Fighting High Cholesterol

Cholesterol can be highly dangerous. Not in lesser quantities and not even all cholesterol, because there are two sorts. One is good for you, because it assists to mop up the other one which is bad for you in substantial quantities. HDL cholesterol is termed the good cholesterol and LDL the bad cholesterol, although we need some LDL in order to regulate some of our bodily functions

Too much LDL in our blood streams can result in clogging which in turn would lead to higher blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes. So what can you do about it? There are three prongs you can use to combat cholesterol: diet, exercise and medication. Some people do not want to be on tablets every day for life, but some do not mind.

So, the first thing to do is get into the habit of exercising every day. The minimum exercise you need to be doing is walking for thirty minutes every morning and each evening. You might think that you do not have an hour a day to spare, but you almost certainly do.

If you have a lunch break, what do you do in it? Eat? Read the paper? Have a talk? OK, why not pick a greengrocer's that is fifteen minutes walk away and go and purchase an apple every day?
In the evening, you could go for a walk with your spouse or your dog. In that fashion, you have only thirty minutes to find in order to stay healthy.

How can food lower your cholesterol? Well, there is cholesterol in almost everything we eat, so it is a question of learning which type of cholesterol is in which food and being discriminating. In general, this means avoiding food that is high in saturated fats and trans or hydrogenated fats and eating more food that has mono- or poly-unsaturated fats.

This is not as difficult as it sounds anything you buy in a tin or a tub will or ought to have the kinds of fat written in the contents list. You will just have to learn which fresh food is good for you. Basically, red meat and dairy products are not particularly good for you. Try substituting skinless chicken and fish for beef and pork. Drink skimmed milk, if you have to drink milk and give up butter.

In fact, some margarines have been specially prepared to reduce cholesterol and, yes, they do work, it is not a rip-off. It is frequently said that liver and eggs are high in cholesterol, but according to the British Heart Foundation, our bodies cannot access this cholesterol, so it is OK to incorporate them in a low cholesterol diet.

Fresh fruit and vegetables are the real friends in the fight against high cholesterol. Bananas are especially useful and so are citrus fruits. Nuts are also good for you and in particular almonds and walnuts. Tofu and other soya bean products are useful and will even lower cholesterol.

Roughage and fibre are very useful for reducing cholesterol and one of the best meals you can have is a dish of porridge in the morning for breakfast.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on a number of topics, and is now concerned with food that lowers cholesterol. If you want to know more, please visit our site at What Foods Lower Cholesterol?