Planning a Low Cholesterol Diet

A high level of cholesterol has been linked with a variety of diseases. A high level of cholesterol in the body can be brought about by a number of things. On of them is by following a diet that is high in saturated fat and LDL or “bad” cholesterol which is the type of diet that most people seem to keep nowadays.

Prolonged regular inactivity or lack of proper exercise, smoking and drinking habits can also contribute to the unhealthy increase of bad cholesterol levels that may lead to heart disease in the long term.

Heart disease is known to be the number one killer in the US. It is important for people to realize that lowering their cholesterol levels can help reduce the risks of heart disease and stroke. This can be done in a variety of ways.

A healthy lifestyle can help a lot in trying to reduce high cholesterol levels and therefore reduce the risk of developing heart disease. The earlier an individual starts such a practice, the less likely he or she will be suffering from the effects of heart disease with age.

Following a healthy lifestyle will include taking part in a regular exercise routine as well as eating a low cholesterol diet. A healthy diet is very important for an individual trying to reduce facing the risks of having high cholesterol levels.

If you are trying to formulate a low cholesterol diet plan, you should be able to have a clear idea of what you will be doing and what it will take. Knowing and understanding your objectives of following a low cholesterol diet will make you more likely adhere to it more sincerely and in the long term and not just as a fad diet that can come and go. Before you begin indulging in any strict diet like a low cholesterol diet program, you should have some idea on why some foods are safe for you to eat and why some are not.

The basic idea behind every low cholesterol diet plan is to try to decrease the total intake of saturated fat, calories, and cholesterol in the body not only to reduce cholesterol and fat levels but also to lose some weight. The different types of foods that will be able to do this for you include mainly fruits and vegetables.

Foods belonging in this group have very high fiber content. Dietary fiber soaks cholesterol like sponge and helps get rid of it by disposing it out of the body. Fruits such as apples, oranges and pears are high in fiber content. This also includes oats and carrots that you can add to your diet.

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Foods to Avoid to Lower Cholesterol

One past time that people love to do is eating.  This can happen at anytime aside from the three basic meals of the day whenever the person is craving for something.

Whenever the individual buys the snack or meal to suit that craving, little attention is paid on how much cholesterol the food has.   In fact, a lot of those of the dishes made in fast food joint are unhealthy which has prompted McDonald’s to print the calories, cholesterol and other things on each product given to the customer.

The growing number of those who are overweight and obese has caught the attention of doctors since this means there are a lot of people now who are considered to be high risk of suffering from heart disease or stroke in the United States.

Aside from advising people to visit the doctor annually, many are suggesting to make some lifestyle changes before it is too late. This usually means making some changes in the food being eaten since this is the only way to control the amount of cholesterol going in the system.

So what type of foods must be avoided to have lower levels of cholesterol in the body? The first is reducing the quantity of red meat being consumed. A good example is steak, ham and bacon that is high in fat.

Giving it up will be difficult so eating smaller portions should be done especially for those who are moderate or at a high risk of getting a heart disease or a stroke.

Fried food such as hamburgers and fries should also be avoided. The ingredients and oil used in cooking these things are also high in cholesterol that could be dangerous to one’s health. This also includes pre-packaged frozen meals that a lot of people will just throw in the microwave after a long day at the office.

Dairy products such as milk, eggs and chicken should also be reduced. If the person has a hard time giving this up, this can be substituted using non-fat milk or yogurt to provide calcium that the body needs.

It is fairly safe for kids to have junk food, candies and cake.  As the individual gets older, these things have to be avoided. This is because the ingredients used in making these products are high in fat. However, you should try to keep junk food snacks to a minimum for children, since you do not want to get them into bad eating habits.

Also there may be a chance that plaque may start clogging the arteries of children and then continue to add plaque as they get older. Some children as young as 10 have had clogged artieries.

Now that more or less the food the person should avoid has been revealed, it is time to mention those that can be substituted to maintain a good diet.

Ideally, those who want to reduce the cholesterol intake should have a diet that contains  less than 30% of fat.  Those who can eat less will do better in living a healthy life.

The best products in the market to get are beans, fish oil, fruits, garlic, grains, soy, vegetables and whole grain bread. These things have vitamins and minerals as well as omega 3 acids that are known to reduce cholesterol levels in the body.

