Cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, depression and anxiety, and Alzheimer’s disease are linked to chronic inflammation. But many doctors wrongly focus solely on cholesterol. Digital Journal caught up with Dr. Bill Cole, creator of The Cellular Health Accelerator Program, to learn about how to take better care of our arteries.
“When you have cholesterol build up in your arteries, it is due to your body responding to damage inside the artery,” explains Dr. Cole. “Inflammation in the artery needs to be fixed. So, what does your body do? It sends cholesterol in as a patch, a band aid. But when you stay inflamed all the time, your body is rushing cholesterol to the area. Of course, it will build up, and it can obstruct the artery. That, for sure, is a problem. But cholesterol itself is not the true problem. Cholesterol is actually your body’s response to the problem! So, we’ve got it all backwards,” Cole adds.
Harvard Health Publishing states that “Your immune system becomes activated when your body recognizes anything that is foreign—such as an invading microbe, plant pollen, or chemical. This often triggers a process called inflammation.”
But inflammation becomes the enemy when the body is fighting foreign triggers that are not there. This inflammation is where cholesterol flocks and becomes a problem.
According to Cole: “Just dealing with cholesterol is not making a difference for many people. With cholesterol, simply losing weight doesn’t make an impactful difference. The solution is to address the root cause of the real problem. We all need to start addressing root causes instead of just merely patching over symptoms.”
Dr. Cole provides some top tips for reducing inflammation – and reducing cholesterol as a by-product – for Digital Journal readers.
Eat Anti-Inflammatory Foods
Tomatoes, olive oil, nuts, fatty fish, dark green vegetables, strawberries, oranges, cherries, apples, and blueberries should be part of your everyday diet. Many of these foods, such as blueberries and green leafy vegetables have polyphenols, which are protective compounds that come from plants. Eating them protects you too.
For your information, these are the main culprit foods of inflammation to avoid:
- All fried foods
- Bread and pastries (refined carbohydrates)
- Soda and other sweet drinks
- Red and processed meat
- “Bad” fats like margarine and lard
Cole clarifies that people should not shy away from good fats such as nuts, eggs, olive oil, and avocados. Coffee is also an option, which Cole explains: “And if you’re worried about missing out on some fun in your diet, coffee is full of protective polyphenols as well. So, no need to skip the joe”.
Progress Over Perfection, Grace Over Guilt
“You need to have compassion for yourself,” explains Cole. “If you are already dealing with chronic illness and inflammation, adding stress by beating yourself up over hiccups in your journey is just going to set you back further. I know it’s easier said than done, but a holistic approach that encompasses your mental health will have so much benefit.”
He adds:“I stress the importance of “progress over perfection” and “grace over guilt,” because they are easy-to-remember mantras that we can tell ourselves whenever we mess up. It’s bound to happen and having something to mentally fall back on is the first step to treating ourselves patiently.”
Go For a Walk
“Just because we are focusing on anti-inflammatory foods rather than weight loss doesn’t mean we should become couch potatoes,” Cole explains, adding: “Physical health is multifaceted, and exercise will always be a key component. Keeping our body fit and our stamina up contributes to a healthy mind as well. You’ll notice that my tips work together. You can do one without the other, but the magic comes from combining the whole package.”
“Don’t start by training for a 5K if you’ve never worked out before or if you’ve taken a long break,” Cole clarifies. “Just aim to be active and on your feet for thirty minutes a day. If that’s too much, start with ten. Just focus on building a habit.”
Cole adds that: “The road to health is an ongoing process that happens every day. There is no magic pill. A healthy lifestyle was, and always will be, the answer.”
