From the desk (and BlackBerry) of Keith Parnell

The Miniature Earth

If we could turn the population of the earth into a small community of 100 people, keeping the same proportions we have today, it would look something like this.

I have been an avid reader of and subscriber to Men’s Health magazine since the early 90’s. Yes, I’m that old. I also receive their daily newsletter to my inbox, which I value reading each morning with coffee.

Today’s news alert is about cholesterol and tips on lowering your cholesterol levels. So I though it my male-civic-duty to pass on this tidbit. I left their reference links in-tact. Enjoy.

Worried about your cholesterol level? Stop worrying. Start fixing it.

Change your bread spread—out with butter, in with olive oil: You’ll lower LDL (“bad” cholesterol) and raise HDL (“good”) for a double-dose of protection.

Eat the right nuts: Have a half-cup of pistachios every day, and you could lower your LDL by as much as 12 percent. Throw in this other nut for another snack, and the monounsaturated fats could flush even more bad cholesterol out of your body.

Keep the doctor away: An apple a day—seriously—can lower LDL by 8 percent. The soluble fiber inside scrubs arteries clean: There’s more in these breakfast foods. And apples aren’t the only fruit that can help—this berry can stimulate your liver to better break down fat and cholesterol.

One more: Lower your LDL by as much as 20 percent by having two servings of this protein source every week.