Lowering Cholesterol Levels Through Food
Thursday, November 20th, 2008Fact: you have to eat in order to have energy to do tasks and repair your body. It’s the way that you eat that can make a big difference in your cholesterol levels.
Some are able to make three or four trips to the buffet table while others are satisfied after one round. In any case, the type of food brought to the plate could be healthy or harmful and the choice is really up to you.
Those who love to eat red meat and other dishes that are fatty or greasy are at risk of raising their cholesterol levels.
These high levels of cholesterol in the body are happening more often now than ever before. This is because of the variety of food offered now in the grocery and in restaurants. Having choices are good, but you have to know how to block out the bad food choices so that you don’t feel deprived. If you look at your food choices in a positive light, it will be easier to pass up on the donuts or greasy fries.
Is there one food product that can be called the best to lower cholesterol? The answer is no because a well balanced diet must come from all the food groups and you should know which food choices are better.
For example: instead of drinking whole milk and using whole milk for your cereal sue fat free or skim milk. Don’t like skim milk? Try working up to it. For 2 weeks use 2% milk, then the next 2 weeks use 1% milk, then by week 4 you can start using skim milk and you will be surprised to notice that by working towards the fat free milk, you won’t miss the whole milk. However, if you jump from whole milk to skim milk – you’ll probably shy away from it forever.
When is the last time you eat oatmeal? You probably haven’t had it since you were a kid. Oatmeal can help lower your cholesterol levels while being very filling, high in fiber and low in sodium, low in sugar, low in fat. Just try not to add any additional butter or sugar.
Instead of having steak when having a cookout or picnic, this should be changed with chicken or fish instead. These things don’t have that much fat in the center or in the edges and taste just as good as the big slab served with mash potatoes (plus use skim milk to make your mashed potatoes – you won’t notice a difference.
The healthiest thing to have either for lunch and dinner is food that comes from the ocean. This can be fish or shellfish that is known to carry Omega 3, which is very effective in lowering the levels of cholesterol in people.
Eating a candy bar or a slice of cake doesn’t see so bad but many of these are rich in fat. Learn to read labels.
With each meal, try to add in some fruit and/or veggies . A salad works best or having a few carrots or potatoes as a side dish. There must always be a balance whenever the individual decides to have meat or fish. Try steaming your veggies or using the new prepackaged veggies that get steamed in your microwave. They don’t have any added sauces or calories.
There are many ways to cook the food mentioned. The individual can get a cookbook or download some recipes from the Internet to be able to come up with something delicious and at the same time lower one’s cholesterol levels.
If following the instructions are hard, there are always shows on television that teach homemakers and other people the basics into cooking something fat free which is good for the diet.
It is never too late to make some lifestyle and changes in order to live a longer and healthier life.
