The tropical magic called guava
Imagine a glass of iced pink guava juice on a hot sticky day!
Very tempting for sure ...
But there is a lot more about it.
Guava comes laden with vitamin C, fiber and potassium, the three players to help combat heart disease and hypertension.
A medium size guava offers a staggering 275% of our vitamin C needs, 20% of our fiber needs, a load of potassium all in an only 45 calories.
In a 12-week study, a group of participants were asked to eat 4-7 guavas a day.
The result was stunning!
Cholesterol level dropped an immense 10% translating to 20% reduction in heart disease. HDL went up while the blood pressure fell.
Is there any better combination you can ask for a glass of guava juice?
Cholesterol story
Cholesterol is popularly the bad guy for a clogged artery.
Contrary to the popular belief, however this fatty wax-like substance is critical for our body.
Our sex hormones for instance are made from cholesterol.
Not enough cholesterol can directly mean a long night with no sex.
The problem with cholesterol is when it circulates too much in the blood and the its transporter is out of control.
There are two kind of cholesterol transporters:
- Low-density Lipoprotein (LDL)
- High-density Lipoprotein (HDL)
The first one is responsible for delivering cholesterol throughout the body. The second one acts like a clean-up truck that picks up roaming cholesterol along the arteries, sending it back to truck central (your liver) for final removal from the body.
So in your blood test, you want a low total cholesterol level (desirably less than 200 mg) and specifically a low LDL (less than 130 mg) and high HDL (35 mg or higher).
