Blogging from A to Z Challenge - N

This house is never without a can of nuts somewhere. Peanuts, cashews, pistachios, walnuts and more are regular snacks. According to staff at the Mayo Clinic, eating nuts as part of a healthy diet can be good for your heart. They say people who eat nuts as part of a heart-healthy diet can lower their low-density lipoprotein (LDL)--bad--cholesterol. High LDL is a primary cause of heart disease.

A few years ago, my husband's LDL was high, so he began a program that included exercising five days a week and a low fat diet. His doctor also prescribed simvastatin (Zocor). The challenge is since he started this altogether, it's hard to know if diet and exercise could have brought about the desired change without the need for medication. Even with medication, lifestyle is a key component in reducing the risk for heart disease.

While nuts can be expensive, the health benefits far outweigh the costs for us.

This post is part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. A full list of participants can be found here.