Shed Pounds, Help Your Heart With Low Cholesterol Foods

So your your physician says your cholesterol levels are higher than they should be and you need to make a change to your eating habits by eating a good diet for high cholesterol.

But if you’re like most people (especially middle-aged Americans, you may not be aware of the types of foods that go into a low cholesterol diet.

There’s no need to worry. It’s not as hard to design a good diet for high cholesterol as you may think. In fact, you actually have a wide variety of resources to research.

But be aware that planning a good diet for high cholesterol is the easy part. The hard part of adopting a good diet for high cholesterol is staying with it and not regressing to the Food Facts With All Natural Multivitamins” href=”http://theundietcoach.com/849/implementing-heart-healthy-food-facts-with-all-natural-multivitamins/”>diet you’re accustomed to – which is to say – no diet at all.

Switching to a low cholesterol diet is tough for some people – there’s no doubt about it. But it’s important to try because cholesterol health matters. It may even save your life. Here’s why.

When you eat things that result in high cholesterol levels, you raise your risk of developing conditions like atherosclerosis, high blood pressure and heart disease, along with a variety of other diseases and disorders. Such conditions can lower your longevity along with your quality of life.

There’s no question that it’s tough to “be good” when you’re bombarded by hundreds of commercials everyday inviting you to “slip.” But once you become determined to lower your cholesterol, you’ll be pleased to learn that lots of healthy foods taste pretty good after all.

Before looking at specific foods, let’s do a quick overview of different kinds of fats that come in the food we eat. This is important. When you know which fats are good and which fats are bad, you can choose foods that are good and avoid those that aren’t. It might surprise you to know that not all fats are bad. In fact, some are actually good for you.

First, we’ll look at the bad fats.

Saturated fats – These come from red meat, coconut oil, palm oil etc .

Trans fats – This is {the type of fat you get in some of our most beloved foods like baked goods (cake, muffins, doughnuts, croissants etc.). Trans fats are also often used in fast-food restaurants (especially the ones that serve french fries). Many pre-packaged convenience foods contain excessive amounts of trans fats (not to mentionlots of salt,which contributes to high blood pressure)

Fats that help keep cholesterol levels down include:

Polyunsaturated fats – You find these in vegetable oils & fish oils. They cholesterol when eaten in moderation.

Monounsaturated fats – This type comes from sunflower seeds, peanuts, olive oil, etc. They actually bring down cholesterol levels.

Here are some low fat low cholesterol examples.

* Most fruits and vegetables. Blueberries, strawberries, blackberries and raspberries are especially good and taste great.

* Several different kinds of nuts, especially almonds and walnuts. These make great snacks you can pop in your mouth anytime. Don’t overdo them though, because some are fairly high in calories.

* Oat bran or oatmeal, certain cooked beans like pinto beans, kidney beans, and garbanzo beans or chick peas.

* Soy, which comes from from tofu, tempeh, soy milk, roasted soy nuts.

* Several types of fish get high marks as cholesterol fighters. Some of the best are albacore tuna, herring, lake trout, mackerel, sardines and salmon. These provide an essential fatty acid called omega-3. Fish is also a good source of protein.

Planning a diet that will bring your cholesterol back into a healthy range means you have to get smart when you shop. You do it by carefully reading information on the labels of foods you buy – especially if it is prepackaged.

Unfortunately, many people avoid eating a good diet for high cholesterol because they mistakenly think it will be tasteless and boring. But when you really take a look at all the healthy – and tasty – possibilities a low cholesterol diet offers, you’ll find it can be a lot more interesting than you probably thought..

For more information, click on diet for cholesterol|cholesterol diet, lowering cholesterol levels and Cholesterol Health And You. Neal Kennedy is a retired TV and radio journalist.

Tagged with: cholesterol • diet

Filed under: Diet

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