WHY THIS MIX:
Almond
Adding almonds to your diet lowers your LDL cholesterol, or bad cholesterol, which is involved in creating plaques in your coronary arteries that can cause heart attacks. Almonds lower LDL in a dose-dependent manner. This means that by increasing the amount of almonds you eat, you can further lower your LDL. Clinical diet studies show almonds can also reduce your risk of insulin resistance and diabetes. Even if you have diabetes, adding almonds to your diet can improve your sensitivity to insulin.
According to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), increasing your daily intake of phytosterols from the average intake of 150 -400mg to 1.5 or 2.4 grams a day can lead to a reduction of ldl-cholesterol as significant as 7 to 10.5%. And there is more good news – the results of this effect can be seen within 2 – 3 weeks of changing your diet. Clinical trials conducted by the FDA confirmed this hypothesis and also proved that increasing your phytosterol intake reduces your risk of cardiovascular disease. With 94 – 265mg per 100g, pumpkin seeds are an excellent source of phytosterol.