Wendy Tao explains how to Shape Up by naturally lowering bad cholesterols.

High levels of LDL “bad” cholesterol signal a need for changes in lifestyle and diet. While HDL cholesterol should be above 40–50mg/dL (milligrams per decilitre of blood); your LDL cholesterol should be kept below 140mg/dL. Eating low cholesterol foods is important but additional factors need to be considered.

Increase:

• Fibre Intake. Cholesterol is used (thus lowered) when you digest fibre-rich foods.
• Garlic and Onions. These provide sulfur, B vitamins and flavonoids and promote lower cholesterol levels.
• Antioxidant intake. Antioxidants prevent damage to artery walls where plaque forms.
• Healthy fat intake. Essential fatty acids from fish or flax can improve heart health.
• Exercise. Even small amounts of regular physical activity have great benefits for cholesterol levels.

Decrease:

• Sugar and Refined Carbohydrates. They contribute to high “bad” cholesterol and lower “good” cholesterol levels.
• Bad” fat intake, including trans fats, hydrogenated fats and rancid fats. These can damage and clog artery walls.
• Smoking. It increases free radicals in the body, damaging cells and artery walls.
• Weight. Fat cells contribute to cholesterol levels.
  

Fibre is Important

Fibre is any type of plant-component that the body cannot absorb or digest. While fibres supply no nutrients or calories, they perform many important biological functions.

There are two main types of fibre,

Soluble and Insoluble:

• Soluble fibre dissolves partially in water and its components include pectin, mainly found in fruit such as apples, in vegetable, legumes and oat products.
• Insoluble fibre does not dissolve in water and its components include cellulose or lignin, the fibre mainly found in grains such as wheat and corn.
  

A high fibre diet offers many benefits:

• Incorporating high-fibre foods into the diet may help lower the risk of heart disease.
• Soluble fibre helps stabilize blood sugar levels by delaying stomach emptying ultimately slowing the rate of carbohydrate absorption, improving regulation of blood sugar and lowering insulin requirements.
• The water-holding capacity of fibre relieves constipation by adding bulk to stool and speeding its transit through the gastrointestinal tract.
• Fibre increases satiety (the feeling of fullness) by adding bulk to foods without additional calories.

Increase your intake of dietary fibre

• Choose whole grains foods such as whole grain breads, pasta and rice
• Choose whole grain cereals for breakfast
• Consume whole fruits instead of drinking fruit juices
• Snack on raw vegetables instead of chips, crackers, or chocolate bars
• Add ground flax seed, chia seeds to cereals, yogurt and baked goods
• When increasing the amount of fibre in your diet, do so slowly, because large, sudden increases can cause discomfort, gas, and bloating. It is also important to drink more water when you increase fibre intake.

Image Source: Profilaxis

Yesterday, Webber Naturals' mystery ingredient was bok choy! Now we're cooking it.

Full of good nutrients, super low in calories and tasty, bok choy is an easy and delic

ious way to break up your vegetable routine. We've got two recipes for you: one hot and one cold!

Yum! Chinese cabbage! I love Chinese food. But I don't love the Monosodium Glutamate, better known as MSG. So today I'm on a mission to get those delicious Chinese flavours with a highly nutritious twist. Let's ditch the MSG and munch up the phytonutrients, antioxidants, vitamins A, K, B-complex and C of bok choy!

Today's first recipe comes from the Steamy Kitchen's, award-winning food blogger, television chef and food columnist, Jaden Hair.

Bok Choy Stir Fry

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds bok choy or baby bok choy

1 1/2 tablespoons canola, vegetable or peanut oil

1-2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

3 tablespoons broth or water (or 2 tablespoons broth/water + 1 tablespoon wine)

salt to taste

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

Directions:

1. Start by trimming the stem off - don't trim too much - just the end. Cutting the thick stem off will ensure that the bok choy cooks evenly. Separate out the leaves, keep the tender

center intact and clean under running water. Drain.

2. Finely mince garlic and grate fresh ginger with a micropla

ne grater. Grating the ginger helps break up the tough fibers! (and yeah, sometimes when the ginger is nice and fresh, I don't even bother peeling off the paper-thin skin)

3. Place wok or frying pan on your stove and pour in the cooking oil. Add the garlic and ginger. Turn the heat to medium-high. Let the ginger and garlic gently sizzle in the oil. When the aromatics become fragrant and light golden brown, add the bok choy leaves. Toss very

well to coat each leaf with the garlicky, gingery oil for 15 seconds. Pour in broth, water or wine. Immediately cover and let cook for 1 minute. Season with salt and drizzle a bit of sesame oil on top.

