight pipe filled with gaseous, sulfuric flames. I crapped on myself when I farted, and I'm worried it will eat through the chair. No one seems inclined to stand behind me except that Sally. Can't feel my lips anymore. I need to wipe my butt with a snow cone.

CHILI # 7 - SUSAN'S SCREAMING SENSATION CHILI
Judge # 1 -- A mediocre chili with too much reliance on canned peppers.
Judge # 2 -- Ho hum, tastes as if the chef literally threw in a can of chili peppers at the last moment. **I should take note that I am worried about Judge #3. He appears to be in a bit of distress as he is cursing uncontrollably.
Judge # 3 - If you put a grenade in my mouth & pulled the pin, I wouldn't feel a thing. I've lost sight in one eye & my eardrums are pounding. My shirt is covered with chili, which slid unnoticed out of my mouth. My pants are full of lava to match my shirt. At least during the autopsy, they'll know what killed me. I've decided to stop breathing, it's too painful & I'm not getting any oxygen anyway. If I need air, I'll just suck it in through the 4-inch hole in my stomach.

CHILI # 8 - BIG TOM'S TOENAIL CURLING CHILI
Judge # 1 -- The perfect ending, this is a nice blend chili. Not too bold but spicy enough to declare its existence.
Judge # 2 -- This final entry is a good, balanced chili. Neither mild nor hot. Sorry to see that most of it was lost when Judge #3 farted, passed out, fell over and pulled the chili pot down on top of himself.. Not sure if he's going to make it. Poor feller, wonder how he'd have reacted to really hot chili?
Judge # 3 - No Report

Someone who recently survived a heart attack asked me to send this to a few people.

Something that we can do to help ourselves.. Nice to know.

Bayer is making crystal aspirin to dissolve under the tongue. They work much faster than the tablets.

Why keep aspirin by your bedside?

About Heart Attacks

There are other symptoms of an heart attack besides the pain on the left arm.
One must also be aware of an intense pain on the chin, as well as nausea and lots of sweating, however these symptoms may also occur less frequently.
Note: There may be NO pain in the chest during a heart attack. The majority of people (about 60%) who had a heart attack during their sleep, did not wake up. However, if it occurs, the chest pain may wake you up from your deep sleep.

If that happens, immediately dissolve two aspirins in your mouth and swallow them with a bit of water.

Afterwards:
- phone a neighbor or a family member who lives very close by
- say "heart attack!"
- say that you have taken 2 aspirins..
- take a seat on a chair or sofa near the front door, and wait for their arrival and...
~ do NOT lie down ~

Traditional English dish, a ground beef version of Shepard's pie, which is made with Lamb.

Ingredient:
Serves 2.

• 1 1/4 lbs lean ground beef
• 1 medium onion - diced
• 1 medium carrot - diced
• 1 leek - sliced
• Extra Virgin Olive oil
• 2 teaspoons Oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon Tarragon
• 1 lb potatoes
• 3 cloves Garlic

Preparation:
Dice Carrots and Onion.
Cut and Leak into slices 1/8 inches thick.
Slice or crush Garlic

Instructions:
Cook Potatoes as per usual to make mashed potatoes.
In large skillet over medium heat, sauté leaks, onion and carrot, turning frequently.
Add Garlic and pepper.
Stir fry, continually turning ingredients over heat until cooked.
Add Ground Beef, breaking up into small pieces and mix well.
When beef is no longer pink, add mixed gravy mix, and heat for a minute or two.
Pour contents into casserole dish.

Mash the cooked potatoes and layer on to of beef mixture.
Top with low cholesterol cheese (optional), paprika and pepper.
Preheat oven to 350 and cook for 30-40 minutes.

To get the nutrients you need, you have to eat a variety of foods. Choose from the list below of the various food groups to fit your dietary needs and goals.

I have never been one to stuff my face with whatever is handy, preferring to let my body tell me what to eat. I am not saying that my diet is perfect or has even been nutritious most of the time, as has come to light during a recent and rare visit to the medical profession, what I am saying is that if I am in the mood for a particular epicurean delight, I indulge myself. I figure my body knows better what it needs than do I.

Whilst working in the RV, installing some more network hardware, I could feel my blood pressure rising and started feeling faint. With hindsight, it was probably an anxiety attack, but a trip to the MD seemed appropriate. I had blood, and pressure, taken and an EKG. The EKG "showed nothing to be concerned about", which concerns me as to what the nothing I should not be concerned about was. The result of all this is that I am now on medication to lower my BP and several weeks later, after the blood tests had been done, received notification that my cholesterol was high and a diet sheet of foods to eat and the ones to avoid.
I have many, many issues with the medical profession, and now I have some more. Firstly, a total cholesterol level is fairly useless information, there's HDL and LDL, one is good and one is bad, I need to know that I have of each. Secondly, telling me what to and what not to eat might be a little more constructive if you actually know what I eat and do not eat now.
The upshot is I am no longer using butter, whipped cream in my coffee, or cheese. We will have to wait and see if this is enough to lower my cholesterol from 265 to below 200.

A light meal of fresh vegetables, stir fried with marinara sauce and served over a bed of Penni Pasta.

Ingredient:
Serves 2.

• 1 x Zucchini
• 1 x Leak
• 1/2 x Bell Pepper
• 4 x medium Mushrooms
• 1 x medium Onion
• 2 cloves of Garlic
• Olive Oil
• Pepper
• 1 cup Marinara Pasta sauce
• 1 1/2 cups of Penni Pasta

Preparation:
Cut Zucchini and leaks into slices 1/8 inches thick.
Cut Onion, Pepper and Mushrooms as preferred.
Slice or crush Garlic

Instructions:
Cook Pasta as per packet instructions.
In large skillet over medium heat, brown layer of Zucchini, turning frequently.
Add Garlic and pepper.
Break leaks into rings and add to skillet with Mushrooms, peppers and Onion.
Stir fry, continually turning ingredients over heat until cooked.
Add Marinara Sauce and mix well.
Turn heat down to warm sauce through.
Serve over bed of pasta.

A seasoning mix comparable with El Paso's mix.

To make any quantity, use the following:
The number before each ingredient is any unit, e.g. teaspoon, or 1/4 teaspoon.

• 12 x Chili Powder
• 1 x Garlic Powder
• 1 x Onion Powder
• 1 x Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
• 1 x Dried Oregano
• 2 x Paprika
• 6 x Ground Cumin
• 1 x Sea Salt
• 1 x Black Pepper

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