Different variations can be done daily so the person will not get tired of eating the same thing just to have a healthy diet. If planning this is difficult, a dietitian will gladly help and make changes every week so the cholesterol levels will improve when the patient pays another visit to the clinic.

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10 Easy Tips to Lower Cholesterol

Has your doctor told you that you have high cholesterol levels and need to lower it?

That is no surprise considering how many people have high cholesterol these days. To help lower your cholesterol, here are 10 tips you can get started with today.

As with anything health related, diet and exercise are the two crucial components. What you eat is critical to lowering your cholesterol levels, so that is what is included here.

One thing you should know is the difference between LDL and HDL cholesterol. Simply think of HDL as “healthy” and LDL as “lousy.” HDL can actually help carry cholesterol out of your blood vessels while LDL allows it to deposit inside your artery walls.

The good news is that you can change your cholesterol for the better. Here is how to do just that:

1. Have a nice sandwich on whole wheat bread or a pita with some lean turkey and lots of fresh veggies. Skip the hot dogs, bologna, and salami, and hold the Mayo. All of those are highly processed and filled with fat and cholesterol.

2. Fish, like salmon, is good. Look for wild red salmon varieties, which are very high in Omega-3 fatty acids (good fat.) Also, flax seed is a good source of Omega-3s.

3. Avoid Trans fats! Not only do they raise the lousy LDL cholesterol, they can also lower your HDL levels! Stay away from foods like margarine, shortening, and processed foods containing partially hydrogenated soybean oil.

4. Go ahead, go nuts! Look for walnuts mainly but also try almonds, macadamia nuts, cashews, and pecans. Nuts are high in fat, but it’s the good kind. (Also, use natural peanut butter instead of the normal kind which contains unhealthy Trans fats.)

5. Limit desserts and try to eat only the healthier ones like angel food cake, graham crackers, Jell-O, and fat-free frozen yogurt.

6. Eat foods that are high in fiber. Examples include whole wheat bread, oatmeal, fruits, vegetables, beans, and some cereals. (Look for the boxes that say “may help lower cholesterol.”)

7. Use the grill. If you’re going to have steak or burgers, grill them at home and use lean meat. This practice avoids the grease, is fun, and the meat tastes great.

8. Find a new salad dressing. Most of them are full of Trans fats and cholesterol. Olive oil is good, and maybe add vinegar or lemon juice. Also, skip the bacon bits, croutons, and egg yolks.

9. Go overboard on fruits and vegetables. They contain no cholesterol and they have lots of nutrients like antioxidants.

Here are some examples: green peas, broccoli, cauliflower, apples, oranges, mangos, papaya, pineapple, tomato, garlic, onions, spinach, water chestnuts, bananas, apricots, blueberries, and kiwi.

10. Avoid fast food like french fries and anything else from the deep fryer. Those foods will raise your cholesterol like crazy, so stay away from the burger joints if you can.

11. Bonus tip: Use spices like pepper and oregano to add flavor to your dishes. They are a healthy alternative to other toppings like Mayo.

That was easy, wasn’t it? Just make some of these changes and get plenty of exercise like walking, jogging, swimming, or playing basketball. You will have lower cholesterol in no time!

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Cholesterol and Saturated Fats: Will the Real Problem Please Stand Up?

It just figures, doesn’t it? The really good-tasting foods also seem to be the ones with the highest cholesterol content. But before you cry over that observation too much, did you know high cholesterol content doesn’t necessarily mean you have to avoid the foods you love?

No really, it’s true. It turns out the real problem isn’t a particular food’s cholesterol content as much as the amount of saturated fats a food choice contains. Saturated fats actually cause our liver to go into production mode, generating the harmful type of cholesterol you’ve probably heard so much about.

Saturated fats are primarily found in animal products and are recognized by experts as agents in the elevation of your LDL cholesterol (the “bad” kind). The saturated fats are responsible for the triggering of LDL cholesterol production by your liver.

You don’t have to worry, however, about having enough saturated fats to fuel cholesterol production (and your body does need some cholesterol for cell repair and other things). If you were to totally eliminate saturated fats from your diet, experts claim there would be absolutely no negative effect on your body; your body is able to produce all the cholesterol you will ever need without the aid of saturated fats.

In fact, the liver pumps into our blood four times the amount of cholesterol it receives from our food. Therefore, since saturated fats are responsible for stimulating cholesterol production in the liver, they are much more dangerous culprits than our poor dietary cholesterol.

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