Following The Proper Diet To Lower Cholesterol

Cholesterol is a major contributory factor in causing heart attacks. However, our own bodies create cholesterol so it can not be all that bad. In fact, we require some cholesterol and besides that there are two kinds, one of which is known as 'good cholesterol' and the other as 'bad cholesterol'.

LDL (low-density lipoprotein) is the 'bad cholesterol and HDL (high-density lipoprotein) is the 'good cholesterol'. Both are fatty, waxy substances made in the liver that float around the body in the blood. LDL levels can increase to the degree that it can block blood vessels and interfere with the action of the heart causing heart disease and heart attack. LDL comes usually from the ingestion of saturated fats in red meat, full-fat milk, cheese and cream and from hydrogenated trans fats.

HDL helps clear out the LDL, so a diet that is useful for cholesterol will strive to reduce the consumption of LDL-producing food and raise the consumption of HDL-producing food. In general, the foods that do this are fruits, vegetables, grains and fish. However, a high cholesterol level (bad cholesterol, that is) is more complex than just diet. It is also important to maintain a correct body weight and to exercise regularly.

Keeping healthy levels of cholesterol is really an on-going maintenance programme and has a great deal to do with just living an active, healthy life. This means not eating a lot of red meat, eating fish twice a week, eating at least five portions of fresh fruit and vegetables a day, not over doing the dairy products, drinking skimmed milk (or none at all), cutting back on cheese and varying your diet and exercising each day, even if it is just in the form of going for a walk twice a day.

Although there can be genetic reasons for high cholesterol, most individuals can solve this difficulty quite easily by exercise and diet. Doctors say that cutting out all types of saturated fat and trans fat is the single most effective manner of decreasing your LDL cholesterol levels, so that is the obvious way to start. Grains and pulses are good because they contain so much fibre which is good for removing cholesterol.

This suggests that eating porridge in the morning instead of bacon and eggs and having some kind of lentil soup with whole grain bread before dinner would be steps in the correct direction. Snacks throughout the day and sweet at mealtimes ought to be fruit. Citrus fruits are particularly good at helping to remove cholesterol.

Other articles of food that are thought to lower cholesterol are nuts like walnuts and almonds; onions and garlic; olive oil and soya bean products. Although cooking in olive oil will help a lot, it is also a good idea to avoid frying whenever there is a possibility of cooking in another way. Grilling and steaming are the best ways of cooking most fish and vegetables and it helps retain the vitamin and nutrient content of the food as well.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on several topics, but is now concerned with low fat low cholesterol diet. If you would like to know more, please visit our web site at What Foods Lower Cholesterol?