1. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Tue, Apr 25, 2006, 2:03 pm PDT

Does any one know if Smart Balance is one of these spreads with plant sterols? And now there is a Smart Balance light with flax oil. This is the brand I started using to avoid partially hydrogenated oils and trans fats, and I've just stuck with them. I could be wrong but I think I remember reading at the time that the flax also helps lower LDL, but is it a phytosterol?

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2. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Tue, Apr 25, 2006, 2:14 pm PDT

How about soybeans? Edamame - YUMMY!

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3. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Tue, Apr 25, 2006, 3:10 pm PDT

We use Smart Balance and I would say it must have plant sterols. It claims to improve the cholesterol ratio, i.e. lower LDL...raise HDL. Its not a buttery spread, but I read that red wine has some properties that raise HDL. That must be true because my HDL is 118 (and I do like a glass of Texas red from time to time). Of course, I could have a good HDL level because of my wellness program too. I would guess its a bit of both!

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4. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Wed, Apr 26, 2006, 7:07 am PDT

I use Smart Balance, and while it's a tasty substitute for butter or margarine, I don't think it really contains any very large amount of plant sterols. I have not seen it advertised on the package or listed in the ingredients. REMEMBER, other things affect your cholesterol, not only plant sterols. Smart Balance works by having a certain balance between the different kinds of fats (saturated, polyunsaturated, and monounsaturated). Remember: saturated fat raises HDL and LDL, polyunsaturated lowers HDL and LDL, and monounsaturated lowers LDL without affecting HDL. (HDL = good cholesterol, LDL = bad cholesterol.) Also, the main draw of flax is not plant sterols, but rather omega-3s; nutritionists are now saying that we should have a certain balance between omega-3s and omega-6s (both are polyunsaturated). The American diet is typically heavy in omega-6s and needs more omega-3s; as flax is so rich in omega-3s, it has experienced great popularity recently. Sources: www.smartbalance.com/home.html and www.yafferuden.com/html/omega-3s.html . (p.s.: one advantage of this spread and others like it is that it does not conatin trans-fats like regular margarine; trans-fats are awful because they raise LDL and lower HDL. While Smart Balance may not really improve your cholesterol all that much, it will not ruin it like trans-fats will.)

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5. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Wed, Apr 26, 2006, 9:19 am PDT

I certainly agree with the previous writer that it is a matter of moderation and common sense, although, I would not put it that way. Stay well and keep walking.

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6. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Wed, Apr 26, 2006, 9:23 am PDT

"Plus, you say nothing about the type of exercise." That's your problem. You people obsess over EVERYTHING. Who friggen cares what type of exercise. ANY WILL WORK. You people need some rudeness to wake you up out of your little dream world. Why do you think Europeans are thin with a high fat, high calorie, high salt diet??? They eat less and exercise. They don't obsess about every little detail. They don't count calories. They don't munch on diet ice cream. Their idea of a snack is a 1 oz chocolate bar made from 75% cocao... NOT 3 snicker's bars, a bag of chips and 4 diet cokes. *SNAP* *SNAP* WAKE UP !!

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7. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Wed, Apr 26, 2006, 11:43 am PDT

iwas told to stop eating anything but whole and natural foods. This includes real butter. The elimination of artificial substitues is what I am seeking. Is Benecol all natural?

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8. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Wed, Apr 26, 2006, 12:30 pm PDT

msg, support is more helpful than critism. Because we live in America where there is an abundance of everything, we are faced with more poor choices than good ones. Ignorance is remedied with knowledge. That's why most of this are reading this. The remedy for rudeness is ... Maybe you should go to europe and eat some good chocolate. And do something for your liver, or you will be as grouchy as all those wine loving cheese eaters.

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9. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Wed, Apr 26, 2006, 2:29 pm PDT

How is support more helpful than criticism? What has it gotten you other than 50 diet books published, 200 diet TV programs, 3 new diet fads, 50 new diet foods produced every year? Guess what? It's not helping. The situation is getting worse. Americans are getting fatter and fatter and fatter. Maybe the proper recourse is to do exactly the opposite of what we've been doing the past 20 years. I propose we start slapping people in the face and tell them to shape up!

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10. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Wed, Apr 26, 2006, 4:21 pm PDT

seriosly msg, A little fiber, alot of water, and some prunes just might help you sweeten up. Your sluggish liver is showing!

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11. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Wed, Apr 26, 2006, 5:53 pm PDT

Hi Health world people what might be helpful is eating as close to nature as possible fresh fruits and veggies from organic farmers who don't put pesticides,chemical fertilizers etc. Try eating more raw foods with protein and see how much better your body feels. To your health.

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12. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Thu, Apr 27, 2006, 1:39 am PDT

Ohh, I hear the little violins aplayin'. I'm with you on this one, msg. People should just get out there and sweat a little or sweat a lot, eat the right foods and give yourself a treat few and far in between, and stick to healthier lifestyle. Forget the whining and stop waiting for someone else to push you along. If you can't do it for yourself, no one else will. And if that's the case then be happy with yourself and with who you are, because a happy heart is a healthy heart.

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13. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Thu, Apr 27, 2006, 4:44 am PDT

sapphire, What a gem! Much to my surprize and pleasure, Sam's Club has gone organic. Went in there to stock up on fruits and veggies. Even Tyson is selling chicken without hormones and steroids. Between Whole Foods, Sams Club, and the garden it just may be realistic to eat close to nature. Time to go shake a tail feather and work up an awesome sweat!

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14. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Thu, Apr 27, 2006, 5:06 am PDT

A daily dose of fun goes a looong way it making everything easier. My current game with my self is seeing how little I can eat of the required food groups and still feel good and happy. As Peter Pan told Wendy "You have to think happy thoughts if you want to fly!"

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15. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Thu, Apr 27, 2006, 5:51 am PDT

Hey, MSG: "Eat less. Small portions. Exercise" is great advice, but it's not the cure-all for every diet-related problem. This particular post by Ms. Koch was about plant sterols and their effect on body cholesterol. While maintaining a healthy weight and exercising can help your cholesterol levels, there are other factors as well, such as the type of food you're eating, as well as genetics. The idea of having small portions is a good thing to remember, but the type of food you eat affects cholesterol too; soluble fiber, plant sterols, saturated fat, the unsaturated fats, and trans fats all have different and varied effects on cholesterol levels. No one is arguing with the advice to eat less and get more physical activity; what we're saying is that's not the whole picture. The human body is not as simple as you make it out to be! There are more things out there to consider when it comes to your health. Source: http://health.yahoo.com/topic/cholesterol (article is high cholesterol overview).

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