Want to know more about cooking with bok choy and cooking with a wok? Jaden Hair dishes her know-how at the Steamy Kitchen.

Because it's Friday, and I'm feeling extra generous, I'm going to share another recipe with you. Our family friend, Carissa Siy, has an alternative way to using bok choy that doesn't require any cooking and will definitely mix up your salad rut. We've put this recipe to the test at home and it turned out great!

Crunchy Bok Choy Salad:

8 stalks bok choy

1 green onion

6 tomatoes

1/4 red onion

Toasted: dried instant noodles and almond slivers

Chop veggies. Layer ingredients, top with almonds and noodles.

Dressing:

White sugar 1/2 cup less 3 tbsp

1/4c apple cider vinegar

1 Tbsp soy sauce or braggs seasoning

1/2 veggie oil

Dash of sesame oil

Mix and enjoy!!! Oh! And have a great weekend everyone. 

Images courtesty of the Steamy Kitchen.

webber naturals expert Kristin Metvedt shares her ideal summer foods menu.

Enrich your everyday diet with colourful summer foods and the nutrients that come with them...

Now that you know all about the benefits of our colourful summer produce (and if you don't yet, get in the loop with THIS post), let's get to the good stuff! Here's my seasona menu filled with colourful summer goodness! This menu will work for any time of year but it will taste the best now when everything is fresh. Servings are for one person but easy to adjust for more people. Enjoy!

Breakfast: Yogurt with fresh fruit

1 cup plain organic yogurt

1 Handful each of fresh blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and/or boysenberries

1 tsp of locally produced honey, drizzled on top

¼ tsp (or more to taste) of ground cinnamon

1 scoop of Chia seeds

(If you need more calories, add ¾ cup of granola and skip the added honey to keep the sugar content down)

Snack

1/2 cup (or so) of cherries and 1 handful of raw cashews

Lunch: Tossed green & protein salad

Tossed mixed greens from you garden fresh or locally grown.

Sunflower spouts

1 medium size farm tomato, sliced and diced

½ cup red or green cabbage, thinly sliced

¼ cup goats cheese feta (or slices of soft goat’s cheese).

½ cup of legumes (i.e. lentils, chickpeas, black beans) or chopped up cooked chicken or turkey breast.

Note: If you use canned beans and lentils, make sure to buy low sodium and rinse the beans well. If you don’t use the whole can of beans save them in a tightly sealed container in the fridge.

Optional: 1 or 2 whole grain rolls (small size) with ½ avocado, spread on bread (for those who need more calories)

To make the dressing:

1 tbsp of flaxseed oil

1 tbsp of olive oil

1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar or juice of ½ a lemon (or both)

1/2 tsp of dry mustard

1 tsp chopped fresh herbs (try basil and parsley)

1 tsp of honey or sugar

Optional: ½ cup nonfat yogurt or water.

Mix the ingredients together well (I use a metal whisk), or place in blender on low speed and achieve desired thickness with water. Add ground pepper to taste.

Snack

Fresh baby carrots (5-6) and sliced cucumber

Sesame crackers with nut butter spread (such as hazelnut, almond or natural peanut butter) or a handful of trail raw trail mix

Dinner: Baked or grilled marinated chicken with lightly sautéed dark greens, garlic scapes and short grain brown rice

Bake or grill marinated chicken pieces (which ever part(s) you like, but remove skin to reduce fat).

Choose 1-2 dark green leafed vegetables that are available and in season such as Boy Choy, spinach or Swiss chard. I suggest using 4 cups (or more) of these leafy green raw as they shrivel up when cooked. Wash well and chop them up, discarding stems to compost if too fibrous.

Sauté on medium heat in olive oil, garlic scapes, dash of chili peppers and ground pepper for a spicy kick – yum!

Short grain brown rice; I use a rice cooker but this will work well on the stovetop as well. Cook 1 cup of rice in 2 cups of water. When cooked, fluff with fork and a 1-2 tsp of butter or canola oil. Top the rice with the sautéed vegetables and serve hot!

Images sources: Cannelle et Vanille, OrganicToBe.org (breakfast image), Sunday Suppers (lunch/dinner images)