Food for People with High Cholesterol

Bad cholesterol nestles stubbornly in the body. This common fact causes great amount of effort to afflicted ones. If only cholesterol can be passed out or rinsed easily with water, then the fear accompanying its effects will not be gruesome to prepare about. The sad thing about bad cholesterol is its presence in the minute-diameter of the veins, where the life-giving flow of blood must not be trafficked even for a second.

Don’t take it wrong. The presence of good cholesterol is an important ingredient in our vital processes. It is the bad cholesterol, which has to be prevented from clogging the arteries. Usually it takes years of careless consumption of high cholesterol foods to find out one day it is too late to eliminate the disadvantage.

Cholesterol and weight gain go together, the main reason why obese or simple overweight people are prone to having high cholesterol levels. The main factors affecting the levels are some drugs, hereditary traits and food diet. This is the reason why there are normally weighing individuals who get surprised knowing their levels are high.

Usually there is less information about preventing cholesterol from rising and the only time they learn is when they get assessed clinically. It means one cannot simply trust personal diagnosis in claiming safety on future dilemmas with cholesterol.

Keeping a healthy lifestyle is a must in preventing health troubles in the first place. While this is commonly said everywhere, the most practical precaution to be watched over is the food consumption. Avoid fats.

In the meantime, there are food groups that are helpful in lowering cholesterol levels. It means foods with antioxidants help prevent the accumulation of bad cholesterol.

Here are some of these helpful foods to consider:

OATMEAL and other FIBERS – Oatmeal is a nutritious fiber with the reputation for its capability to reduce cholesterol. This benefit became an important issue based on expert’s studies sometime in 1980’s until 1989. This eventually lost popularity and became another issue again in 1997 after the Food and Drug Administration declared how it can prevent heart disease if regularly taken with the practice of good diet low in fat. Other than oatmeal, fibers of the same kind such as bran, wheat, brewer’s yeast, breads, rice, beans, legumes and other cereals help boost and improve the level of good cholesterol.

VEGETABLES AND FRUITS – vitamin rich and full of anti-oxidants, fruits and vegetables rank highest in the food pyramid group. Human beings are required to eat more of this than any other kinds of edible foods, especially processed ones. These have cleansing properties and do not contain a single fat, particularly citrus fruits rich in vitamin C. Cucumber, rich in vitamin E, is one of the best anti-oxidants good for fighting free-radical elements causing different kinds of disease and discomforts in the body.

FISH – tuna and other fish with white meat are good choices for healthy diet. Fish is low in saturated fat.

SELECTED LEAN MEATS – chicken and turkey without the skin, liver, extra lean beef. Without the fat, these protein rich foods are important part of low cholesterol diet.

YOGURT – very good in the regulating the acids in the stomach which is a good way to balance the digestion of food. Yogurt is healthy in regulating cholesterol levels because of this quality, while at the same time it is low in fat.

Following a Low Cholesterol Diet Plan

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.